Being a vegetarian...at 6 y.o.??

[Panman]

I am a non-meat eater and my dd has now asked a few times if she can be one!!??

I am doubtful about removing meat from her diet, as I am unsure from where else she will get esential nutrients as a liitle one, esp. protein.

I am a 'live away' father, so am only responsible for some of her diet. But, knowing dd as I do, if she deceides on a course of action, she will insist on following it through thoroughly.

Is 6 too young to be not eating meat? Veggie books I have don't provide any lead.

Would anyone have some wisdom on this, please?

Sorry....but, are you saying that the Vegetarian Society is biased with their research and information? Why would this be? Do you think they have an agenda to fool everyone in to becoming vegetarian and ultimately malnourished?

That sounds more than just a little cynical to me...as a non-committed carnivore....and former vegetarian.....

No. I just prefer to get my info from other sources. What's wrong with that?

Lazycow said that she preferred to get unbiased information, inferring that the Vegetarian Society is biased. And you agreed. So, why is the Vegetarian Society biased in its research?

And how do you know that the sources you use are not biased for other reasons?

Um, all this business about amino acids is completely irrelevant unless the child in question is becoming vegan (and we're pretending our food has no bugs in it, which is a total mad leap of faith). Cheese has all the right amino acids. Eggs have all the right amino acids.

Well the fact that they are called 'The vegetarian Society' indicates that they might choose to put their own spin on the research.

They are unlikely to put much weight on research that shows meat/fish type protein is good for you. This kind of research may or may not exist but if it did the Vegetarian society would not tell me about it and I wouldn't expect them to

I am open to what they are saying and if I had the time and inclination to check it out with other sources I would. What they are saying may well be true but I am not prepared to take just their word for it.

Any organisation that has an agenda is unlikely to give completely unbiased advice. This is NOT the same as saying they would tell us something that they know to be untrue.

Their information may well be true but to expect it to be unbiased is naive - if that makes me cynical then so be it.

Other sources may well be biased but in the end I would need to look at sources that are biased in different ways and look at the broad balance of the evidence.

tbh I have no inclination to do this on this subject so I probably won't bother. In the meantime I will continue to believe that as a vegatarian you need to replace the elements missing from a meat and fish free diet with alternative sources of adequate protein. To tell people 'not to worry about it' is in my opinion a bit irresponsible. I know some vegetarians who don't like beans or pulses and who also avoid eating too much dairy for whatever reason. This cannot be healthy.

Ditto wrt LazyCow. I would also add the same caveat to the
The Meat and Livestock Commission
Soil Association
Royal Society for Dairy Farmers etc

because they all have a vested interested in promoting their viewpoint. Somehow I don't think you would get all uppity about me saying that about them though.

I do see what you're saying, but the Vegetarian Society are a charity committed to vegetarian principles. The Dairy Council, however are a bunch of people trying to sell you their product.

I too see the Vegetarian Society as likely to be biased - not in an evil way, but they do believe in vegetarianism, so will interpret things appropriately. I am more suspicious of Meat Marketing Boards etc. (Do those exist here?)

But then, I appear to be slowly becoming vegan, by accident, so what do I know?

Well, obviously they are there to provide information on nutrition for a diet that excludes meat. In which case, if they are to "promote" vegetarianism, they would need to make doubly sure their facts are right and that people can 'survive' quite easily on it, wouldnt they? I'm not sure that "promoting" vegetarianism is a "bias" in the true sense of the word.

I'm pretty sure they have no agenda (WOMD, World Domination??? )

So, as I was saying just before.

First approach will be to check out her reasons and how firmly she holds them. She ordinarily doesn't go into things lightly, so am anticipating a bit of a discussion around it, so thank you all for your advice. Much appreciated.

Are you trying to surpress this thread, Panman?
It has a life of it's ow-w-w-w-wnnnn

Haven't read whole thread so apologies if repeating, but veggie is v. healthy - partly simply because you're avoiding meat (and associated nasties) and partly because you eat more fruit and veg.
You can pick up a lot of protein simply by eating whole grains.
Do encourage her!
Viva have some excellent resources and books available.

Such sensitivity, Blu!!

No surpress, as such. Just short of suggesting they take this fight into the car park!!

Nothing wrong with a public brawl IMO

Oh for heaven's sake, the Vegetarian Society are not suppressing scientific research, or even misinterpreting it. Ask the British Nutrition Foundation if you don't believe them. It is a fact that you can get all eight amino acids from a vegeterian diet and a fact that you don't need to eat all eight in one food to get enough protein. It is a further fact that most Western diets are actually a little heavy on the protein, if anything.

There's no money in promoting vegetarianism hence little incentive for twisting research. If you want to find bias in the interpretation of studies on nutrition, a possible place to start would be industry bodies that represent food producers. And a really good tip would be to look at people who make loads of money recommending supplements.

only read the first few responses so forgive me if i'm repeating..I am shocked. dd has been veggie since she was two. she aske dif ham was dead pig and declared she was a friend to animals and wouldn't eat them. she has stuck to that for the last 8 years - with out wavering and remaining basically healthy. She has lactose and sucrose issues too ,so has been refered to the hospital, seen various dieticians all of whom have been more than happy with her diet. She does eat fish and eggs, soya protein , some beans and pulses (not that many), she has shiny hair, good skin and eyes. At 10 she is not the only child I know who has made this choice

It was rhubarb I think sobernow. My children have always loved a wide range (not all, mind you) of vegetables. Courgette seems to be a stumbling block in our house although DD ate some this week.

panman dd who is 5 is veggie and has been since birth it is not a problem, she enjoys quorn and also protein in some form or another is present in most foods iron fortified cereals are also good to help ensure a balance

just thought I should explain dh and me are veggie dd has always been told it is her choice and at 4 she showed an interest in meat and were it came from (mainly why it had twh same name as some animals) hard to explain

yes, gmama - therewill be some imitating going on, but it is the friendly animal aspect...she knows them in a cuddly, lovely way...and then eats them!!

perhaps have vegie meals at yours my friend's dd wanted to be veggie at 6 and they did it gradually but friends dd still remained veggie despite having to miss her favourite meals (friend said she felt cruel at the time but it did convince her her dd wwas serious)