DD becoming vegetarian

[AlmostThere2023]

Hi all,

DD (aged 11) has decided to be veggie, which is fine. My only concern is that as she’s only 11 and a whole lot of growing ahead of her, how do I ensure she gets the necessary iron/good fats etc?

Also, I’m now wondering what to give her for school packed lunches as up until now she would take a cold meat sandwich or jam, but can’t eat jam 5 days a week! She can be fussy so we’ve agreed that being veggie, she will need to broaden her horizons.

looking for as much advice as possible please.

I went veggie when I was 13 and read up on nutrition and cooked for myself. I’m the only veggie in the family and the tallest!

For lunch I take to work - pasta, soup, sandwiches (cheese, hummus and carrot, felafel and salad, banana and honey), tortilla and salad, fruit, yoghurt, nuts, fried fruit, granola bars, rice and Dahl/curry…

I went veggie at 11 as well and still am now I'm in my 40s. She will be fine.
There is Quorn ham she can have if she wishes and various other meat substitutes that are really nice too. Trial and error is probably the way she'll learn what she does and doesn't like but honestly she will be fine. Good luck to her 💗

I gave up meat age 10 and apart from a few brief periods when I ate meat (e.g pregnant) I really stuck at it. I'm 33 now, got and healthy, rarely ill. I have great iron levels confirmed by regular testing as I give blood. I will 100% never eat meat for as long as I live.

Avocados contain good fats - will she eat those?

Eggs for iron with orange juice to aid iron absorption. I eat eggs almost every day.

I also eat a lot of chickpea stews, beans, cheese, jacket potatoes, pasta, salads.

She'll be fine.

Fit not got!

Thanks, I’ve no concerns overall with her being veggie and happy to cook her alternatives to what we eat. I’m more concerned about her having the right amount of iron specifically but sure there are other nutrients that are harder to come by. Obviously once she’s fully grown that’s not as much of an issue.

She’s quite fussy but has agreed that she will need to start eating other food. She doesn’t really like eggs and doesn’t like avocado. She has agreed though to try eggs in various forms to find one that she will eat.

Since I went veggie 20 years ago I am significantly less likely to get ill and other than one awful bout of norovirus that literally ran through my family I don't get D&V.

All my children became veggie in their own time and my very tall sons didn't stop growing.

Spinach, broccoli and other leafy greens for iron and calcium. Blend and make pesto or soup if she won't eat them whole. Beans are protein, iron and fibre powerhouses - get those in her. Chili. Baked chickpeas, chickpea "tuna".

I don’t think she will become unwell, I’m more concerned that she’s going to be growing quite a bit over the next few years/starting periods and want to make sure that she will be getting the correct iron and other nutrients in her diet.

Great, thank you! I actually bought her some Heinz bean burgers for tonight’s dinner as this was decided only today and our dinner was meat based. She quite liked them but I’m keen not to rely on processed food and will look in to finding some good recipes.

Neither of my DC have ever eaten meat of any sort and are very healthy. I made sure DD ate lots of iron rich foods such as green leafy vegetables but also baked beans are a good source and some breads and cereals are fortified.

It is so good you are willing to accommodate her. Perhaps you could buy or borrow a veggie cookbook and help her prepare a few meals.

My dd went veggie at 11. She has a daily multi vitamin (but sometimes forgets) and lots of things based on eggs and nuts. French toast and frittata are the best egg-based things according to my other child who hates eggs.