At the ripe ol’ age of 9, I made the very mature choice to become vegetarian. At least I felt very grown up. The grown-ups in my family disagreed. What we all-knowing grown-ups tend to forget is that there’s usually some reasoning behind our child’s decision. How we react to and deal with their choice could have a major impact on how they handle future decisions, including whether they learn to respect other people’s choices. It is certainly your prerogative to stomp your foot and declare this “idiocy” (as my dad called vegetarianism) outlawed in your home. I guarantee you – that will make your kid more determined. If you’re choosing to let your kid try it out, then this article is for you.
Why?
Vegetarians come in all shapes and sizes, from various professional fields and with different motives. According to a 2008 Vegetarian Times survey, “Over half (53%) of current vegetarians eat a vegetarian diet to improve their overall health. Environmental concerns were cited by 47 percent; 39 percent cited “natural approaches to wellness”; 31 percent cited food-safety concerns; 54 percent cited animal welfare; 25 percent cited weight loss; and 24 percent weight maintenance.” (www.TheTravellingVegetarian.com).
Adults often assume a kid’s reasoning is flawed without giving their motivations much thought. Sure, there’s the chance that your kid has succumbed to peer pressure or maybe they think going veggie equals getting skinny, but preteens and teens are pretty darn smart. They often have strong opinions about concepts like world hunger, environmental issues and animal cruelty.
Them’s Fightin’ Words
I confess – my reasons were less noble. After some utterly disgusting chicken liver, I decided the best way to avoid eating it again would be to swear off all meat forever. My dad thought I would “come to my senses.” His reaction to my vegetarian conversion was to force feed me meat. Not the best way to engender a trusting and loving relationship. My mum took another approach by asking questions about why and how I planned to get the nutrition I needed.
It’s likely your child’s done some research before making this decision. She’ll probably be armed with comebacks, expecting a fight. Try holding off your immediate reaction. Give yourself time to do some research.
But You’ll Starve….
If you’re still imagining that vegetarians are pale sickly folk with no muscle tone, rest assured there is no evidence proving that vegetarianism causes eating disorders. However, vegetarians, like anyone else, can develop eating disorders or junk food addictions.
Typical vegetarians eat eggs and dairy products, whereas vegans are stricter with their diets, staying away from all animal products and by-products. Some vegetarians eat poultry and/or seafood.
Exactly what does your child intend to eliminate from his diet? Take your kid to a nutritionist. But treat it like a counseling session – an opportunity for both you and your child to learn how to make this new veggie gig work.
Solving the Protein Problem
I know what you are thinking –“It’s enough effort making one family dinner, now I have to make two!” Or how about “When my kid learns to cook, she can eat what she wants. Until then….”
First: neither of these comments is totally wrong. Encouraging your kid to take on some responsibility for this decision by learning to cook is an outstanding idea. If your kid’s not getting her protein from meat, she needs to get it from nuts, legumes, eggs and cheese. Make it your child’s job to do some nutritional research to come up with meat substitution ideas.
Protein-rich meals and side dishes are easily accessible on the web. These can be easily substituted for meat mains without too much effort, especially if made ahead and frozen.
Now that you’ve thought about protein, also consider calcium, iron, zinc and an alphabet of other vitamins. For example, vitamin B12 is only absorbed from animal products, so your child will need to take supplements or eat foods that are fortified with Vitamin B12 (check nutrition labels), including fortified soy milk, nutritional yeast and some meat substitutes.
The Teen’s Vegetarian Cookbook has a great nutritional chart that shows what your kid needs and offers a variety of possible substitutes. I used this book to help my fussy 18-year-old vitamin deficient vegetarian sister improve her eating habits.
And that’s basically the gist of it. On the whole, your big (almost grown) baby could be making worse decisions than going meat-free. Really, it’s his way of saying that he loves and respects himself and the world he lives in.
Victoria Pressley is an ex-vegetarian with a vegan teenage sister in a family of otherwise rabid carnivores.