My daughter is 8 and has decided to not eat meat. What should I add to her diet to ensure she stays healthy?

Answer 1

Lots of veg and maybe encourage her to try quorn or tofu and lots of fish

Answer 2

Well Meat contains allot of energy and proteins and minerals that are essential to growth so your daughter is going to need to replace that lost source of nutrients.

Being a Veggie is OK but taking it to the extreme of vegan is too much for a person of that age.

I spend allot of time in the shops buying food and clothing etc and I see allot of vegetarians and vegans and YES you can tell the difference, Vegans are of the painfully thin, pale faced and look ill, vegetarians look more healthy than vegans do and I do know several friends who are veggies and even they wont go as far as becoming a vegan.

So I suggest that you see your GP and get a referral to a dietician to get a proper diet sheet for your daughter.

Answer 3

you could make recipes for her and your family that use meat but isn't just a piece of meat...she may not like the texture...red meat has iron that bodies need, although too much isn't good either...but there are all kinds of meats she might like instead...there is protein in cereals, nuts, seeds, some butters (like almond and peanut butters) but a diverse diet is good for everyone...don't scold and force her to eat what she thinks she doesn't like though...she will eventually eat when she is hungry enough and her body will start reacting and then you will know it's time to step in and help her by disguising what she eats...same with vegetables...mix them all up so she doesn't know the ingredients...

Answer 4

Try to compromise and get her to eat white meat. My sister did this 16 years ago and never added anything else to her diet (other than the usual fuit and veg, rice, pasta etc) and she is as healthy as the next person.

Answer 5

There is actually an over consumption of meat in everyday diets.

She should be absolutely fine if she just made sure she ate other alternatives to proteins;
beans,fish and nuts,

Answer 6

My daughter became a vegetarian at the age of 11,she tends to eat lot's of pasta,vegetable curries,chickpea curries,ready made quorn products available in most supermarkets also vegetable lasagne's.It can't be that bad for you she is now 30 years old and has just given birth to identical twin girls,and breast fed both of them.

Answer 7

Be sure that she gets adequate iron and protein. Iron rich foods are broccoli, fortified cereals, raisins. Proteins--peanut butter, eggs, dried beans, nuts, cheese, milk. I wouldn't worry about it too much. At her age, she is just reaching for a little independence. She MAY be back to her usual eating habits by next week. Then again, she may not. Either way, it is OK.

Answer 8

It's my personal opinion a girl, this young, is way to young to not eat red meat. She is just starting to mature and needs the vitamins contained in red meats.
I would see my doctor and see what he says, She's at the stage where she's going to make "statements: to you and everyone but, she really doesn't know what she's doing, she just hasn't the intelligence.

My sister is a Vagen, she gets supplements from health food store, which I'm told are not cheap, and she puts these products on her food to supplement for the loss of meats but, you have to remember, you, I, my sister, are all out of that meat eating category: we don't need it anymore, it's unnecessary for good growth and survival whereas your daughter still needs it for growth.

Answer 9

Would she still eat fish and chicken? She really should have some form of animal protein as her young bones haven't finished developing. If she won't then you need to get her to eat plenty of pulses, beans or lentils, extra cheese, and milk.

Answer 10

Tofu, imitation meat products, lots of beans, eggs, fish, cheese, yougurts, if you are really concerned also a multi-vitimin and protein powder

Answer 11

well your daughter is very smart to realize meat is not the healthiest thing to eat! im am vegetarian as well. but you need to make sure your daughter knows that fish are not in the catigorie of meat. and make sure you give her lots for protien! also make sure she eats lots of fruits and vegatables everyday!