12 year old vegetarian?

Question

Ok so I'm twelve and I want to be a veggie.But I don't want to get unhealthy and sick and whatever crap happens to people who don't do it right. My friend that is veggie is always sick. So any suggestions or websites...

my parents are pretty ok with as long as im getting protien and stuff

Answer 1

If your parents are supporting your decision, than it should not be too hard to switch over to a vegetarian diet. Both you and your parents need to do as much research as possible, this means looking at websites, reading books, and talking with people who are vegetarians.

The one thing to remember is that she needs to replace the nutrients she is no longer getting from meat with other food. Major concerns for most people are protein, iron and b12(although they shouldn't be since they are easy to get).

Protein
The average person only needs about 50 grams of protein per day. Protein is in everything, just look at the side of boxes. In todays world it is very hard to be protein deficient if you are eating a wide variety.

High protein foods include:
soy milk, tofu, nuts(Almonds, Cashews, Filberts, Hemp Seeds, Peanuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts (black)), seeds, legumes(Garbanzo beans, Kidney beans, Lentils, Lima beans, Navy beans, Soybeans, Split peas), grains(Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oatmeal, Rye, Wheat germ, Wheat, hard red, Wild rice), vegetables(Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini), fruits(Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry)

Iron
Like vitamin B-12, iron is a crucial component of red blood cells. Dried beans and peas, lentils, enriched cereals, whole-grain products, dark, leafy green vegetables, and dried fruit are good sources of iron. To help your body absorb non-animal sources of iron, eat foods rich in vitamin C — such as strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbage and broccoli — at the same time you consume iron-containing foods.
B12
Vitamin B-12. Your body needs vitamin B-12 to produce red blood cells and prevent anemia. This vitamin is found almost exclusively in animal products, including milk, eggs and cheese. Vegans can get vitamin B-12 from some enriched cereals, fortified soy products or by taking a supplement that contains this vitamin.

The one thing to remember is that you need to replace the nutrients you are no longer getting from meat with other food. Major concerns for most people are protein, iron and b12(although they shouldn't be since they are easy to get).

Protein
The average person only needs about 50 grams of protein per day. Protein is in everything, just look at the side of boxes. In todays world it is very hard to be protein deficient if you are eating a wide variety.

High protein foods include:
soy milk, tofu, nuts(Almonds, Cashews, Filberts, Hemp Seeds, Peanuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts (black)), seeds, legumes(Garbanzo beans, Kidney beans, Lentils, Lima beans, Navy beans, Soybeans, Split peas), grains(Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oatmeal, Rye, Wheat germ, Wheat, hard red, Wild rice), vegetables(Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini), fruits(Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry)

Iron
Iron is a crucial component of red blood cells. Dried beans and peas, lentils, enriched cereals, whole-grain products, dark, leafy green vegetables, and dried fruit are good sources of iron. To help your body absorb non-animal sources of iron, eat foods rich in vitamin C — such as strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbage and broccoli — at the same time you consume iron-containing foods. You only need about 15 mg per day.

B12
Your body needs vitamin B-12 to produce red blood cells and prevent anemia. This vitamin is found almost exclusively in animal products, including milk, eggs and cheese. You cancan get vitamin B-12 from some enriched cereals, and fortified soy products. If you are eating dairy than there is no reason to worry about b12.

The key to any good diet is variety and the proper amounts of the right foods. Simply cutting out meat and than only eating veggie burgers, or pasta is not a proper diet. You need to eat a variety of grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits, beans, etc. There are many great recipes that you could try, even if you don't like it the first few times, keep trying it. It took me eating broccoli 5 times before I liked it(when I first went vegetarian I hated veggies). Many dishes I made didn't come out great the first time, but after the second or third time they came out better.

Some helpful websites:
http://www.vegsoc.org/index.html
http://www.vrg.org/index.htm
http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/ (helpful message board)

Books
The New Becoming Vegetarian: The Essential Guide To A Healthy Vegetarian Diet
by Vesanto Melina, Brenda Davis

Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right
by Joel Fuhrman

Please Don't Eat the Animals: All the Reasons You Need to Be a Vegetarian
by Jennifer Horsman, Jaime Flowers

Recipes sites:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Everyday-Cooking/Vegetarian/Main.aspx
http://vegweb.com/
http://www.simple-vegetarian-recipes.com/index.html
http://vegetarian.betterrecipes.com/vegetariandinnerrecipes.html

Answer 2

Well, the easiest thing to do for you, because you're so young would be to talk to your doctor, or a dietician. But, if you choose to handle this on your own, I'd search websites for the vegetarian or vegan food pyramid. You have to make sure you get every type of nutrient you deprive your body of when becoming a vegetarian. I had a site, but it's favorite-ed on my other computer. So the best thing I can think of is to just search that. And makes sure you get the proper nutrition! My friend has been a vegetarian since she was almost ten, and it's been roughly five years now. I can search the site for you later. My e-mail is [e-mail].

As for your friend, I'm sure she's only sick if she isn't getting the type of vitamins she needs. I suggest taking a multi-vitamin daily, which can give you exactly what you need.

And another thing, because you aren't eating meat, you can't just skip that whole portion of the meal, you need to substitute it with something else, maybe a soy-protein meal, or something with a good protein source.

Answer 3

Don't let people fool you into believing that a vegetarian diet lacks anything. 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 4

I became a Veggie at about 14. First I cut out red meat, then fish and chicken after a while. It's a lot easier if you still eat dairy foods and eggs as they both contain good protein. You also need to eat legumes and tofu is good too. You can buy quite a few items in supermarkets like veggie sausages etc which make it more interesting than just eating vegies all the time. You should also take iron supplement too. Girls need extra iron because of menstruation. Good Luck.

Answer 5

THis is a great question - it maens you are trying to research before delving into something you don't know about - well done.

There are some great web sites out there. Here they are

adventist.org.au - the seventh day adventists practice vegetarianism and they have some practical meal plans

www.vegsoc.org - this site is a wealth of information and has a teenage section

www.vegsoc.org.au - this website is the vegetarian society of Queansland Australia snother very helpful site

www.veganwolf.com - very good for beginners - gives you a great list of the staples you require and is a fabulous source of information for vegetarians and vegans

www.supermarketguru.com - for teenage vegetarians

www.vrg.org - another excellent site for young vegetarians

Taste.com.au

www.leedsveg.co.uk this is a great website which may help - it has the web addresses to other organisations as well.
Good luck

Answer 6

http://www.fitnessandfreebies.com/fitness/vegpyramid.html

There is a new vegetarian food pyramid that helps guide you on what to concentrate on food wise. This is a good balance of food.

My main sources of protein are from dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese) and soy (tofu, etc). I also get it from nuts, veggies, rice, beans, peanut butter, whole wheat foods.

Congratulations on the change, and it's wonderful that you're parents are supportive, I know that's a problem for many young vegetarians. Don't listen to others who say "you're still growing, eat meat". I've been vegetarian since I was 9 years old, and my sister since she was 7. We're doing good.

Answer 7

Why do you want to be vegetarian? Many people do it for a variety of reasons but if you re doing it because "it's cool" then maybe you should rethink your decision. Seriously, at your age, many factors that go into such life long (and life affecting) decisions may be too complicated for you to consider properly. It's best that you involve your parents and seek medical supervision before you even start anything. Any suggestions you will get here regarding foods that you can try are all anecdotal and frankly might be even dangerous for you if done incorrectly.

Answer 8

I'm not a "veggie" but my favorite "veggie meal" is roman noodles boiled w/spinich or brocoli & chopped burritos (from the microwave) along with additional seasonings-sometimes I'll fry it all up on the pan & make a "skillet" out of it. (if that's not considered a veggie snack, sorry, but it's close enough to me when I'm low on cash like tonight!)

Answer 9

I'm with your parents on this. Just make sure that you're getting proper nutrition. If you need to take protein and Iron supplements, do it. This is especially important as your body is still growing.

Answer 10

I know tons of people that have been vegetarian ever since they were born, because their families didn't eat meat. Vegetarian is fine. Just don't become vegan until you are older and have some experience.
Other than that, there's really nothing to worry about.

Answer 11

basically be casual about it. they gained't wrestle you in any respect so do not shelter your self till even as and if you're surely attacked. you're prepared to locate the right thanks to practice dinner, it truly is amazingly useful and says plenty about how accountable you're. be confident to devour responsibly too - do not basically devour area dishes. you do not opt for to rigidity your parents about your well-being, and a vegetarian nutrition plan will be VERY healthful. locate the right thanks to make pots of spiced beans, pro black bean filling for tacos, chickpea salad filling for sandwiches, bean dip, minestrone soup, vegetables and lentils, 3-bean chili and stir-fry. None of it truly is puzzling, and also you'll practice dinner in huge batches and freeze/refrigerate stuff. So even as your parents make a roast poultry, eco-friendly salad and mashed potatoes, you are able to have eco-friendly salad, mashed potatoes and a bowl of chili. in the journey that they have got fajita nighttime with steak, poultry, peppers and onions, you are able to have fantastically spiced black beans, peppers and onions. etc. That way there is not any extra artwork to burden them, you receives the nutrition you want and also you'll nonetheless all devour jointly. My proper suggestion is to devour a lot of vegetables. 0.5 of the nutrition you devour must be culmination or vegetables in accordance to the yankee nutritional association. Have them as snacks with hummus, sauteed and piled on proper of pasta, uncooked, cooked, steamed, even if you wish them. basically devour a lot of them. there's a lot you are able to do with them and it truly is extremely positive on your well-being. you truly do not opt for to count number on cheese and junky snacks, which will purely make you experience worse.