Age twelve is not too young to make this decision, and it provides her with an ideal opportunity to take on a little more personal responsibility -- very important as she moves into the teen years. There are two major considerations here: what she needs to be a healthy vegetarian, and how she'll get the foods and nutrients she needs in a family that isn't vegetarian.
At 12, your daughter requires 34 grams of protein every day. Each of the following foods contains 14 grams of protein: 2 eggs, 2 ounces cheese, 1 cup beans, 6 ounces tofu, ½ cup nuts, 2 tbsp peanut butter. Serve some of these at every meal and she will get the protein she needs. Foods such as bread, cereal, rice, pasta and granola bars carry smaller but significant amounts of protein that tend to add up over the course of the day.
Calcium is another important nutrient she should include. You'll find it in: milk, yogurt, calcium fortified juice, calcium fortified cottage cheese or soy milk, tofu, cheese, beans, and green leafy vegetables. Dairy foods will give her even more protein.
If your daughter does not eat fish she will need to find a source of the omega- 3 fatty acid called DHA. It's unique to marine foods and is very important to her overall health -- and the health of everyone else in your family, vegetarian or not. Drug stores carry fish oil capsules; you can ask for one made from algae and not fish, if that's important to her.
Vitamin B12 is abundant in animal products. Vegetarians eating only plant-based foods need to get B12 in pill form or they must eat foods that have it added. Many "vegetarian" burgers and breakfast cereals are fortified with B12 but I would recommend a multivitamin-mineral containing B12 and iron to make sure she gets the nutrients she needs.
And let's not forget that she needs her fruits and vegetables -- at least 1-2 cups of each on most days. You have no idea how many vegetarians I speak to that eat very few vegetables. It's surprising but true (I call them my potato chip vegetarians), and you do not want your daughter on that path.
I recommend you sit down with your daughter and ask her what foods she is going to choose to meet her needs for calcium, protein, DHA and possibly B12. She needs to help you find meal alternatives that do not disrupt the family meal routine. The idea of shopping and planning food choices may be entirely new to her, and she will most definitely need your help. Ask her to go to the library and get a vegetarian cookbook, and back issues of the magazine Vegetarian Times -- a great source for recipes.
If your daughter is eating meals that include wholesome foods, incorporating the suggestions above, and she is maintaining a healthy weight, she's probably doing just fine. For even more information, ask her doctor for a referral to a registered dietitian or go to www.eatright.org and click "Find a Nutrition Professional". Have fun planning meals with her. You may find the whole family will enjoy eating new foods. In addition, she'll know that you are taking her seriously and that is a kind of nourishing that goes well beyond the physical.
Eileen Behan
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There is a vegetarian form of DHA omega-3, derived from algae, called life'sDHA. You can buy them in supplement form or look for foods fortified with an algal source of DHA. You can go to www.lifesdha.com to find a list of available foods.
I totally understand your concern here but... just to give a little something from your daughters point of view.
I decided to become Vegetarian when i was just 7. I had to fight for it mind you!
My mum knew nothing about vegetarianism and was concerend, like yourself about potential health implications.
At first, i got her to agree to me excluding red meat, eventually white meat and then fish. I was miserable the whole time she had me eating meat, regardles of how little or what type. By the age of 8 or 9 i had gone completely vegetarian. I had no guidance on the subject, If i wanted to do this i had to take resbonsibility for my diet.
For a while i simply excluded meat and fish without a second thought to replacing any lost nutrients.
By the age of 11, i started to learn the importance of a good balanced diet and began research via books, the net, magazines etc
I didn't make an appointment specially but i mentioned it to the doctor while i was there for something else. She took a little time to inform me of a few foods i should make the effort to eat instead.
I gained a decent enough knowledge to follow a healthy vegitarian diet. i'm now 23 and can honestly say it has caused me no health problems what so ever.
Infact, a vegetarian diet has been linked to a reduced risk of many diseases, Cancer being one of them.
My point is, I had to do it on my own when i was much younger and with a fight. I think it would be nice for her if you supported her decision. Learn about it together, not only to show your support but maybe help ease your concerns aswell. It will allow you to make sure she is recieving a healthy, balanced diet.
If you are really concernd maybe you could make an appointment with your doctor.
At least think about a trial run? If you have reason to believe her health is at risk after a few months, and you know she has been doing everything "right", fair enough. She may even decide she is not so keen on the idea after all. At least give her the opportunity to try.
TIP: Good vegetarian food brands (not sure if we are allowed to mention them) are often specially formulated to contain the extra protien etc that she would otherwise be missing. And you can buy everything from veggie Sausages to Burgers, Bacon, Pies.... so there is no need to feel left out at meals in any occasion!
Give daughter Spirulina and Hemp Seed Oil. That should be enough nutrient to have a well rounded nutrientinal consumption. Look up cluster and akaline water too.
book: Earth Food Spirulina by Robert Henrikson
Also it irritates me when people say were does the vegetarian get their protein and B12 from. I don't see cows hunting other animal for it nutrients. Same goes for elephants and rhinos.
Take Care & B Great !!!
I also decided to become vegetarian at an early age - probably about 4 years old when I learned what meat really was. My Mom took me to the doctor to try and get him to tell me I HAD to eat meat. Wow, was she ever in for a surprise! He asked me if I ate eggs and drank my milk. I said yes, so he looked at my Mom and said, "Get her out of here"!
At that time no one knew much about being vegetarian (I am a great grandma!) but I did just fine. I raised both my daughters as vegetarian and they are both healthy and beautiful. With so many more ways for your daughter to get information now, which was not available when I was growing up, she should do just fine. Meat is nowhere near as healthy as it was years ago with hormones and antibiotics, not to mention mad-cow and the risks of salmonella and the like. I wish you and your daughter the very best.
I became a vegetarian at age 8 when I had a pet cow. You can guess how that turned out. My mom took me to the dr and my doctor told her that I will eat what I need. Not to worry, I don't eat eggs, fish or meat. I never took special vitamins and when I got older I had a healthy 10lb baby. I'm 32 now and still don't eat any form of animal. I wish your daughter the best.
I became vegetarian when I was 14 years old and have never had a problem (I am going to be 30 years old in July). There are so many substitutes to meat available that one will never miss being a carnivore. I think you should remember that your daughter is at an age now where she is going to be exposed to a lot more pressures (puberty, peer pressure, etc.) and if you slowly help her to making responsible decisions about what she wants to do with her life, she will appreciate and respect you more in the end. I remember when I woke up one morning and told my mom that I wanted to be a vegetarian, she told me to give myself a month to try it out first to see how I liked it (She also became a vegetarian when she was 13 years old). In fact, a year after I became vegetarian, my father decided that if his 14 year old daughter could do it, so could he. Being vegetarian can also have a lot of health benefits over time and as long as she makes sure she eats healthy and gets all the nutrients she needs (especially as she becomes a woman), she will be just fine
Me again from the 31st of march lol
Was looking around on the net and came across a Vegetarian starter kit for download and thought of you.
It talks about both Vegetarian and Vegan diets. Hope it helps.
Here is the link
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/vegan-starter-kit.aspx
I am a vegan (person who consumes no animal derived products) and I have also raised my 9 (soon to be 10) year old son this way. I am pregnant with my second child and have enjoyed a problem-free pregnancy the same way. It is very easy. There are deli style meats available for lunches as well as protein rich frozen "meats" for other meals.Most of these can be found right in your local grocers frozen section or natural foods section (commonly found near the produce). If you or your daughter chooses to- Replace dairy products with soy options. Many people do not even notice the difference using dairy free margerine or soy milk when mixed inside side dishes like mashed potatoes. Silk brand soy milk is fortified with calcium and many of the essential vitamins.
Good luck to you and your daughter. You might just find yourself enjoying many of the foods vegetarianism has to offer.
Michele
PS: Don't be too alarmed if she loses a little weight when she makes the switch. I lost nearly 15 pounds when I switched but it was just my body detoxing from the unhealthier meat diet I was used to.
I am a vegetarian and currently pregnant. I wanted to become a vegetarian as an adolescent and I was told "No way" by my parents. Since they provided the food and I was not aware of options available, I just went along with them. Anyway, I am currently taking a DHA supplement in addition to my pre-natal vitamins, and I the one I use is completely plant-based. There is usually not a big label on the package, but just compare the ingredients of different brands if you choose to do this. I did take Vitamin B supplements for a short time, but the stench was so awful I could not stomache them, and then just made sure I got the vitamins I need from food.
My step daughter is 12. She eats NO vegis OR meat. I am concerned about her health.
Any suggestions? She does eat yogurt, peanut butter,( lots of french fries) fruit.. She will not eat cheese, eggs or drink milk..
I have raised my children as vegans from birth. they are strong healthy young chldren now 15 and 12.
I formed some pretty strong views about eating meat by age seven when vegetarianism was considered a fad, but my desire to go meatless wasn't shared by my family. As I got older, my mother would tell me, "When you can cook for yourself, you can be a vegetarian."
At about 15, I began studying vegetarianism in earnest. It was the subject of my school science projects and English class essays. I read Diet for a Small Planet, The Vegetarian Epicure, Moosewood Cookbook and library books that covered human physiology and history and sociology relating to vegetarianism. I learned about nutrition and joined the local health food co-op.
I share this with you because your daughter's interest in vegetarianism can open her up to all kinds of learning that she might not, otherwise, pursue. I had no interest in science and history until I could connect it to something I was passionate about.
Thirty years later, being vegetarian is still my choice. I encourage you to explore options with your daughter, which could be fun for both of you. She can get all the nutrients she needs (plus a lot of health benefits) as long as she follows the rule of thumb that applies to all diets: be open to variety (beans, nuts, veggies, fruits, grains). There are thousands and thousands of great recipes out there to try -- many written for kids. And you can use some of the meat substitutes, available in your grocery store, to wean off meat.
Avoid using cheese and other dairy to provide most of the protein -- too much cholesterol. Aim for a balance, and experiment with foods she may have never tried (such as tempeh strips in veggie stir-fry or black-bean and corn burritos or veggies mixed with wheat noodles in sesame sauce). The Vegetarian Resource Group (vrg.org and vrg.org/family) has lots of great information aimed at helping kids and their parents understand vegetarianism. Have fun with it!
my daughter is vegitarian and she is 11. although she refuses to eat eggs (unborn baby chicks) and only drinks soy milk yet she is a very healthy girl and takes a multivitamin and a DHA vitamin that's made from natural plants instead of fish.