my 6 yr old son wants to become a vegitarian.?

Question

Im not sure what types of foods i should give him instead to ensure a healthy diet. Any help or web sites for vegitarian children would be appreciated.
Thanks

i'm shocked by the amount of people who think my sons wishes should be ignored on the basis of him being a child. Respect is a 2 way street guys, i respect his wishes and if there is a healthy way to do this then i'm more than happy to put in a little extra effort in the kitchen. It may well be a passing fad, but with all the information and freedom choose he will settle on his own beliefs and choices. i dont believe in denying him any rights based on the fact that he is a child unless its unsafe to do so. How u choose to raise your kids is up to u, im not asking for parenting advice, im asking for dietry advice!

Answer 1

My daughter became vegetarian overnight at the age of 7 when she realised that meat was basically a "dead animal".
She eats exactly the same as us, but I use veggie alternatives to meat.
So, if we're having chops, potatoes and veg, she has a quorn fillet, potatoes and veg.
If I make spag bol, chilli con carne, shepherds pie....she has it, but made in a separate pan using quorn mince. Iit's a bit of a chore, but I tend to make a batch of 5-6 portions at a time and freeze them in plastic take-away containers.
Similarly, she has "chicken curry or sweet and sour "chicken" made with Quorn pieces.
The quorn range is great as it's low in fat and high in protein and you can get all sorts of products from mince to sausages, pies, ready meals - check their website for the full range.
Most supermarkets also do their own veggie ranges, as well as Cauldron, Linda McCartney to name but two.
You could also get him to join the Vegetarian Society which is £8 a year for Juniors and you get 10% off at Holland and Barratt; they produce a monthly magazine which has a section for kids.

I agree with you on the respect thing.
He - like my daughter - has made a conscious decision not to eat meat. How far he wants to take it is up to him. My daughter started by just avoiding fish and meat, but as her awareness grew she also stopped eating animal fats and gelatine. I would respect his decision to become vegetarian but try not to push him either way (towards veganism or back to eating meat). Let him decide what he wants to do.

From day one I had total respect for my daughter's morals and values, and now, almost 10 years to the day that she became vegetarian she is fit and healthy and rarely gets ill. She also has a great interest in food, enjoys experimenting with recipes and is always keen to try something new. And in these days when so many adults just bung a ready meal in the microwave, complete with all its additives and high fat content, that can't be a bad thing.

Answer 2

I think you're a great parent for supporting your kids decision. It's not often that kids decide to eat healthy on their own so you should feel pretty lucky. Here is a post that I send to new vegetarians who aren't sure where to get their nutrients from. It applies towards everyone including kids. Oh, and I can't believe someone actually said, "If it is pity for and the dislike of animals being killed, rather than other more adult reasons." I guess no one sent me the memo saying compassion is just for kids.

The protein scare is the biggest misconception about vegetarian diets. There are quite a bit of misconceptions so here are some web sites I think will help. The first is a list of vegetables with protein and how much the second are calcium sources in raw veggies. The third is an article about B12. It is actually a microbe found in soil and is abundant in seaweed, tempeh, miso, and root veggies. The last one is a list of foods with iron and how much.

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm

http://health.rutgers.edu/factsheets/iron.htm

http://www.carrotcafe.com/f/calevel.html

http://www.pamrotella.com/health/b12.html

Answer 3

I became a vegetarian when I was 8 and my parents were always very supportive (I'm now 30 and still a strict vegetarian) which I'm sure your son will appreciate! The British Vegetarian Society and the American Vegetarian Society publish books aimed at children and can also give you a lot of dietary advice. Diet wise it's a lot easier than it used to be, there are vegetarian sausages, burgers etc in the freezer. I'd buy a veggie cookbook, see what your making and how you can adapt it.

Answer 4

Some parents raise there child from infancy on a plant-based diet because they believe that it's the healthier alternative. They have the same eating habits, so why not raise your child that way? Is it the lack of protein that's damaging in a child's diet? Numerable studies point in both directions - that either animal protein is incredibly unhealthy for humans to digest (and it doesn't digest very well) or that humans can't live without it. I guess you have to make a personal decision. But there are plenty of ways to get in plant-based protein (SEE BELOW). Not to mention teaching the child some moral ethics towards the loveable creatures they are eating, AND asking about when they are eating them. "Mommy, what is that?" You answer with "That's a moo-cow, honey" and they're going to freak.
Just remember: EVERY vegetarian needs lots of:
Iron - dark leafy greens (such as spinach)
B12 - Yogurt, milk, eggs, cheese, supplement, fortified breakfast cereal.
Protein: Eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, tofu: how to cook tofu link: http://vivaciousvegansrecipes.blogspot.com/


Here are some more resourceful links:

http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/

http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.htm

http://www.thevegetariansite.com/vegchild.htm

http://vegkitchen.com/kid-friendly-recipes.htm

Good luck!

Answer 5

It is rather disappointing to find that those who support your position but suggest that you check your dietary plans for your child with a healthcare professional were dismissed either by you or others.

I certainly hope you are not dismissing seeking the advice of a healthcare professional for dietary advice.

However, it is typical of the cult of fanaticism that is part of the V&V forum. There is one particular odious individual, a "top contributor" who is against any professional involvement and is a cauldron of suspicion and bizarre contradictions. I feel he is a fair representation of the quality of dietary advice you will get here.

It is wonderful that you are respecting your child's choices. But do so by getting some professional guidance. Had you extensive experience yourself as a vegetarian, I would say otherwise, but this is a new area for you and you need more than books with an agenda--you need unbiased professional advice. Good luck.

Answer 6

Our youngest son made the same decision at eight years old with which we supported him 100%.
He is now 30 and has just, of his own volition returned to be a meat-eater at the age of 32!
Within reason let your children follow their own conciousnesses.
Use search to find the relevant web sites. There are hundreds - if not more.
I have some personal sympathy with the cause but remain an "animal canibal"!

Answer 7

I grew up without meat or fish, so I can tell you it's not a problem. I know quite a few people who do (we seem to have a tendency towards vegetarianism in my family). I never paid too much attention to what I ate but maybe my parents did for me ;-)

Basically, the vegetarian diet is healthier than one with meat. He should quite naturally eat a lot of fruit, veg and cereals. Don't leave the cereals out, they are important. Couscous is a good one, and kids tend to like it. Also give him legumes (like chick peas, red beans, lentils,...). Don't know about your sun, but I remember I always enjoyed them, and they are a good source of protein.

You can also get some soya products. Try Redwood, they are excellent. You can get veggie nugguets, sausages,...

Anyway, I think you should be proud of your sun. And I think it's great you listen to what he wants.

Answer 8

Kudos to you for supporting your little guys decision. I totally agree with you about giving him choices. Please ignore the responses from the foolish idiots who know nothing about vegetarianism, and apparently, even less about being a good parent! I am a vegetarian, as is my 12 year old daughter, and we are both thriving on our diet. Make sure to include a variety of foods, such as beans, pulses, legumes, lentils, seeds, nuts, treenuts, leafy greens, etc. If he does not care for beans, you can introduce them slowly in the form of bean and cheese tacos, burittos, wraps, or add them to rice dishes, make dips, etc. Check out some good vegetarian books from your local library. It would be GREAT if you could join him on his diet, even if you continue to eat meat when he is not around. He would really welcome the support and encouragement, I am sure. I gave up meat by force-not choice, after developing multiple allergies that made it impossible to digest animal protein. I continued cooking meat for my daughter, but when she was about 6, she made the decision on her own that she wanted to go veggie. We have both been that way ever since. I have bloodwork done every year on both of us to ensure our vitamin, mineral and other nutritional needs are being met. We both have had excellent results. Feel free to email me if you need more info.
Best of luck, and hats off to you for being a good mom! I wish more people parented like you and I do.

Answer 9

I'm guessing that most here are laughing at the idea of a six year old being conscious of vegetarianism... I think it's great that he can reason all meat is animals and by eating meat you are eating animals... I think that if a lot of six year olds could put two and two together and come up with that... they too would want to be vegetarian... After all... no child wants to eat bambi...
If you are looking for kid friendly dishes you can try here... I have no children but I can remember what I liked to eat at that time... good luck.

http://vegkitchen.com/kid-friendly-recipes/fun-food-for-young-kids.htm

Answer 10

You could try the vegetarian societies website, lots of advise and recipes on there. My eldest is six soon and has been vegetarian since birth.
He is the fastest and strongest in his class and has had not a single day of school. One of the easiest roots to go down is the fake meats. Vegetation substitutes are readily available in the super markets so he wouldn't have to give up burgers if he likes those.

Answer 11

You may like to take a look at the BBC Food site, there is a section giving advice on a vegetarian diet for children, which I believe is what you are after.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food scroll down, to 'veggie and vegan', on the right, select and scroll down to 'children', on the left. There is also a link to the vegetarian society website.

Even if this is a passing phase, at least you're trying to make sure his health doesn't suffer.

Hope this helps.