My sister is a vegatetarian and she is 16 and she only weighs 95 pounds what should we do to help her?

Answer 1

nothing, vegetarians dont weigh a lot because they dont intake a lot of calories and fat just make sure she is getting all the nutrients which if you say meat that is wrong, you can get protien in tofu which is a vegeterian food, ; )

/kevin

Answer 2

I don't think being a vegetarian has anything to do with it. It sounds like she either has an eating disorder or a problem with her metabolism/thyroid. I've been a vegetarian since I was 11 and I have still struggled with my weight (being OVERweight). The only reason vegetarians have the "thin" stereotype is b/c of the lifestyle. We tend to be more active, eat healthier things such as whole grains etc. Whatever you do, DO NOT PUT MEAT IN HER FOOD or try to trick her. This is a serious lifestyle choice similar to a religion, and she will only resent you if you ever did something like that. Think about it: cake, chips, pasta, bread, peanutbutter etc. are all "vegetarian" yet they are all fattening. She probably just needs to intake more calories. If she shows signs of deteriorating health (other than just being skinny) you may want to hold an intervention or take her to an eating disorder specialist.

Answer 3

Depends on a couple things- how tall is she, has she hit her growth spurt, and is she done growing. Also- is she paying attention to her protein intake- beans, other lentils...

If she is done growing (and has been done growing for a while)- (to be determined by a doctor!!) Figure her appropriate weight this way- 100 pounds for the first 5 feet of height and 5 pounds for each additional inch of height...
5'3" =100 pounds+(3'x5 pounds)=100+15=115 pounds.
(I personally think this is still too light- I'm 5'3", 125, looking GOOD!!)

If she is not done growing she will NOT fit this formula= she will be lighter, and that is NORMAL, whether she's a vegetarian or not. Wait till she's about 25... Do the formula, and if she's way under that estimate, then you can worry.

In the meantime, if she's eating and not throwing up afterward (bulimic), don't worry.

Answer 4

Vegetarians come in all sizes just like everyone else. I know several vegetarians that are very overweight. Cheese pizza and fries and nachos and chips and cookies can all be considered vegetarian! If your sister is underweight for her height it may not be because she is vegetarian but because she is suffering from an eating disorder. The best way to help her is to encourage her to see a doctor to make sure she is the correct weight and also to make sure she is not deficient in any protein, vitamins or iron that might make her anemic. There are a lot of healthy protein and vitamin supplements that are ok for vegetarians to take. I hope this helps!

Answer 5

Being a vegetarian and having an eating disorder are two different things. Unless she's 4 ft 10 or under it does sound like she's underweight. People with anorexia often starve themselves as a means of feeling in control of something in their lives, so being judgemental about her diet is not going to be helpful. You could show her the website below which shows recommended healthy weight ranges in the hope of helping her face her problem. Above all be supportive.

Answer 6

There are vital proteins unique to meats. These help growth and muscle development. Also meat contain fat. It isn't acknowledged by our modern society, but fat is very valuable. We need a certain amount of fat in our diet to keep us at a healthy weight.

This is often a problem with veggie children, they eat no fat and not all the proteins they need and end up with stunted growth, under wieght, too thin, etc, etc.

You can't get all the types of protein you need from plants!

The best thing to do now would be to tell her that though vegetarianism may be important to her, at the moment it is damaging her health. The best way to get some meat proteins and fats into her diet would be to get her eating meat again, at least until she is an adult.

Answer 7

The biggest problem with most people who want to be a vegetarian is that they think they can just "not eat meat" and wind up healthy.

Meat gives you alot that your body needs to survive. Protien, ammino acids, and vitimins. If you don't eat meat, you need to get those nutrients elsewhere.

The best thing you can do is to do to the bookstore and get her a good book on how to cook vegetarian. Good ones will tell you what you need to eat to replace what you're missing.

Your local health unit should also have a nutritional guide for vegetarians.

Answer 8

Encourage her to eat nuts, peanut butter and tofu to get the protein she needs. Not eating meat is not the culprit for her low weight. She can gain weight by being vegetarian too. Also, whether or not 95 lbs is too low depends on her height.
In any case, if she continues to lose weight or display any eating disorder behavior, seek medical advice.

Answer 9

You sound really upset! Your sister isn't eating correctly at all because the vegetarians that I know are really healthy. She's probably more anorexic than she is vegetarian.

She should really get therapy and conseling about what a healthy vegetarian diet is, and she should also see a doctor immediately! She may be very deficient in essential vitamins and nutrients!

Answer 10

How tall is she? She may need to see a Dr to be evaluated for anorexia if she is really gaunt. There are enough healthy and filling carbs available to the vegetarian that if she is eating enough she should not be skinny. Good luck with getting her help..sometimes teen girls have a distorted idea of what "thin" is, and some celebrities who they look up to look like skeletons.

Answer 11

Depending on her height and build, that may not be a bad thing for her to weigh that little. But if she's truly gaunt, then she may need two things: One, counselling in case she's anorexic, and two, add a bit more in the way of carbs to her diet - carbs like whole-grain breads, whole-grain breakfast cereals, bananas, sweet potatoes, white potatoes...and there are some absolutely delicious vegitarian rice dishes.