Should I let my DD15 be a vegan

[coolmum223]

So my DD15 came up to me the other day and asked if she could try a vegan diet. Now I'm tempted to say yes since I'm also thinking of trying it and therefore I'd already be cooking vegan/buying vegan food.

Her reason for doing this is
A) it will make her try more new foods and experiment with stuff she'd never have tried before
B) she is a massive animal lover like Ellen DeGeneres and is losing a appetite for animal stuff
Now I don't think it's a eating disorder since she said to me if I got worried about her eating enough she'd make sure to eat larger portions and make sure the meals are balanced.
I'm very tempted to say yes to her since it seems to only mean good things.

We've both tried and loved some plant milks and we don't like Ordinary butter anyway so that's not a problem.
Also DH is a vegetarian which means we don't eat a lot of meat as is. So should I say yes to a 30 day trial like she's requested. Also if anyone has any vegan recipe links please share them since I'm amassing my own personal vegan cookbook using recipes I've found online

Hi, sounds like a good idea to have a trial as you've suggested. My husband and I love "thug kitchen" it's a very sweary cookbook, but the recipes are delicious - lots of stir fried, burritos etc and desserts too! Neither of us are vegan, but have enjoyed making and eating things from this book.

If she doesn't have restricted or disordered eating, has thought it through, you feel she is mature enough to make the choice, and you/she have the skills and inclination to plan and execute a healthy, varied vegan diet, then I would say yes.

Go for it. Best thing I ever did.

Why don’t you both sign up for Veganuary (January) and see how it goes.

Great shout on veganuary. Saves you hastily swotting up on vegan Christmas.

I went vegetarian rather than vegan in my teens. Mum said it was fine and did make some vegetarian meals but didn’t change the diet of the whole family. It was my choice so I had to cook. This set me up really nicely and I had a good repertoire when I went off to uni, unlike some of my flat mates!

It sounds like you’ve got a plan and have both thought it through, so why not?

I might do Veganuary despite the offensive name, sounds like a good idea!

I'd let her. Sounds like you could incorporate it into family eating as your DH is already vegetarian. I'd check to see if she needed extra iron and vitamin B12 as she could still be growing.

Veganuary definitely, there's loads of support. But why wait until then? You could make the Bosh! mushroom wellington for Christmas dinner. Tastes great and is easy to make. Most of the Christmas dinner sides can be easily veganised. The Vegan Womble site has lists of Christmas treats. www.bosh.tv/recipes/portobello-mushroom-wellington

veganwomble.co.uk/vegan-christmas/

I went vegetarian when I was 16, and had to convince my very worried mother that I wouldn't starve; 30-something years later I still don't seem to have faded away, and I have two healthy nearly-grown-up DC who are variations on vegan/vegetarian/pescetarian.

If the whole family is already eating a lot of vegetarian food, it really shouldn't be difficult, and there are so many more easy meal options around now than there were in the 1980s, though it's usually nicer, cheaper and healthier if you cook from scratch more of the time. Definitely get her cooking too.

Remind her as a vegan - no wine or beer unless she can be sure of the finings used.

www.bbc.com/food/collections/everyday_vegan_recipes

@cdtaylornats hopefully not too much of a concern at 15

I can’t see why you wouldn’t let her. Both of my children have decided they wanted to become vegetarian and both have tried it then decided it wasn’t for them.

I don’t agree with it making her saying it’s to make her try new foods though. Surely she can eat those foods anyway? Sometimes I eat vegan meals, sometimes vegetarian and sometimes I eat meat or fish. Eating meat or fish doesn’t mean you can’t eat vegan food.

Hopefully it’s not all up to you to execute?

Any ‘special diet’ stuff I get asked to help with, for anyone over 12yo, gets met with a very enthusiast ‘Sure, let me show you how our food budgeting, meal planning, supermarket trips, cooking strategy, cleanup schedule works.’ Then it’s up to them (with encouragement from the sidelines) to get it happening.

Has to make less work for me (and the household) basically, not more.

I think you should let her, it sounds like she is taking a sensible approach. Definitely get her involved in meal planning and cooking.
Jack Monroe's website has loads of vegan recipes: cookingonabootstrap.com

Not orthorexic or evangelical: fine.

If you ensure she gets a b12 supplement and iron so she avoids the main common deficiencies then she should be fine.
Low iron is associated with low mood and pmt and I find I know very quickly if I am short of it.
Otherwise it is probably fine. She could go vegetarian then vegan on alternate days to get used to it.
I’d avoid all the over processed fake milks and processed foods sold as these aren’t very good for anyone.

www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/301785969

Just spotted this - vegan Magnums

To everyone mentioning supplements for iron and b12 I'm already aware of them I just was worried about hidden dangers but it all seems good.
We don't eat much meat anyway as I mentioned on Christmas Day there isn't even meat on the table since it's only me, DH, DD, my Parents and my Sister and none of us care for meat. We usually do some homemade vegan Christmas dinner. Last year we did the roasted stuffed cauliflower from BBC good food which was amazing.

I think we'd both be able to do veganism. And if anyone's wondering it would probably mean I could cook the same for all of us since we're all eating basically the same food so dinner times would probably be easier. Can't wait to try all this new vegan food.

Thanks to everyone who helped I'm gonna continue work on my Vegan recipes book for my kitchen now