My son wanting to become a vegetarian

[lozza90]

Hi all, just looking for a bit of advice please. My son is 6 and has told me he wants to become a vegetarian, this has been a discussion for a while however he is now refusing to eat any meat. I have had a thourough chat with him to explain the benefits of eating meat but he is saying it’s cruel to eat animals and he doesn’t want to. I think a trip to the gp would be a good idea as I am really unsure as what to do!!! My son is very petite as he was born small so I don’t know if cutting out meat is going to have a negative effect on his weight. I would never force him to eat meat if this is how he feels however i feel he is young to make a big decision like this. Are there any parents here who are vegetarians or who’s children are who could give me some tips please??? Thank you!!!!

One of mine has been vegetarian since the same age but she wouldn't eat much meat prior to that and my older child eats only chicken.

My children are now 14 and 10 and both are healthy, well made and fit.

Its' fine to not eat meat as long as you ensure they get extra protein and make sure they eat a lot of dark leafy veg and lentils for the iron.

Mine don't really like leafy veg OR lentils so I hide them in soups and stews and also put greens on top of homemade pizza which I then put cheese over.

You have to ensure they don't get into bad habits like having part of what the rest of the family are eating....for example, I don['t really cook meat and potato meals now...because then all they'd have for their meal would be potatoes, peas and carrots.

We eat a lot of currys, stir fries and soups....because being vegetarian means eating more like 5-6 vegetables in one meal.

I think you should just accept it tbh. Make sure he gets dairy - milk, eggs and cheese, nuts ( ground up if he doesn't like them whole). He'll be fine. My dgs5 is more or less veggie, simply because he's so picky. He'd eat cheesy pasta every day if he could.

My dd2 went vegetarian aged 6 too!! It lasted one year and she switched back. I was advised not to make it s big deal and just go with it. Quorn products are great these days as an alternative too.
Anyway, once she’d turned back to eating meat..dd1 decided at the age of 10 that she’d be a vegetarian!! She’s very devoted to this and personally I can’t see her changing back to eating meat. I think at her age it’s more likely a life choice.
I’d say go with it, and don’t make it a big deal in front of him.

He can still eat eggs, cheese and other dairy , pulses, nuts including nut butters. If he has nutritious food that doesn't disgust him, he will not lose weight.

DD became vegetarian at age 7. It was easy enough to adapt as we aren't big meat eaters to start.
We eat mainly vegetarian meals using tofu, Quorn and pulses during the week.
I still cook a roast on Sundays but DD will have Quorn sausages with hers rather than meat. I don't use animal fats when making the gravy or the roast veg.
Luckily, all the kids have always been vegetable eaters so getting leafy greens into them is easy.

Hi OP

It sounds as though you have a sensitive and thoughtful little boy on your hands, which is a great thing :)

I know it's a worry with a child who doesn't have a great appetite or who is fussy, but I do think you should respect your DS's wishes on this or you could damage his relationship with food.

I've been vegetarian since I was 10yo - the rest of my family weren't veggie. I have two DC aged 9 and 6 who have been raised on a completely vegetarian diet. They were born large and healthy (both over 9lbs even though I'm fairly slim) and still thriving even though they're both a bit fussy about food.

It's perfectly possible for your DS to have a nutritious vegetarian diet. Does he like eggs and cheese? Baked beans? Would he eat a 'fake meat' product like a veggie sausage or burger?

Things like lentils and beans can be easily blended into soups and pasta sauces.

If he's underweight there are lots of high-calorie veggie foods - full fat Greek yogurt, grated cheese on everything, buttery toast, peanut butter, avocado, olive oil, etc.

Just make sure you're offering him something with protein a few times a day and the same with iron. As much variety as possible with types of protein and types of fruit and veg.

Breakfast cereals have added iron, which is absorbed better with a glass of orange juice on the side. Dried apricots are also high in iron. So it's not just leafy greens...

Good luck!

My son is a life long vegetarian. He is now 14, taller than me, barely missed a day of school, top sets, has always slept well, and has the conduct record of a saint.

He eats eggs, cheese and quorn quite a bit. He eats no leaves.

Your son will do best if you respect his choices.

Hi OP - I think it’s probably worth you doing some reading on vegetarian diets as you sound quite unsure - i’m Interested as to what you perceive the ‘benefits’ Of eating meat to be? Most research indicates that vegetarian diets are healthier than meat-based ones

here’s some info which might be helpful to you
www.vegsoc.org/factsheets

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

www.vegetariantimes.com/health-and-nutrition/raising-veg-kids

you should do research and show him benefits and that they do kill them in humaine ways and i remember reading that cows that are old leave out some toxic air or something. also if they werent farmed who would volunteer to look after hundreds of sheep and cows and make sure they dont overpoplulate and spend money on taking care of them, vecause they do actually take alot of caring for. but it is his choice and it is hard to shake the feeling of eating an innocent animal if youve got it in your head. he also needs to know that he needs to eat alot of spinach and chickpeas to get his iron lol and also please dont let him get sucked into the soya fad its so exteramly bad for your health. coconut milk doesnt have much calcium but everything else is sooo good for your health if hes also not wanting milk. but organic milk is much less cruel, because milk farmers are paid so low that no dairy farmer makes profit so they do over work their cows but organic farmers dont as they are paid more and not many organic farmers so have plenty of demand too. he might actually just want to switch to organic free range meat. i live on a non organic farm and it is no way inhumane sheep and cows are constantly moved from field to other field and more than enough space they are never ever crammed and never hungry. but when it comes to chicken farms i can totally agree that i would not trust any non free range egg or chicken. you will need to tlk about every possible route also if he wants to just go vegetarian 5 days a week, jamie oliver i read goes vegan 2 or 3 days of the week and thinks its really important to have the balance and not eat meat every day. after the discussion whatever he decides is then should be respected. he can always change his mind when hes older if he wants.

also supplements like added iron are not well absorved at all in our bodies. our bodies have always been used to eating meats = paleo diet. i think that unorganic meat and all the hornones are what is now causing health problems.

He will be fine without meat - you do not need meat to live or be healthy. There are many lifelong vegetarians & vegans that are very much alive, healthy & well

I actually think its great that he's standing up for something he believes in at such a young age. Maybe be proud & supportive rather than trying to dissuade him?

There are many blogs, YouTube vids & lots of general information on the Internet etc etc where you can gather meal ideas if this is something you're worried about. It might be fun for the whole family to try out some new recipes & meal ideas. Good luck :)

Watching this with interest, as my 5yr old DC decided the same just before the summer holidays.
It's been fine so far, especially with all the Quorn products available now.

It's great to see others being so supportive though - I've had a few family members tell me just to serve meat, and pretend it's veggie
Some seem to be under the impression I'm pandering to fads, where as I say I'm just respecting DC choice.

Not really sure what you think his GP is going to be able to do. There are plenty of high calorie, nutritious vegetarian foods (and trust me it's perfectly possible to put on weight as a veggie!).