DD wants to go vegetarian

[TeenagersDontWearCoats]

DS most definitely does not.

I do not want to be cooking (or planning for) multiple meals as I find it hard enough as it is making sure everyone has the right meal at the right time.

DD is 13 and announced at lunch today she wanted to go veggie. Fine (although she's have saved me a bit if she'd said that before I'd bought the bbq for the weekend!). Except for special occasions. And except for lasagne!

So, for now I won't be e.g. separating pans or whatever, just a gradual increasing of veggie main meals.

Any favourite recipes that are easy to cook parallel to meat dishes? Or is the easy option to do vegetarian main meals and throw DS a meat sandwich every now and again?

Honestly, it's the planning rather than the concept that worries me. Although making sure DD gets enough protein is my initial thought.

veggie eating isn’t crap

eating much less meat ..

its good for your health ( reducing cancer risks for example)
its good for your wallet
its good for the planet - 600 additional deaths this week from this small heatwave that is something like 100 times more likely now than 50 years ago

DS1 turned veggie. We had veggie meals about 3 times a week anyway. For other meals we'd do things like - I'd make a pomodoro sauce then cook up mince to add to ours, and give DS1 extra cheese on his. Or we'd have middle eastern lamb recipes and DS would get marinated halloumi or tofu instead. I did try to ensure he didn't miss out on protein, and did try to encourage him to have protein for breakfast - egg or beans or peanut butter on wholemeal toast.

Chilli/spagbol - cook the mince separately - add plenty of beans or cheese for protein. Use brown rice for added protein.
Pizzas and wraps - have a variety of options/toppings including some meat, lots of veg, cheese etc.
Stir fry - if we have meat, he has tofu, everyone has veg and rice or noodles
Sunday roast - he has nut roast or baked camembert or marinated roast tofu as his meat alternative
If we are doing an easy roast chicken thighs or breaded fish with oven chips, he has fried or poached eggs.
If we have roast salmon or fish baked in paper parcels, he has tofu equivalent. Luckily he likes tofu!

Family school night veggie meals which non veggie family might be fine with:

Pasta pomodoro with salad or steamed veg
Pasta with avocado, sun dried tomatoes, garlic and pine nuts
Roast veg tray bake with herby couscous with flaked almonds or pine nuts and yoghurt dressing
Macaroni and cauliflower (or romanesco or broccoli) cheese with roast tomatoes and salad
Veggie curry with dahl and rice or naan
Veggie chilli with rice
Veggie stir fry with cashews and egg fried rice
Egg, beans, peas and chips
Baked potatoes with beans and cheese and salad
Cheese on toast with home made soup

veggie eating isn’t crap well, that’s a matter of opinion. Humans aren’t naturally designed to be vegetarian, and veganism absolutely is unhealthy. But whatever, if people choose to live like that that’s their prerogative.

However, announcing that you’re going to be a vegetarian except for beef lasagne and bbq’s absolutely is crap. She’s not vegetarian, she’s decided that she wants separate meals from the rest of the household to pander to her fads, and in my house that just wouldn’t be happening.

Incidentally, I also know more than one person who has come through eating disorder who did so through becoming vegetarian and who says that they became vegetarian as a means of being in control of what they didn’t eat.

Vegetarian of over 30 years and couldn’t agree more. Stop pandering to children who say nonsense like they’re a vegetarian but will still eat lasagne! 🙄

At the same time I never understand the sheer panic as if vegetarianism is a whole other form of diet. Meat should be treated as a luxury, not a standard basis for every meal. It’s perfectly easy to ensure you have protein, veg and carbs without incorporating huge amounts of meat all the time. Everyone and the planet would benefit if we tried being a little more plant based in our eating habits.

Good opportunity for her to learn how to cook. My dd did the same at age 13 (same reason as all her friends were vegans or veggies).
we adapted some meals or added a veg option but a lot of the time she cooked her own meal. Was good for all of us as we ate more vegetarian meals overall and she definitely learnt how to cook. She is no longer vegetarian but still loves to cook.
I put my foot down at different pans so sometimes her food would have come into contact with meat. When I made macaroni cheese, I only put bacon in one end etc.

Why is veganism unhealthy out of interest? I am not a vegan, but I have lots of vegan friends and they have a perfectly balanced and varied diet. Stop spouting this nonsense that people must eat meat or dairy for that matter. There are lots of ways to eat healthily, not just YOUR way.

There is no need to be pure and perfect - she wants to eat mostly veggie is a good thing - she wants to improve her diet making it ethically and health wise a better

at least op is supporting her daughters good choices

Wanting to eat less meat is not the same as being veggie. It sounds like the DD wants to call herself veggie to fit in with her friends but doesn't actually want to give up meat in her favourite foods. If you eat any meat, no matter how little, you are not a vegetarian.

I'm curious about the anorexia statistics. Yes a high proportion of those with anorexia might have started out with vegetarianism, but what proportion of vegetarians went on to be anorexic?

How on earth do you know it’s a fad? I’m glad my mum supported me, i went veggie at 9 36 years ago and I still am

It isn’t unhealthy and claims that its associated with eating disorders are looking at dysfunctional eaters, not actual vegans eating a normal, balanced but vegan diet.

You can be malnourished or have eating disorders on any kind of diet.

Any diet that you have to supplement in order to get all the nutrients you need to survive is not at its core a healthy diet.

I’m a life long vegetarian if we are veggie year trumps, as are all my adult DC.

Whenever a meat eater tells me they want to go veggie my first advice is to start part time. Its a good approach to converting for most people as it gives them time to learn some different cooking and eating habits in a sustainable way.

It may well be that it is a fad for the child and will pass in a few months or it may be that in a few months she gets rid of the remaining meat products in her diet. It may also be that the family finds new non meat recipes they all enjoy which would be a win for everyone.

IME its entirely normal for people to convert gradually and their chance of sustaining the approach is high as they take the time to adapt.

My dd also went veggie aged thirteen. In her case there was no peer pressure (friends weren't veggie).

She likes quorn mince and pieces and Linda McCartney veggie sausages. Agree that many meat substitutes are grim. Fake shredded duck was like cardboard.
She also likes tofu - i do also though don't like quorn.

I regret not suggesting that she should cook for herself once a week.!

‘Except for’ means she’s not serious. Don’t pander to fussy eating. Either she’s vegetarian and prepared to eat pasta and pesto when you make lasagna or she’s not vegetarian.

Not sure what you mean by supplement here. I think you might be misinformed about what a nutritious vegetarian or vegan diet can look like. Isn’t this a bit old fashioned thinking? Have you ever been to a restaurant serving plant based food? 😋

It is actually just as easy as that she will still get a balanced diet over all

Yep, but I'm talking about b12,and about vegans, not vegetarians. Vegans must either take b12 supplements or eat food that has been fortified with b12. They cannot get it in to their diet otherwise.

Either she’s vegetarian and prepared to eat pasta and pesto when you make lasagna or she’s not vegetarian.

But pasta and pesto is hardly a nutritionally balanced meal, is it?

I've told her for now if it comes up in conversation to say she's thinking of becoming a vegetarian or that she mostly eats vegetarian, not to claim that she is!

I don't want her to start obsessing about food, so I'm not going to push all the cooking and recipe finding on to her, but I have said she needs to join in the conversation when I plan the shopping and come up with a few ideas of what she wants to eat.

We certainly don't eat meat every day, but as I said, I'm not the best cook (in fact, I hate planning, shopping and cooking) and find it a massive chore making sure everyone is eating a balanced diet. I'm concerned she'll be missing out on something and I'll not realise.

Ok I thought you were referring to meat substitute foods. I don’t see a massive issue with taking B12 tablets if you want to avoid red meat.

Veggie lasagne delicious. Dd2 substitutes the mince w lentils i just use venegrables spinach is particulsrly good. When you make the s
Lasagna make a big veg one too and freze 2-3portions then you have that for next time you all have lasagne

Look into lentil bolognese. We actually have the opposite issue that my DS wanted more meat than we ate. He has been cooking his own meals since before he was 13. He is now at uni and was the only one in his accommodation who could properly cook his own meals and knew how to food plan. He came home shocked about how the other students lived on microwave meals and toast.

I too am allergic to Quorn, and hate mushrooms (convinced those two things are related, together with my penicillin allergy). If you want to use a meat replacement, I like the "This Isn't" brand (we just have it as an occasional treat as it's a UPF) for "mince" and "sausages."

We are a vegetarian household, except for fish occasionally for the kids. I make a lot of stir fries and crumble tofu into it so it's in tiny pieces in the stir fry. Edamame beans are a good source of protein and a healthy snack. The kids love poached eggs on avocado toast. We also do black beans with rice and avocados. And rice with dal.

Training - what training? Perhaps you could have a word with her coach and mention to them that she wants to go vegetarian. They could give her some relevant nutritional advice.

I'm sorry but ' going vegetarian except for special occasions and lasagne' is not going vegetarian.
Does she want to be pesceterian? Or 'flexitarian' I.e. occasionally eats meat and fish. Fish is really good for you, more so than red meat.

Like standard boxed cereals, sliced bread and marmite. Really radical supplements and a key source for the B+ vitamins for a sizeable part of the population.

Cereals and bread were not fortified because of vegans they were added because the mainstream meat eating population was often deficient.