DD wants to go vego . . .

[MintyBiscuit]

And I don’t know where to start

Happy for her to give it a try but I want to make sure she’s going to get enough protein and iron. She’s 9.5, a pretty broad eater and loves her veg so I’m not worried there, we’re just not a big vego meal family so it’ll be a big learning curve. I know things like tofu and legumes are good options but does anyone have any good resources for how to go about incorporating those things? 

[IamtheMumma]

Egg are great protein and versatile. Omelettes and quiches. Frittatas. 

Look into mexican recipes. Lots of yummy, flavourful bean and vege dishes. Same with Asian meals. 

Tofu can be hard to eat because it is like pencil rubbers. I get the woolies macro honey soy. It doesn't taste like an eraser. 

Look online or go to the library and look through some vegetarian cookbooks. Get her to pick two recipes for you all to try. Fajitas for example. 

The trick with healthy vego is not to rely on carbs for content. I could easily live off garlic bread and potatoes but I'd remain the size of a bus. 

TVP is another option. I never liked it. There's a huge range of quorn and meatlike foods in Woolies these days. Way back when, Not Burgers used to be a favoured meal in our house. I'd make it as a proper burger. 

[MerryMadigralMadge]

DD15 has also expressed an interest in becoming vegetarian - we had to work out what kind of vegetarianism we could adjust to, and we went through all the logistics, adjustment, and what we decided on was a massive reducation in meat, and the meat we did chose, would be as ethical as we could make it. 

Eggs are still on the menu, as is dairy, and a chicken meal 1-2 times a fortnight, which we get from our local butcher, which we know was sourced ethically. No cow, lamb, some deli meats are ok - it makes sense to her, and I'm happy to go along with it, and that's where we've landed for the moment. I'm actually enjoying the cooking, exploring new things and methods I've never cooked with before, and she's very engaged with all. 

A couple of great sites for veg/vegan cooking: some of these are completely so, others are heavily veg/vegan.

https://eatwithclarity.com/

https://www.instagram.com/sovegan

https://thepeskyvegan.com/

https://www.loveandlemons.com/

https://yummyaddiction.com/

Edited 17 hours ago by MerryMadigralMadge

[MerryMadigralMadge]

also, cooking tiktok is great here too.

https://www.tiktok.com/@prunchme/video/7415247850709323026

https://www.tiktok.com/@johngs/video/7419375346690166048

https://www.tiktok.com/@sophsplantkitchen/video/7283507562664824097

and all of Chloe's recipes are great here too: https://www.tiktok.com/@chloeevegan

 

 

[jojonbeanie]

Maybe you could discuss with her the idea of starting with a couple of vegetarian dishes each week to work out what you all like and how it fits with the family eating experience.

You need to think about what kind of meals she and the family usually enjoy. Are you a family that takes a meat with veg/salad approach? If so, maybe you can cook the usual meal but do a vegetarian schnitzel for her while everyone else has their chicken parma or roast beef. Or throw a couple of veggie sausages on the bbq when everyone else has their favourite lamb kababs. Are you more a casserole/curry/slow cooker where meat and veg are combined family? If so it’s more difficult to cook the same meal and just swap out the meat for only one person. Maybe you make a vegetable curry and freeze it in single serves for your daughter when the rest of the family is having a chicken curry. Perhaps you can make the veg and sauce part of the curry, separate it into two pans and add chicken to one and chickpeas to the other. Not impossible, but a bit more fiddly. Can you get the family to swap some favourites like a meat spaghetti bolognaise for one made with red lentils instead?

[Yogaalaates]

https://www.recipetineats.com/category/vegetarian-recipes/

Nagi to the rescue!

I’m not vegetarian but try to eat vego quite a lot. A lot of the products you can buy now are good and low effort. Vegie Delights, Meet, V2, and Yumi’s are on regular rotation here. I buy them when on special. DH and I both enjoy tofu. The marinated kind is a good intro, and with the blocks it’s about cooking and preparing it the right way to get it crispy and delicious.

[Paddlepop]

Vegan or vegetarian? Personally I wouldn’t do it for a 9yo. I’d be expecting her to read up about a healthy varied vegetarian diet, and having her assist in the cooking of the vegetarian protein part of meals. I’d have her find and select the recipes and go shopping with me/online shop with me. I’d probably also include an appointment or two with a dietician and potentially blood tests to check iron, b12, etc.

At that age with puberty coming up, increased peer pressure on appearance, and eating disorders in the teen years I’d be wanting to make sure she’s having a balanced and scientifically based vegetarian diet, not just a no red meat diet with no replacement protein and iron source. 

If it went well and the food was good I’d consider having the whole family having vegetarian meals once or twice a week to support her and for variety.

Are you willing to cook two different protein sources each day?

[Jenflea]

I like a vegetable lasagne. 

Pasta, and layers of spinach, white sauce, and roast veggies. I do sweet potato, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, capsicum, you name it. Sadly Dd doesn't much like it so I haven't made it in ages. 

I would worry about her nutrition as she enters puberty as @Paddlepop says. She's still growing and will have periods to deal with. I think a nutritionist visit could be worthwhile if she's dead set on it. 

[MintyBiscuit]

Thanks all. Definitely vegetarian and not vegan - vegan feels impossible for her age, and DS has nut allergies so we need to be careful with that. We try to do one vego dinner a week but they do tend to be on the carb heavy side, so wouldn’t want a whole lot of that. We’d definitely do more as a whole family if we liked them, but DS is a bit fussier which makes it tricky. 

I am conscious of her age and heading into puberty, particularly given that I’ve always struggled with iron since I started menstruating. We discussed the why and I’m not worried about it being a diet or image issue, it’s more along the animal rights side of things. I’m also not convinced she’ll still want to do it by tomorrow  I have told her if she continues with it that once she starts her period we will be monitoring iron levels, she’s well aware of the struggles I’ve had with iron 

Some great resources here though, appreciate the replies so far

[Yogaalaates]

A lot of the vego ‘meet’ products have B12 and iron added to them these days.

[Gumbette]

We're a family of vegetarians, neither children have ever had meat (DD tried chicken once when she was a baby but projectile vomited afterwards so I figured it was a sign). We eat lots of eggs, but don't like tofu. Both children have B12 & iron supplements as a precaution, but otherwise we've had no issues. I've been vegetarian now since I was 19, through both pregnancies.

[Kerilyntaryn21]

I've been vegetarian all my life, never had any iron or B12 issues 

Lots of vegetarian substitutes these days too. Vegie delights have canned, frozen and deli items, always legumes, chickpeas, mushrooms, beans, nuts etc

[Biscuits]

My 8 year old has been vegetarian for a whole week now! It's lasted longer than I thought it would but I'm proud of him for sticking to his guns.

So far we've tried vego sausages- Eaty brand (BAD!!) 

This burger recipe https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/easy-vegan-breakfast-sausage-patties-tvp-patties/ (added a can of chickpeas too) pretty good, my very fussy 6yo even enjoyed it. TVP (textured vegetable protein) was a strange discovery. It looks like dried up cat food and rehydrates into a mince like product. It was pretty gross visually but once it was in a patty it was fine. The burgers were actually better when pan fried again the next day. 

Tofu burgers- we read a tip about tofu benefitting from being frozen, then thawed, pressed to release moisture and then marinated. Apparently it gives a better texture and absorbs marinade better.

Nagi's Ground Beef Casserole with Rice is my favourite thing for burritos and I often leave out the beef and just add an extra can of beans. It's so good!!! Makes an excellent school or work lunch in a thermos too. https://www.recipetineats.com/mexican-ground-beef-casserole-with-rice/#wprm-recipe-container-38461

We also had Nagi's peanut sauce from her chicken satay recipe, over rice, broccoli, roasted carrots and tofu. That sauce is amazing and will make veg taste good.

Paneer is another good option, especially in curries. Tonight we had paneer tikka masala. We buy the Melba 1kg blocks, it's about $18/kg. It freezes well too, just cube it up, pop in bags and it's ready when you want it. 

ETA I just saw you mentioned but allergies so the satay sauce is a no go

Edited 14 hours ago by Biscuits

[Rosie28]

I was vego for many years and I dislike the idea that kids who want to eat vegetarian should research nutrition and help with the cooking anymore than kids who are omnivorous. It doesn’t seem at all fair. It’s not difficult to get the appropriate nutrition with a balanced vego diet, and while they need to understand nutrition so do kids who eat meat. 

[Kiwi Bicycle]

43 minutes ago, Rosie28 said:

I was vego for many years and I dislike the idea that kids who want to eat vegetarian should research nutrition and help with the cooking anymore than kids who are omnivorous. It doesn’t seem at all fair. It’s not difficult to get the appropriate nutrition with a balanced vego diet, and while they need to understand nutrition so do kids who eat meat. 

But sadly young teens make deccsion  without looking into it. My sister went vegetarian as a young teen, thinking she would lose weight. But she did what a poster warned against upthread, and substituted carbs ( so ate lots of pasta, bread, pizza etc) and then got very upset that she didn't lose weight. So it's the intention of eating vegetarian and also that the child is asking for a different meal to the family. It makes sense that they minimise the change for the rest of the family by either helping cook their meal/ protein subsitition and meal plan, so it doesn't land on the parents to do the heavy lifting.

[Dusty]

I dunno.. but I really don’t think 9 years olds should have any type of responsibility for ensuring their vegetarian diets have the adequate nutrients. 

I’m being deliberately cheeky here: you wouldn’t say to a White Eater “well son, if you’ll only eat white food then you need to research and help make your own meals to ensure you’re eating a balanced diet” IMO Life doesn’t work like that.

If your kid chooses to be a vegetarian or will only eat white food then the responsibility of a nutritious diet falls on the parent/s. Please, I do acknowledge how excruciating difficult it would be to have a fussy eater, I was just making the point that no matter what, IMO the responsibility falls back to the parent/s as shitty as that may be.

On the Carb Conversation, IME it’s classic rookie stuff to lean on an Italian high carb menu when you first go vegetarian, you soon go “arr fark I really don’t feel like pasta tonight” and you’ll start to experiment with other cuisines.

Please let me know if I need to check my privilege at the door…

[Paddlepop]

2 hours ago, Rosie28 said:

I was vego for many years and I dislike the idea that kids who want to eat vegetarian should research nutrition and help with the cooking anymore than kids who are omnivorous. It doesn’t seem at all fair. It’s not difficult to get the appropriate nutrition with a balanced vego diet, and while they need to understand nutrition so do kids who eat meat. 

The key point is a balanced vegetarian diet. If someone chooses to restrict their food intake and cut out a whole group of food then it’s on them to work out the changes and substitutions needed to meet their dietary needs. Otherwise it’s someone making a choice but putting the burden on someone else ie the parents, and usually the mum. That’s not fair.

I know it’s possible to get good nutrition from a vegetarian diet but it’ll take more effort than an omnivore diet. A random no-meat diet won’t provide good nutrition. The protein, iron etc need to come from somewhere. 

[LemonMyrtle]

The PPs have a good point. Parents are mostly responsible for their kids food.

Since I am responsible for my Kids food and nutrition, I actually wouldn’t let them be vegetarian. Because I don’t have the brain power or time to properly make food for them that’s different from the rest of the family’s. It’s hard enough finding meals everyone will eat, and rotating them so they get a variety of food. I can’t do something special for just one child. 

if it’s a “can’t” due to  allergy or something, fine. But if it’s a choice? Nope. They can do that when they’re older and responsible for their own food. 

Edited 2 hours ago by LemonMyrtle

[Paddlepop]

@Dusty The White Diet is very often the result of neurodivergence, so I don’t see it as a fair comparison. A child choosing to eliminate a food group but who could restart eating it at any time isn’t the same.  My ASD DD would 100% have gone for a white diet but huge efforts from DH in particular has meant that she eats a reasonable variety of foods. She also knows that she has to take a daily multivitamin to cover nutritional deficiencies. It’s been a whole lifetime of fighting to increase and improve her food variety. She even spat out colostrum. Water was regarded with massive suspicion that I was trying to give her poison when she started having sips of water. 

[Dusty]

@Paddlepop it’s definitely not a fair comparison, which is why I said I was being deliberately cheeky with my example.

From what you have shared regarding your DD’s diet, it sounds to me like you’re doing an amazing job with her diet, I really hope you are proud of your accomplishments.

[CrankyM]

Hmm, I like the idea of moving toward adding a few more vegetarian recipes a week and see how you go. Asian and Mexican meals are the easiest to sub.

We eat quiet a bit of vegetarian food. However, I grew up vegetarian. I don't think we really started eating meat until I was in my early teens and even then most was vegetarian as mum stayed a vegetarian (my sister was very much a carnivore one she started eating meat). 

Tofu can be edible, it just takes practice and understanding how to adapt it to your tastes. I wrote something about it in the cost of living thread. Lentils and beans can often be substituted into meals using mince. I often make pumpkin and black bean (or red kidney) enchiladas/burritos/nachos for example. If it's nachos I will often add some soaked/well washed red lentils. Eggs are great too. I'm not a huge fan of them, but they can be incorporated in ways that are not as obvious. But you can add them to Asian rice/noodle dishes. I often do egg wraps for the kiddo (thin rolled omelet with lettuce and mayo in a wrap). Also I would clarify if she means to cut out seafood/fish as well. I know there is a technical term, but mum was a vegetarian who ate fish. Not a massive amount but she did. This can help with nutrient levels.

[Yogaalaates]

7 minutes ago, CrankyM said:

I know there is a technical term, but mum was a vegetarian who ate fish.

Pescatarian?

[Paddlepop]

@CrankyM Pescatarian?

[Fruitmincepies]

A friend’s daughter went vegetarian aged 9, and it’s been really positive for the whole family. The early days were tricky though, as they adjusted. They do a lot of vegetarian meals with a side of meat for those who want the meat. 

[CrankyM]

14 minutes ago, Yogaalaates said:

Pescatarian?

 

13 minutes ago, Paddlepop said:

@CrankyM Pescatarian?

Yes, that's it. She only ate it once a fortnight or so, or if she was given freshly caught fish, but she did like fish and I'm sure it helped keep her nutrition balanced. She certainly didn't have the issues I have with iron levels even though I eat meat (and beans and so much green leafy things and tofu...)