Question for Vegetarians/Vegans

[NotQuiteCockney]

Someone in my social circle is vegetarian, but doesn't eat eggs. Also, they only have vegetarian cheese (I thought most cheese was vegetarian now?), and don't give yogurt as that's often not vegetarian? I thought yogurt (unless it has gelatine as a thickener?) was always vegetarian?

She's keeping her son vegetarian, with the same rules, which just seems really difficult. He can't have birthday cakes (eggs), or normal food with people, really ... is this a common thing to do?

(Most of the vegetarians I know either don't force their kids to be vegetarian, some even cook meat for them (!!). Or they are vegetarian, their kids are vegetarian ... but not vegan ...)

[WigWamBam]

Yogurt isn't always vegetarian; the low fat ones (particularly Muller) contain gelatine, and so do a lot of the chocolate ones (Cadburys and so on). There are still an awful lot of cheese that's made with animal rennet too, so no - not all cheese is vegetarian these days.

I cook meat for dh and dd, but I have to say that if dh was veggie, dd would be too, until she was old enough to make her own mind up.

The eggs thing suggests she's vegan, not vegetarian; eggs are OK for veggies.

[NotQuiteCockney]

But they do eat dairy.

And she was saying the yogurt thing was about some sort of rennety sort of thing? I wouldn't consider giving Muller/Cadbury's etc.

I guess I'm annoyed because the stuff we're involved in means I have to cook to her rules. The place is vegetarian anyway (food hygiene reasons). And of course I'm happy to follow any parental rules about allergies or allergy concerns.

I know, I know, I'll cope. But it still is a big hassle.

I totally understand vegetarians having their kids stay vegetarian until they can make up their mind. And I guess this is their form of vegetarianism ...

[WigWamBam]

She's wrong about rennet in yoghurt; as far as I know rennet is only used in cheese making, not yoghurt. There are plenty of varieties of yogurt that are suitable for veggies - some are approved by the Vegetarian Society.

Maybe she's just not a very well informed veggie!

[NotQuiteCockney]

I might ask her about the yogurt thing, just to find out, you know, if there are some that are ok? ... Hmmm, thinking about it, maybe she was talking about thickeners ...

She's a bit brittle and odd, so it's tricky. I'm not that bothered about the yogurt thing, it's not that hard to do without. But eggs! I like to bake for the kids sometimes.

[WigWamBam]

There are some vegan cake recipes here which don't use eggs, if they're any help to you. You can replace the weird flours and milk substitutes with ordinary flours and milk.

There are definitely yoghurts which are vegetarian friendly; I eat enough Tesco Finest to sink a battleship and I'm a strict vegetarian. Get her to have a look at some of the recipes and things from The Vegetarian Society - there are definitely yoghurts included.

[Jasnem]

I'm not convinced about the yoghut thing, either ( apart from "desserts" that often have gelatine)

Talk to a dozen vegetarians and you will get a dozen definitions of what they will and won't eat. I eat eggs in cake, but not just as eggs (personal taste). I also didn't give my children meat when very young, but do now (youngest is 5), and will until/unless they decided for themselves that they don't want it - but like WWB this is mostly because DP eats meat anyway.

[NotQuiteCockney]

I would totally expect a vegetarian couple not to give meat to their kids, and I would understand if they asked others not to give meat to them, until their kids were old enough to decide.

However, I know two vegetarian couples, and one couple gives meat to their kids, and the other lets their kids decide, from quite an early age. So, you know, lots of variety there.

I'll have to ask the mum about yogurt, I've realised I can just say, "what yogurts are vegetarian then, I often have vegetarian kids over ...". That way I'm not picking a fight ...

[iota]

my Yeo Valley Organic strawberrry yohgurts are marked as suitable for vegetarians

[Spidermama]

I've been vegetarian for 20 years but my kids are not. DH cooks meat for them. I'd rather they made their own choices.

People make their choices according to their own beliefs though. Perhaps she has talked through these beliefs with her children. I don't know.

[albosmum]

I'm vegetarian, ds1 is veggie by choice now he is 10, ds2 is veggie not by choice only 21 months, dh is a meatie.
With my 2 IT IS always been from the point at which they understand their choice - i personally will never give them meat but if ds1 wanted to eat meet - dh could cook.
As far as parties etc go i always tell parents but if accidents happen eg at one party ds ate a sausage (thinking it was veggie - i will not go bananas). BTW we always check ingredients on almost everything biscuits, yogurts, cheese etc - but at parties i think you have to be a bit flexible.

[NotQuiteCockney]

She has one child, who is 2. (And doesn't really talk. Not much, anyway.)

I know some very enthusiastic 8-year-old vegetarians. And one quite firm 4-year-old (whose mum sneaks meat into her food, something I would never do!).

I just think her son will have a hard time at school, rejecting all the birthday cakes etc.

[NotQuiteCockney]

For DS1's 2nd or 3rd birthday party, one of the mums called me up for a chat about gelatine. (It was fine, I don't really do that sort of thing.) I'm used to people being quite strict about these things, although it does look like hard work.

[iota]

Some Muller corner yogs are marked as suitable for vegetarians, some aren't -- from the mini survey of my fridge

[NotQuiteCockney]

The silly thing is, the food thing I'm involved in with her, is meant to be entirely vegetarian, anyway. So if some yogurts aren't ok for vegetarians, we shouldn't have 'em there, anyway. Food is meant to be organic, anyway, and I expect all the organic yogurts are veggie-friendly?

[Gloworm]

NQC, just wondering what the group is...is it a veggie group, or organic group, or friends over for dinner...just trying to picture the situation

[NotQuiteCockney]

It's a nursery. A parent-run nursery, where parents do shifts and do cooking and stuff.

[NotQuiteCockney]

The food thing is a big selling point of the place, for me, as it's a chance for my kids to have a wildly varied diet, cooked by a wide range of people. And a good chance to get used to eating in a group, at a really early age. (The kids are 20 months to 3.5)

[FrannytheQuinoaEater]

NQC, just on the eggs / baking thing, a really easy way to substitute for eggs is to use 1 tbsp of ground linseed, dissolved in 3 tbsp of water, per egg you want to replace. It works in all the cake recipes I've tried it in. Just let it sit for a minute before adding it an you will see it congeal and turn very egg-like.

I think this person has (correctly) discovered that some yogurts have gelatine in and (insanely) decided to ban all yogurts. It's a bit like not wearing a jacket because some jackets are made of leather. All plain yogurts, and most fruit yogurts that haven't been b*ggered around with too much, are fine for veggies.

[NotQuiteCockney]

She's probably worried about people not reading labels etc. She might not ban yogurt in her house, it may just be for the co-op.

At least she hasn't banned all cheese, thanks to some having rennet.

[NotQuiteCockney]

Oh, FaZ, thanks to the muesli thing, I now have linseed. Do I need to be grinding it myself, though? Or do I buy ground linseed?

(I've been contemplating getting a coffee grinder to use for grinding spices etc ...)

[FrannytheQuinoaEater]

Yes, grind it yourself, if you can, or get a friend to do you a batch. A little lasts a long time unless you are baking 3 times a day.

[bobbybobbobbingalong]

Orgran no egg is very good and is vegan. I would not bother making bakes with eggs now as Orgran is cheaper and doesn't go off.

There is a thread with vinegar in the title under food, which has some good tips for egg free baking.

I though most gelatine was made from wheat these days. Could you make your own yogurt in a yoghurt maker, then it would just be milk and culture.

[Gloworm]

thats a great tip franny.
i often get the urge to bake but we never seem to have eggs in the house when the urge happens
always have a few linseeds in the press though!

[FrannytheQuinoaEater]

Exactly, we don't eat eggs generally so I got sick of buying half a dozen just to make a cake. Ground linseed is dirt cheap and doesn't go off. Is it ok for allergic children do you know, bobbybob, or is it dodgy like some other seeds can be?

[bluebear]

My dh is veggie, as is 2yr old dd (our choice) and 4yr old ds (his choice - he chose to eat meat for a few months after he turned 4 but has declared himself veggie again now)...my lot def. eat eggs (albeit free range from happy chickens), and lots of yoghurt but we are careful looking for gelatine...most full fat yogurt seems OK, as do most of the ones marketed at kids (although plenty of sugar in those ).
We have just found that Waitrose do an own-brand choccie mouse that's veggie. Hurrah! Tesco used to do one and ds has been missing it so much since they stopped.
We do tell other parents that the kids are veggie if there are parties etc. but since they are only little we are normally with them and can sneak the mini-sausages etc away.