To say she can’t become a vegan yet

[funnyfairy360]

So my 10yr old DD has announced that she does not believe it is Ok to use animal products any more and from now on will not be eating/wearing/using anything made from animals or produced by animals. She does not even want to be ‘forced’ to sit on our leather couch. Now don’t get me wrong I’m all for her finding her own way in life but this is not just becoming vegetarian or going goth, becoming vegan is life changing and to be honest too inconvenient and expensive for me to make happen for her right now. She said she has the right to choose I say yes when she can pay for the products and cook the food herself .....she wants vegan friendly washing up liquid/shampoo/ soap/ clothes/this list could go on and on. None of the rest of us have any desire to go vegan.

If that was the case and the person normally ate red meat, how would they know if it was the same burger?

They they didn't normally eat meat, then it wouldn't be too surprising as they would have different gut bacteria to meat eaters, so would have far less than the average UK human for digesting meat.

@IsMyUserNameRubbish do you have a citation or link for that? I'm really not trying to be difficult but I suspect it's something a little different from what it seems so I'm interested to know where the idea has come from.

@Kpo58 @perper. Perper, this wasn't something that happened yesterday, it was in years back and if you need to know ask your GP next time you visit, they should be able to tell you more. Kpo58, it was a controlled experiment done in a university lab in London were students, tutors and medical profession took part. The person was a meat eater who abstained from meat till it was thoroughly out his system, he just didn't carry in eating meat. 😂 I have to go to work now but if I can find a link to the programme, I'll pop it here later. Those preservatives are pumped in to meat so its lasts on the supermarket shelf longer, means it lasts in your stomach longer too.

@colditz I always make my pastry with oil Take 4 cups plain flour, add 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 cups of water. Mix into a dough and put into the fridge to rest for half an hour.** if I am making a seeet pie I add half a cup of sugar :)

Tell her no, it's hard work being vegan.

Can I ask what you find hard about being vegan? Or is that just a presumption?

I get asked often if it's really hard being vegan so I'm assuming that this is something meat eaters would think, without having experienced it. I find it incredibly easy being vegan. I can sometimes struggle in foreign countries that are quite meat heavy, but I've never not found something I can eat. It's easier now than it's ever been. Lots of vegan foods available in restaurants and supermarkets. I think veganism will continue to grow rapidly in coming years.

I'm going to mention iodine again, I personally would support her decision as long as she really researched it from uk sources - US supplements food with iodine.

www.nhs.uk/news/pregnancy-and-child/concern-over-iodine-levels-in-girls/

Iodine fact sheet:

www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts/Iodine.pdf

Excellent programme about iodine and it's importance in health:

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09plrg0

It’s fine as an adult saying being a vegan is easy but the OPs DD is 10.

Parties, going to friend’s houses for tea, school dinners all become more problematic - having to explain to people why she’s made this choice. People aren’t always particularly understanding and will have plenty of opinions on the subject which could be quite difficult to handle age 10.

It’s not impossible but definitely not straightforward.

I think you should support her but involve her with every part of meal planning and cooking e.g we are having pasta bake tonight, I'm going to leave the chicken and cheese out of yours and add in some extra broccoli. Buy in some oatly milk, some alpro yoghurts and some vegan cheese and you should be able to veganise most of your family meals quite easily. As for beauty products, I agree she should save for and buy these herself.

I'm currently in a hotel all the seats in the restaurant are covered in leather. Someone informed me a while ago that some car seats are made of leather. I'm not vegan. I wear leather shoes, because I'm allergic to plastic ones. Some people don't wear wool or eat honey , gelatin either

I agree with the vegans on here that it is perfectly possible to have a perfectly balanced diet.
However as a,mainly vegetarian eater due to my DD going vegetarian 18 months ago,I would not know where to start.I could cook some vegan food but keeping it varied, quick to prepare and balanced I would find challenging.
Like the Op I wouldn't have the time to research and feel confident with a growing child .
I would compromise,next time you go shopping take her along and start with cleaning products,shampoos etc as the old ones run out,let her find the alternatives at the same price.Reduce the meat in her meals first,that is not time consuming and have a few family meat free days.
She has to do the same checking for her treats/sweets.She may when she's old enough to cook go vegan but until then it's respecting her beliefs but compromising and starting small and getting her to do the label reading etc.

My DD17 is vegan and has been for a few years. This just extends to foods. Maybe this is poor planning on my part, but having one person being vegan and limited time has resulted in a higher weekly food bill. Many fresh vegan substitutes are sold in packs of two and she never wants to eat the same meal twice in a row...so we avoid those purchases and buy frozen. We can no longer have a nice stew or casserole as a family and have to stick to meals that can be adapted to her. To be honest, whilst I support my daughter it's a costly fussy pain in the arse. She also forgets to take the iron sups I buy her so looks like a ghost.

you should support her choices, if she wants to have vegan products in the house she can purchase them bu earning pocket money.

Im pretty sure most of Aldi own brand house hold products are vegan and cheap.

Theres a lot of choice, im not saying you need to go vegan but maybe you could do a Vegan Monday where the whole family eat vegan, and then rest of week cook for her.

Loads of choice now in the supermarket. She isnt on her high horse she has just had an epiphany to what actually happends in the industry and I say fair play.

No sure why meat eaters take such offence when people choice to change their diet.

I agree she is young and it can be expensive but it doesnt have to be if you research and she can do househol chores to earn pocket money>????

If you are brave enough watch Land of Hope and Glory: UK Animal Farming Free Documentary .

All the best and I hiope you support her, it may be a fad but you shoudl respect her choices as she should respect yours!!!!!!!!!!

You are not a vegan household fine but you can help her if you really wanted too,. X

I'm sorry, but in this house she could go Vegan when she had the means to purchase her own toiletries, clothes etc and when she was capable of making her own Vegan meals - without disrupting the rest of the family.

I dread to think what would have happened if we'd indulged every pre-teen whim......

she can do househol chores to earn pocket money>????

So still the OP paying for it them?

my 5 year old is a flexetarian, she wants to be veggie but i said not yet, she too young to understand and already has a taste for meat.

I suppose at 10 it depends how mature she is, but i would respect my 10 year old daughter for having her own mind and making moral choices for herself. when you compare the vegan food to meat its about the same price ( but understand you have buy additional food)

Do you know what made her come to this decision?

Yes i appreciate the OP is paying for them, but its not even that expensive. However, if you can;t afford it then i understand and it will be difficult.

Some products are expensive, but not all.
Im veggie and purchase some vegans products my hubby a meat eater its not cost that much but I shop in Aldi and do only have the one child.

Beans on toast is vegan, Linda Mcarthy burgers Vegan, can do a vegan chilli,. I tend to do big batches of my chilli and tub and freeze up. Same for curries, can use slow cooker and then tub up and then its another meal then. Jam sarnies are vegan as well.
Rice and Veg / Noodles and Veg . Oreos are vegan which is a bonus and the little lotus biscuits.

www.veganfoodandliving.com/uk-everyday-products-that-are-accidentally-vegan/

This is great

veganuary.com/starter-kit/accidentally-vegan-products-uk/ sorry this one

Meat and cheese is so much more expensive than veg and pulses. It only gets expensive when you buy substitute meat and cheese and other processed stuff (which is the most unhealthy). I've been surviving the heat by pretty much eating big salads for tea with grains, nuts, seeds, veg, etc. and a simple dressing.

My mother would have simply told me absolutely no, not an option until i worked to pay for things for myself.

We are a big meat eating family and there is no way they would have given up that and there was no chance at all she would ever have cooked 2 meals or bought 2 lots of food unless it was needed for a health condition!

Very disappointing that some posters are happy to shut down their own DC's independent and critical thinking. You should be celebrating it and be proud of it.

Saying that cooking for a vegan is too time consuming or that DC is too young to understand is a cop out. Can't imagine many meat eaters are queuing up to take their DC's on an abattoir tour.

Saying that cooking for a vegan is too time consuming or that DC is too young to understand is a cop out

If the rest of the family do not want to eat a vegan diet, then sorry, a child should have to tow the line.

@ghostofFrankGrimes i agree

I think it's always difficult if family life tends to revolve around one child.

Sometimes this happens because a child has special needs. At other times it might happen because a child has a particular gift and needs to be taken to training, events etc.

But a youngish child who opts to turn vegan is a complicated one. Everybody else is happy to eat meat, fish and dairy products. So should a 10 year old's conscience dominate family shopping, family meals and family furniture.

I do think the common sense answer is 'No'.

You can respect their viewpoint and offer a degree of compromise - more vegetarian meals for example. And encourage them to take more of an interest in cooking, so that they can prepare the foods they like most for the whole family.

If a 10 year old decided they supported revolutionary socialism, you wouldn't get the whole family attending rallies and selling newspapers on the street.

So why get family life to revolve around one child's new dietary preferences?

If the rest of the family do not want to eat a vegan diet, then sorry, a child should have to tow the line

Vegan substitutes are easily available. If the family are having beef burger and chips a veggie burger can be used instead. They are also alot quicker and easier to cook!

"Towing the line" is the wrong message to give to a child unless you want them to become a drone.