HELP! my daughter-8 wants to be a vegetarian,PLEASE -pros& con?

Question

i have a friend who is a vegetarian, because of the mistreatment of animals,my daughter wants to do her part ,BUT, her ,age & is it as bad as it was 30 yrs ago? please be nice ,these answers are for my daughter,THANKS

Answer 1

It isn't unusual for children to want to emulate someone they respect - especially if that person is doing something that will supposedly make the lives of the animals better. It is a credit that we are beginning to raise thoughful, and considerate, children.

Having said that, I would have to question the wisdom of either yourself or your friend (I don't know how the friend's reasoning for being a vegetarian came up with your daughter) for using the reason of mistreatment of animals. An 8 year old is so very highly suseptable to influence, and the reasoning could have been more ambiguous thereby giving you more options and input with respect to your daughter's diet and health.

Foremost, it is not just your daughter who will be a vegetarian - by reason of your position as her mother, you must be an expert! A wholesome vegetarian diet is not easy, and for a growing child, whose intake of proteins, carbs and fats must be higher to accommodate growth in all areas (brain, bone, blood, hormones), it is extremely difficult.

Even in countries such as India, where a vegetarian diet is a given, young children do not follow it - Vegetarian/Vegan parents understand that the amount of protein necessary for growth at an early age would necessitate a huge volume of food.

A vegetarian diet is possible for an 8-year old, but not without extensive training and guidance for her primary caregiver and cook. Legumes, soy protein (including unsweetened, unflavoured Soy Milk), lentils, veggies as we usually eat, plus the eggplant, brussel sprouts, nuts, etc., may not be appealing to her, but without them she will suffer physically and mentally. She will not thrive on the same type of vegetarian diet as an adult lives on.

I suggest you have a serious discussion with your family doctor about where to receive nutrition and recipe support for this before you start anything. Also with your friend, who may need to be more circumspect about her reasoning around impressionable youngsters.

If you decide to go this route, perhaps you could start by deciding not to eat any animal with fur - this gives you plenty of options such as shellfish, tuna, chicken, etc., to supplement the protein requirements she will have. You could also explain that, eating products from animals with fur & feathers, such as cheese, yogourt, milk and eggs, is okay since these animals "give them away" without being hurt.

If she truly enjoys this diet, and grows well while being closely monitored by a doctor, she can graduate to making sure she eats "nothing with a smile" - that still leaves the door open for cheese, eggs, milk, yogourt - you get the idea!

It is you who will have to do all the work, but you will be doing a wonderful thing by respecting her wishes while taking care that she gets what she needs. You can't do this alone, however, and your friend is not a resource for anything other than recipe ideas - child vegetarian nutrition is a whole branch that requires professional support.

You may also find that your daughter loses interest in this type of diet fairly quickly and wants a burger (God forbid!). If this happens, take it in stride and let her have one without comment. If she feels "guilty" about wanting a piece of steak, or a taco at this age, you may need some support to make her feel better about her diet needs versus heartfelt needs to help animals- young girls, eating problems - you know where this could go!


Good Luck!

Answer 2

Congratulations!! I think it is great that your daughter wants to live as a vegetarian. You should be proud of her for wanting to make a difference. Our pediatrician raised his kids as vegetarians and supports me in doing so. Can you talk to her pediatrician? Will he/she be supportive? Don't panic. Most Americans are raised to ignore or deny the truth about the cruelty against animals for food. It is really unethical and I, like your daughter, refuse to be a part of it. I wish more people cared to know. Use the internet as your tool and go to your veg friend for advice. It's better to support her and work with her to ensure that she eat a healthy diet rather than fight her about it and not offer her vegetarian options. She can be a vegetarian and still be healthy! I'm a third grade teacher and a veg mom. email me if you want at [e-mail].

Pros
better for the earth & animals
better for health
makes daughter a better person because she cares about other living things
I also think it is empowering because it shows her that she CAN make a difference

Cons
might single her out (however this will give her a chance to educate other kids)
Maybe no veg options offered at school
forget fast food for the most part
educational materials can be harsh

That's all for now, I'm really tired! Good luck!

Answer 3

It's not bad at all. The pay off is huge. The main nutrient concerns are 1. protein. The daily value is most often achieved with soy products such as tofu, tempeh, etc. 2. Calcium. There are a lot of great calcium sources out there. My main source is calcium-enriched soy milk. Silk and most others have 30% of the DV in 1 cup, more than 2% dairy milk. It's also available in (a "suitable for vegetarians") capsules.3. Vitamin B-12. It's often thought to be available to the people who chose to eat a plant-based diet. That's not, in fact, true. See http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/b12/index.php for info on B12. 4. Omega 3s. If you're daughter is only a vegetarian, she can use eggs as a source. If not, 3T of freshly ground flax seed will do the trick. http://www.vegetarian-dha-epa.co.uk/
For more information, try the book "Raising vegan children in a non vegan world" or search on amazon, borders, eBay, etc. for vegetarian kid book. Another great info source is www.goveg.com. Good luck! And pass my well wishes to your daughter for me. It's a great, healthy choice. :]

Answer 4

I think you should support her. It will be easier for her to switch because you can get info from your friend about recipes. I think it's much easier today than in the past. I started at 12 and that was 20 yrs ago. It was hard back then because the only alternatives readily available were morningstar grillers (super hard to find then) and tofu (which my mom didn't know how to cook.)

Check out peta.com and peta2.com for info on making the switch. Peta2 is geared more towards kids, but I think it maybe for teens so you might want to look at the info before you have her see it. (I'm totally against animal testing and cruelty but I don't think an 8yr old needs to see those images)

Also at that age some kids are picky. I pretty much lived off of potatoes and pasta for the first 2 yrs. That made me sick and lethargic. It's actually pretty easy to be a veg and not eat vegetables so make sure she gets plenty of good veggies in her diet.

Then there are tons of meat alternatives out there. Morningstar Farms recently launched chicken and steak like strips. I think it's something your family would enjoy and it would leave you less of a hassle inthe kitchen than cooking 2 things. Just make sure to saute them til crispy then keep them at a low heat for a while so they have a drier texture (personal preference). Also remember that in addition to tofu, beans and nuts there is seitan. It's wheat meat made of gluten. The texture of it is awesome and may be more palatable for a young kid and your family. It's super high in protein, low in carbs and I think it's fat free. You can find it in natural food stores and there is a great recipe here. http://theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/recipe.php?RecipeID=112

And last check out the Meat and Potatoes vegetarian cookbook. It has recipes that i'm sure your whole family will love. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1558322051/sr=8-1/qid=1156551384/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-7086866-8604842?ie=UTF8

Good luck and thanks for supporting her decision.

Answer 5

Being a vegetarian is completely healthy, BUT you need to make sure you get enough protein from other sources (beans, nuts, etc.) I'm not sure how old your daughter is, but most likely you should check with her doctor/pediatrician if she stops eating meat. There is a lot of info on this at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarian

Answer 6

She makes sense. Ask your vegetarian friend for guidance. Get reading material. Colntact the international Vegetarian Society 22 West Madison Street Suite 900, Chicago Illinois 60602

Answer 7

I agree that you should support her in her decision. However, you need to be sure she is getting enough protein and minerals through her eating legumes and nuts and beans. Also, be aware that you will have to be preparing two different meals unless you and other members of the family choose to be vegetarian as well. There are some excellent recipe books available that cater to the vegetarian. Any bookstore carries them. Also tell her that if you decide NOT to go vegetarian yourself, that meals will contain meat for you, and you do not expect her to be whining and making fun of other members of the family because they choose a different style from her. You expect her to respect their decision as they and you are respecting hers.

Good luck!!

Answer 8

I actually just read an article about this.

Make sure she gets iron, which is important for women. "The ADA recommends vegetarians eat nearly twice the recommended daily allowance to compensate for absorpiton issues." (Alternative medicine, Nov, 2004) Enhance iron absorption by pairing rich foods like soy and green vegies with acidic complements like citrus and tomatoes. Pumpkin, squash, lentils, fortified cereals are high in iron. (eatright.org has nutrient components of fave foods) Also make sure she gets enough protein, like found in "veggie meats" and phony bologna, which are sometimes fortified with B-12. Eggs are a very good source of protein. Make sure that 1/2 of one's six oz. daily protein comes from animal sources(milk, yoghurt, cheese). If sticking to plants, eat a variety of rice, wheat and legumes(beans) Lentils are also high in iron, so are soybeans. There's this thing called edamame which is found in the freezer department that you drop into boiling water and chew. It's soybeans. Adzuki and navy beans have zinc. Split peans, kidney beans and lima beans have lots of protein. Recommended book: The Protein County by Annette B. Natow and Jo-Ann Heslin.

Lastly, take a good multi vitamin, plus a B-complex with plenty of riboflavin, B-12(2.5 mcg is all that's necessary), folic acid(400mcg a day or 5 servings fruits and leafy veggies). Also supplement zinc(15mg/day) Flaxseed oil and seeds abd walnuts can provide amino acids and omega 3-fatty acids. Kelp is another veg. source. Best source is fish oil, 1-2 grams a day. Dr. Garry Gordon, a physician, believes that there's a correlation in vegetarian-related nutritional deficiencies and high rates of illness. These added things prevent that.

Answer 9

Mollie Katzen has three vegetarian cookbooks for kids. "Pretend Soup" and others. Let her explore it. She might find it inconvenient after a while and give it up (and then pick it back up later in life). Talk to her about nutrition and buy her lots of fresh fruit and veggies. If you have space, make a garden of some sort (even 5 gallon pails with a tomato plant in each one). There are plenty of fake meats out there for her to try and all of them have added vitamins and are lower in fat than their meat counterparts. If the fake meats are too expensive, try Super Wal-Mart or talk to the Seventh Day Adventist church. The SDA church sell veggie burgers and fake meats to me (cheaper than walmart) and I don't even belong to their church. Compassion is a great thing to nurture in a child and it would be a good project for you to learn along with her. You can focus on nutrition instead of the mistreatment of animals. After a while, thinking of the animals gets depressing. Making fresh croutons for the salad, or better yet learning to make candied pecans for salad is FUN.

Answer 10

just let her decide what she wants. i became a vegetarian when i was 3 and am still healthy now 13 years later. Make sure she gets enough protein in her diet like beans and such and she'll be good.