to worry about my teenage daughter going vegan?

[Meechimoo]

She's 14.
She decided to go veggie about a month ago.
She now wants to cut out all animal products and be vegan.
I've had long long conversations about this with her and told her that I'm very concerned about it. I'm worried she'll end up with poor nutrition and get rickets or something. I'm worried she won't get enough calories from a vegan diet.
But she's 14, almost 15, and hellbent on being vegan. The way I look at it, I can't force feed her dairy, can I?

My husband, her Dad, is dead against it because he thinks this is a control thing and we shouldn't allow her to dictate this sort of thing. And he's worried at additional cost to our food bill if we have to get her supplements, soya milk, vegan cheese etc.
Are there any vegan mumsnetters with vegan teens out there? How do you do it? Is it ok? Are they healthy and enough energy? Should I just go with it and support her or put our feet down and say she can remain veggie but we're not supporting her going vegan??

I'm always amused when people think vegans are tricky to cater for, I wonder what on earth they eat usually.
Vegan for 12 years and counting. I don't do nutritional calculating, I don't plan my meals, I erratically take supplements when I feel like it recently when I had a worry about iodine intake as I hate seaweed but we eat enough processed foods not to worry about B12.

As for what I eat day to day, well today went out for breakfast had veggie sausages, baked beans, sourdough toast, spinach, mushrooms and tomato, orange juice and coffee.
Lunch will be a raw bacon (coconut) sandwich bought from the health food shop, fruit
Dinner will be baked potato, broccoli and 'cheese'

Just spent a week in the US eating great vegan food, wasn't hard at all, there is this idea that vegan food is dull or hard to cook I don't know where it comes from. It really isn't, plenty of everyday foods are completely vegan after all we are only missing out about six foods.

Linda macartney sausages are vegan.Aldi have nut cutlets and spicy beanburgers in packs of 4 in the frozen department. Borderline vegan here , I eat no meat,eggs or fish but I love chocolate too much to go vegan.
Alpro soya have nice vegan yoghurts as well. Pure , a dairy free spread is located with all other marg/butters in the chill departments.Hope that helps.

I am veggie but eat vegan a lot. Not on purpose, mind, but because it's not that difficult. In fact, if someone finds it so impossible to imagine, I'd say their diet is far too skewed towards meat-eating.

Tesco stuff that is suitable for vegans

Check ^. You don't have to buy special bread or owt

Dinner ideas: Soup and salad, soup and sushi, soup and veg sandwich we like soup Bean chilli, bean stew, homemade baked beans (a full meal on their own, not like the tinned stuff, bonus: you can fry pork belly and chuck it in the carnivore portions). Chickpea curry, chickpea casserole. Lentil bolognese, lentil shepherd's pie, daal we like lentils Fajitas, tapas, antipasti (perfect dinners for those with differing requirements, you just pick and choose what you eat). Sausage and mash (add mustard to the mash to boost it). Pasta and any veg plus tomato sauce, maybe some beans for protein, pasta plus basil and pine nuts mmmm.

Heck, even my rissotto is cooked vegan-stylee, as my husband doesn't like cheese. I only add cheese to my portion when it's on my plate.

I agree it's great you're gathering this advice and trying to support your daughter's decision.

Just on the worrying about her losing weight issue, I don't think I lost a single pound when I went from veggie to vegan. None of my vegan friends/family/colleagues are particularly thin. They're all very healthy weights as far as I can tell.

Love maidofstar's vegan meal suggestions btw. I made a nice vegan chickpea, cauliflower and coconut curry this evening.

as noted, veganism is not compatible with human life unless she takes B12 supplements. Otherwise why not, but she needs to get involved in meal planning, cooking and shopping or it is just lots of extra work for you.

vegan cheese? Sounds like kosher pork to me...

I have been eaten a vegan diet in the past. DH Really struggled with the concept. I adapted a lot of meals so there was a common element but he had meat with it and i didn't.

Some thoughts just off the top of my head

• look out for whey in vegetarian sausages etc it is a dairy byproduct. From memory Linda McCartney products ok, quorn not.
• don't buy egg noodles (obv but DH made this mistake)
• look into nutritional yeast, can be used instead of Parmesan
• if you have a blender smoothies are a great way to get loads of nutrients
• green leafy vegetables contain a lot of calcium, can be included in smoothies
• almond or rice milk often fortified with calcium.
• take it a meal at a time.

Breakfast is easy, toast (check no milk in the bread) , cereal with almond milk, fruit, pancakes (heaps of recipes on internet) smoothies Lunch - salads with beans, avocado, hummus, soups, sandwiches. Dinner - I often cooked a chicken breast on the side for DH. Fajitas - cook the peppers and onions etc together, chicken for you, refried beans for her. Stir fry - as above. Veg pasta, veg curries with rice etc. Post punk kitchen has a lot of recipes.

I would say don't panic. Look at the vegan website mentioned in a previous post. If she reads up about it she should find a lot of vegans now advocate not making a big scene in restaurants etc. there are degrees of pragmatism which can be applied although best to hear that from other vegans.

I didn't get into the whole fake cheese thing or too much soya. For me it was about eating more vegetables and falling in love with vegetables for their own sake rather than trying to find things to replace meat.

I agree about the fake stuff. I really do not get on with dairy free cheeses, although have not tried the various nut cheeses that there are recipes for. With the exception of tofu, which I adore deeply and madly, I eat very little mock meats or substitutes.

Also..... so many international cuisines are vegetarian or vegan through the fact that meat was expensive or for celebrations only. Near my office there is an Ethiopian restaurant that serves onoly vegan dishes that even in my meat- eating days I found to be pure nirvana.

Sorry, coming back a bit late to this and haven't caught up properly yet but someone asked me which sausages I'd bought and tbh I can't remember. It was a BBQ so said "I'll cook these first before anything else goes on the BBQ" to which the look she threw me could have killed as she clocked the packet of veggie sausages I was proffering. "THEY ARE VEGETARIAN NOT VEGAN".

Another poster said this:- 'I am a much better person than you are and your choices are wrong, and I wish to demonstrate this with every mouthful on every occasion when we sit down together at a table.' Which just about sums up my relative.

Actually, it's probably more of a personality thing than dietary choice thinking about it!

I try to avoid soy cheeses/meats etc because I'm not so keen on the unhealthy claims attached to them, or the way that I never really liked 'actual' cheese or meat.

However the exceptions I make are the products they sell in tesco. Dairy free cheeses and cream cheeses are lovely and I am just glad I live too far from a tesco or I'd be very fat!

I like Linda McCartney sausages, too.

I went veggie at age 6 and my parents were supportive despite being meat eaters. I am now vegan and I am forever thankful that my parents supported my views even at such a young age. Veganism was almost unheard of back then or I probably would have been vegan. It's one area of my life that I'm really proud of and it's a big part of who I am.

Your daughter is making a strong ethical choice and she will thank you for supporting her.
I take a vegan supplement from h&b that contains everything I need.
There are some groups/cultures that are healthy vegans with no supplementation and you'll probably read about these online. Whilst it's possible to get b12 on a vegan diet it isn't reliable enough to risk not supplementing in my opinion.

I eat loads of delicious food, pasta dishes, bean based chilli, curry, risotto, Dahl, Thai food, tagines, and simple food like mash, vegan sausages and beans, or beans on toast. It's far easier than people think.
I also recommend nutritional yeast for a Parmesan type affect on pasta!

I'm a vegan and have been for approx 5 years. If there is no other option, ie restaurant family meals - although this is very rare. I'll just eat the veggie option. I dont think anybody really knows Im a vegan. I dont talk about it. I suppose I dont want an interrogation about my diet.

I am 40 now and feel really well. I work as a health care professional and tend to research and research for info. Veganism is a healthy diet for all stages of life.

Many teenagers are eating a diet high in processed meats/poor quality carbs etc with very few fresh veggies. Your daughter is making a choice to eat a natural plant based diet. All nutritional studies are shouting at us all to eat more fruit/veg/wholefoods and less dairy/meat.

Oh I also take flaxseed oil capsules to ensure I'm getting omega 3's. You can get it from natural vegan sources but I prefer to take it to be sure.

I'm veggie but often feel like I ought to be vegan really. I'm a cheese addict. I did used to do at least one vegan day a week and might expand that bit by bit. I chose to give up meat at age 11 when I came to understand what meat actually was.... I was pescetarian until 16 then went full veggie after that.

Marmite is a vegan source of B12 - if she doesn't like it as it is, add a glob to curries, sauces act. Adds a nice savoury depth to the flavour without being identifiably 'marmitey'.

IMHO soya milk is vile - nut milks or Kara coconut milk are much nicer.

Someone else has mentioned booja booja truffles - a bit pricey but my word they are the nicest chocolate truffles I have ever, ever tasted... esp the raspberry one.

just make sure you educate yourself and her about how much protein she should be eating and what are adequate and easy sources of protein.

I went veggie at 13 and it did cause me health problems because I wasn't really eating any quality protein, just carbs.

It's easy enough to make sure you eat enough. But no one told me to. So just incase I thought I"d say.

**bananaleaf, thank you for saying you fell in love with vegetables.

Despite my earlier post (giving the dad a chance to get used to the idea), I have found this thread informative for getting more veg.

We are classic omnivores in this house (who have vegetables and fruit all day long, but rarely as a main meal). I'm very appreciative of the idea to eat more veg rather than replace meat, and equally appreciative of the time and effort vegans/vegetarians have out toward pointing out some excellent options.

So thank you.

"All nutritional studies are shouting at us all to eat more fruit/veg/wholefoods and less dairy/meat."

They are not saying to eat no meat & dairy, though.

Assuming that animal cruelty is the reason why people are turning vegan, what seems to be the problem with dairy and eggs?

Do vegans also not wear leather shoes, eat honey, wear wool, or play the piano?

You'll also need to check:

Fabric softener and other laundry detergents
Paper
Medicines (paracetamol / ibuprofen and other things on prescription)
Bread
Toothpaste
Wine
Pencils and crayons (she sounds like she'll be taking GCSEs soon).

Trains are also non-vegan.

I think she will be a lot healthier as a vegan then many meat eaters - I'm thinking of all those kids eating crappy mc donalds and pepperoni pizza every day. As long as shes eating protein and veg she will be fine. French lentils can be treated much like minced beef to make cottage pie and chickpeas make a great curry, nuts and seeds have their place too. Be supportive and join her in some vegan meals. What do you normally eat?

It's really quite difficult to be protein deficient unless your diet is very poor.

I don't think a 14 year old will be drinking wine

I personally have never come across any bread that isn't vegan (unless It's cheesy bread or has garlic butter in it or whatever obviously).

Paper/trains going a bit far too. If she's being the ethical sort , I am sure It's only as far as it doesn't stop her leading an active, fulfilling life :)

Pig protein is used to soften dough in bread manufacture. I believe you can get vegan bread in the supermarkets, but grabbing Kingsmill or Hovis probably isn't vegan.

yes and beans and quinoa too

It depends how far you go, I think.

For something that doesn't have to be declared as an ingredient, I personally do not concern myself with that.

Most vegans I know personally feel the same. Doesn't bread contain elements of human hair (I either dreamt that up or saw it on the news)!

A good source of support would be teen VGN
and if you get the chance go to Vegfest. My DD is vegan at 12- her own choice - and both have been invaluable sources of information.

Cote - I don't think most vegans do eat honey, wear leather etc.

For me avoiding dairy and eggs are related to ethical issues surrounding slaughter of spent egg laying hens and male chicks, repeated impregnation of cows/ slaughter of calves/farming conditions etc.
For me leather is the worst of the lot as it tends to come from areas with questionable or no animal welfare standards.