I don't want my kids to be vegetarian

[HowToTrainYourTeen]

DC (15 & 13) have decided they want to go vegetarian. I don't want to go vegetarian and neither does DH, so they'd have to have different meals. I/DH don't want to be wasting time making 2 different meals whenever we want meat or fish, and we don't really have space for 2 people to be cooking at once. WIBU to say no?

YABU! Why not support your children and do it as a family?

YABVU. A great chance to teach your kids to cook for themselves. Why not encourage them instead of being negative about it?. At least they won't end up eating chlorinated US chicken imports.

[Flowers]

I'm so sorry for you, OP. This is my worst nightmare as a parent. Are you intending to let them continue to live with you (and obviously grind bacon into their food) or do they just have to leave?

@2020parrot same here! I was 15, my choice wasn't very supported though and I cooked lots of my own meals.

I now absolutely love to cook, it's a hobby actually!

One of mine became vegetarian at 11, I have put her off becoming vegan til 15 and she's not fully vegan, just headed in that direction. It's made us eat a lot more vegetarian meals which is great, and we actually prefer it most of the time now. Cheap meat is awful stuff, veggie options have never been greater, and whilst the two of us who are meat eaters do still eat it occasionally, we buy free range more expensive meat for welfare reasons.

I honestly think this is one of those things you have to run with a bit with teens, you can't force them to continue eating meat, well you can but it won't enhance relationships. I would also want them to start cooking once a week each (ideally).

You can't "say no". If they want to be vegetarian then that is their right.

@SimonJT

It REALLY does not last, it's a normal fad.

I have never eaten a murdered animal, when do you think this particular fad of mine will be over?

so you were raised a vegetarian, so what's your point?

All the "vegetarian" friends of my eldest have always been happy tucking in meat dishes at every party we had. Most teens do have some "vegetarian" fad. It's very easy to discourage it if you do it right.

Vegetarian meals are easy to cook and can be just as tasty. You are being unreasonable to not be willing to give it a try - it's better for your health and for the environment - which is probably why your kids want to do it. Listen to them!

@NoPainNoTartine

It's a stage, many teens decide to go "vegetarian", usually last a week

I'd just serve them the vegetable part of your meals. They'll get bored of it VERY quickly. Do not stop yourself from preparing their favourite meal-based dishes

Let's face it, if they are happy to have a Sunday roast with only carrots and parsnips (hold the potatoes for now), good for them

It REALLY does not last, it's a normal fad.

Why would they have a roast with just carrots and parsnips? That’s not a balanced diet.

I am vegan and my roast dinners consist of an abundance of roast veg- red onion, carrots, parsnips, broccoli, courgette and peas, and lots of roast potatoes cooked in oil and herbs. Then we’ll have a Linda McCartney roast or veggie sausages all smothered in an onion gravy. If I’m going fancy I’ll make up some egg free Yorkshire puddings .

Feeling hungry now 😁

@wildraisins

You can't "say no". If they want to be vegetarian then that is their right.

you can say "no" to buy and cook for any faddy requirements when you already buy and cook healthy family meals though.

You would be very unreasonable imo. I became veggie when I was around 14 and I don't doubt it was hard for my parents to make 2 meals (although I did help sometimes) its been 10+ years and I'm still vegetarian and I dont think I would look back feeling to kindly towards my parents if they had not supported my choice. My dh & kids are meat eaters, but if at any point any of my DC want to become a vegetarian, I will support that 100%

Why would they have a roast with just carrots and parsnips? That’s not a balanced diet.

to prove a point. You cook what you always cook, and just give them the "vegetarian" side of your meals. They get bored VERY quickly.

@underneaththeash

Unfortunately they're still not old enough to know what's good for them. Vegetarian diets do not offer all the essential amino acids that children need. Fish oils are particularly healthy. Humans are omnivores - whilst they're still growing they need to eat a range of meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, seeds etc.... They can do what they like when they leave home.

What rot.

Dairy and eggs both contain all the essential amino acids as do some meat subs like Quorn and soya.

Certain combinations of food will also create a complete protein that contain all essential amino acids, e.g rice and beans or lentils, peanut butter on toast and pitta bread with hummus.

However if you're so convinced that you're right perhaps you would like to get in touch with the NHS to let them know they are promoting such unhealthy diets to children. I am sure they will be delighted to hear from you.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/vegetarian-vegan-children/

Been vegan for six years and it no longer feels like a choice. I’d probably end up being sick if I was forced to eat meat

Yes the last few times I ate meat I had bloating, wind, stomach pain, diarrhoea etc. It got increasingly worse which is why I am completely veggie now. I only intended to cut down, not eliminate.

If someone served me meat (and it has happened 🙄, a family member decided I wasn’t really veggie, and I’d give in if presented with lamb casserole, much like people on here), I’d have to sit and eat nothing. Or get myself some toast 😂

@NoPainNoTartine

Why would they have a roast with just carrots and parsnips? That’s not a balanced diet.

to prove a point. You cook what you always cook, and just give them the "vegetarian" side of your meals. They get bored VERY quickly.

You only have two portions of vegetables in your meals? Purposely eating a poor diet just proves that you’re a bit petty, or you don’t value your health.

Yabvu.
Your dc have decided not to eat dead flesh,you should not insist they do,but welcome the fact they are making a decision that will benefit their health,mentally and physically.
Just because you worry about extra work for you is not a good enough reason to trample over their decisions,they will resent you for this,rightly so.

@NoPainNoTartine

Why would they have a roast with just carrots and parsnips? That’s not a balanced diet.

to prove a point. You cook what you always cook, and just give them the "vegetarian" side of your meals. They get bored VERY quickly.

What point are you proving? I don’t understand why you would want to discourage them like that.

But it's a moral choice, it has nothing to do with being picky?
I take a very dim view of people not eating things because they don’t want to. When I was a child we were grateful for any food because on many occasions we didn’t have any.

Your wishes for your diet aren't more valid than theirs
They are when I’m the one who’s cooking. It’s an inconvenience. You eat what I eat or you cook for yourself.

@AnnnaBananna

You consider an ethical, moral, responsible and healthy choice to be picky? As you said, it’s a CHOICE. Not a NEED. So yes I do consider it to be picky.

I don’t think it’s as simple as that.

My sibling has been unable to eat meat since they were able to understand where it came from.

It wasn’t a choice to stop eating meat as such, but rather a need to eat something that had not been murdered for them.

@katy1213

They can make all the moral choices they like when they're shopping/cooking for themselves. Offer extra mashed potatoes and cabbage - and see how long it lasts!

See if someone had suggested that to me as a teen I would have jumped at that offer. I freaking love mashed potato but I have never been keen on meat.

You only have two portions of vegetables in your meals? Purposely eating a poor diet just proves that you’re a bit petty, or you don’t value your health.

don't be goady, my diet is absolutely fine

even if i don't have 6 different kind of vegetables at every meal

I don't see it as a 'fad' at all. My vegetarian dd asked at aged 9, I made her wait as I was concerned she didn't eat enough vegetables, mainly carbs, and we waited til she was 11 and she's 15. I was veggie for 10 years, ate meat in between, and now I'm headed back that way again, as I love veggie and vegan foods, really delicious ones not a few boiled vegetables on the side of a roast as some people are describing. You could get some vegetarian food boxes to start you off if you are stuck.

My youngest DD is 15, is vegetarian and has been since she was 11. It's really no problem. As a family we now eat less meat than we used to - even my 11 year old son who would live on a diet of meat pies and sausages if you let him.

Our food bills are lower now too as meat is no longer on the 'Must Buy' but now on the 'If it's Cheap' shopping list.

It's very easy to discourage it if you do it right.

Why would you want to?

@AnnnaBananna

But it's a moral choice, it has nothing to do with being picky? I take a very dim view of people not eating things because they don’t want to. When I was a child we were grateful for any food because on many occasions we didn’t have any.

Your wishes for your diet aren't more valid than theirs
They are when I’m the one who’s cooking. It’s an inconvenience. You eat what I eat or you cook for yourself.

We had very little money growing up, food was sometimes lacking, especially before we moved to the UK. Still had zero urge to eat a dead animal or consume dairy.