Calling all veggies, posting for traffic because I need to go the Asda :D

[Trustmeimadoggroomer17]

Helpbasically me and my DP are massive meat eaters love meat will never change. However out two year old has always ate meat its not something she loves but she eats it with her meals.

We have watched a programme about meat and how its getting g pumped with shit I don't no the ins and outs but overall we don't want our daughter eating it anymore. Can some one help me with what we can do with it. She gets alot of veg and fruit already dairy free milk and yogurt because of allergys. And sometimes spaghetti or beans and brown bread. We try and give her potato or sweet potato as sides. We don't mind giving her fish as this certain chemical isnt used on fish. So is that vegan? Can she eat quorn? How much is to much quorn is it dangerous ect ect... Just need some help really if I'm being morbid or Completely uneducated please do tell me haha

I'm vegetarian.

Can't you just buy better quality meat? You might have to cut down on the amount you eat, if cost is an issue.

Veganism is where you don't eat any animal products, including meat, fish, dairy and eggs. Pescetarianism is where you eat fish, dairy and eggs, but not other meats.

You can give Quorn to children over the age of nine months. Try not to give too much of it as it is highly processed and some Quorn products contain high amounts of sodium.

If you're worried about protein: There has never been a case of protein deficiency described in medical literature on any natural diet which meets the required number of calories.

Cost is not an issue, we thought putting her on quorn??

Oh, for reference:
Pescatarian = eats fish but not meat (dairy/eggs/etc OK).
Vegetarian = eats neither meat nor fish (dairy/eggs/etc OK).
Vegan = consumes no animal products whatsoever (whether it's eating, wearing, whatever).

What about organic meat?

I can't comment on Quorn because it's fucking rank and makes me puke.

Lentils/beans/chickpeas are my veggie protein. And eggs. Lots of eggs.

Umm, I suggest doing some more research rather than making a kneejerk reaction. I'm with Maid, less but good quality meat sounds like a good idea.

Vegan means no animal products, fish is not vegan and many Quorn products are not. Also Quorn is - in my opinion - not very nice!

Instead of using Quorn, replace meat with lentils in recipes like spaghetti bolognese.

Most Quorn products contain milk so aren't suitable if she is allergic to dairy - They do have some vegan products but you need to check. Also some Linda McCartney products are vegan but by no means all.

If she eats fish, then that isn't a vegan diet.

Vegetarian = no meat or fish
Pescetarian = no meat but does eat fish
Vegan = no meat, no fish, no dairy, no eggs

However, I don't think those categories are necessarily that useful for everyone, particularly, if you are changing her diet for health/allergy reasons rather than for animal rights reasons. You just need to be clear on what she can and can't eat. Following her allergy diagnosis, did you receive any advice from a health professional on giving her a balanced diet?

Honestly, Quorn is not going to be more healthy than good quality meat. If money is no object then just buy good quality, organic, free range meat, from a good quality farm shop or butcher.

I would go to a local butcher and get good quality meat rather than give her progress quorn and meat substitutes. My DP was brought up as a veggie without him being given any say in it and now wishes he had been given some good quality meat as now he can't really stomach it.

You're better off getting better quality meat and adding more veg and pulses into family meals for example use less mince in bolognese sauce and addind red lentils. Also try meat free mondays and find some veggie restaurants to eat at for ideas

Asda doesn't have a 'the' in front of it

Another vegetarian agreeing with Maid's posts above. Particularly given her allergies etc I would be very cautious about suddenly changing her diet without advice from a health professional. It will also be a lot easier for you if she eats the same sorts of things you and your partner eat. Could you start small by doing one or two meatfree days a week and build on that?

If cost isn't an issue but organic, high welfare meat from a good quality butchers or farm shop rather than filling her wilth processed, salty quorn. Otherwise if you want to avoid meat, stick with eggs, cheese, pulses and fish.

If cost isn't an issue and you are concerned you should buy organic meat or, order an organic box of veg and some meat from Able and Cole - all their meat is high welfare and traceable. Also, I'm not sure if you have a good butcher nearby but where I live our butcher would be able to tell you exactly where the meat he is selling comes from and the welfare and organic status. I'm vegetarian and my children are not!

You could cook lots of hearty veggie food and cut down meat to a few times a week.

Putting it simply, Quorn is barely food. It is pretty much glue to fill you up, and it's nutritional value is pretty low. Meat substitutes (especially nutmeat) are often very high in processed, added gluten which can create problems later. How about looking on Pinterest for some easy vegetarian recipes that are made with foods you actually like? I would also try for a kids multivitamin as well.

Quorn is barely food. It is pretty much glue to fill you up, and it's nutritional value is pretty low
It's got loads of protein.

Thanks for the replys guys as you can tell regarding food nutrition I'm pretty clueless will have a look into the organic meat she used to have this when she started on solid foods but it was obviously easier to start getting frozen chicken ect ect.. And thanks BlackJesus for all your knowledge and help.

If you're concerned about the 'shit' that is getting 'pumped' into meat then surely the solution is to buy smaller quantities of better quality meat?
Your daughter only needs very small amounts of meat anyway, along with eggs, cheese, milk, beans, pulses, fish,etc There are many sources of protein in a healthy and varied diet. Even things like bread and pasta contain a fair amountbof protein.
Just give your daughter a good variety of foods, for goodness sakes. No need to stress about it,
As far as quorn, well I've been mostly vegetarian/occasionally pescetarian for over 20 years and neverv touch quorn or any Linda McCartney products. It's up to you, but there are lots of alternatives.

Be careful with Quorn. A lot of people seem to be allergic to it including me and I have an iron stomach and no allergies whatsoever. Yet Quorn makes me puke and I am never sick.

Did you watch What The Health by any chance? I'd suggest doing some reading around the scientific side of it. It's very biased and there's not much, if any, supporting evidence. I'd suggest as above and eating better quality meat.

Quorn is grim in my opinion. Think it's pretty crap for you too. Lentils and other pulses are much better.

Fish is not vegan - but any reduction in animal products is good. Quorn have a few vegan products (pieces, nuggets, fillets, "chick'n" burgers, beef-style burgers, bbq pieces... linda mccartney do a lot of vegan products (various burgers and sausages, sausage rolls, scampi). "Seitan" (say-tahn) is a fantastic protein source made of wheat gluten - some varieties are more protein-dense than animal flesh. And, of course, you have beans, lentils etc... with a good mixture of protein sources there's no need to worry about not getting enough protein. Does she already have soya yoghurt? Alpro do a soya milk which is nutritionally tailored to the needs of small children.

Quorn is not dangerous - some people feel they are intolerant to it as it's quite high fibre. Some people really dont like it at all (i think it's okayish) but its generally popular with kids and a very good protein source. Vegan "ham" etc is easily found in holland and barrett and health food stores (vbites and tofurky brands are very high protein).

I hope that's helpful - if you have any specific questions about vegan stuff feel free to dm me :)

If you're used to buying frozen chicken it will be pumped full of stuff, including lots of water and the animal husbandry is just awful. I'm pescatarian but my OH and 3 boys eat meat, so I buy free-range chicken and red meat ( even Aldi do it now) and organic if I can get it/ afford it. I've always lived by the mantra that we'll feed them.good quality food that the boys know the source of and educate them about all different food groups and involve them in cooking. That way as they get older they can make their own choices around food.
As I've always said, if we saw how our food was produced we'd baulk at most of it. It's definitely your duty to make sure your DD is healthy but also you both too. Consider making the changes for all of you.