14 yr old daughter vegetarian, wants to go vegan

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  • rompers16
    rompers16 Posts: 5,404 Member
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    Thanks everyone, I will definitely do more research so that I'm doing whats right for her. It does make life interesting...yesterday it was no meats, today it's no leather belts..what will tomorrow bring? ;)
  • MiCool90
    MiCool90 Posts: 460 Member
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    as long as shes getting the proper nutrition and vitamin supplements, i see no problem... pushing the issue is not the answer. I would consult your doctor if you already haven't to make sure she has no underlying conditions and what she may need for supplements to ensure a healthy teenage experience.
  • SFBarbear
    SFBarbear Posts: 146
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    I would say no,based on age, growth and protein needs. Compromise with her only white meats and dairy. Tell her see doesn't have to have eggs but cheese instead and for meat tell her only boneless skinless fish and chicken. It's a great compromise and should help you both feel good.
  • MelanieKiwi
    MelanieKiwi Posts: 4
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    I became a vegetarian when I was 12 and I also do not eat fish and no products that contain anything an animal had to die for. My diet is almost like that of a vegan to be honest, and as long as you find soy products or something like that to replace the meat she should be fine. Wouldn't worry about it too much, and I also would not tell her she can't be a vegan because I know I would have hated my mom if she would have forced me to do something like that if I thought it was wrong. Good Luck!
  • wannabesexymama
    wannabesexymama Posts: 367 Member
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    filessharenatorcom_YG6vv_GIF_Collection_of_someone_eating_popcorn-s320x240-181195.gif

    LMBO yep I agree!!! can you share!?
  • Jester522
    Jester522 Posts: 392
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    I do not support this. I find it a decision of de-evolution but this is my opinion.

    Should she decide to go through with it PLEASE be aware that nutritional needs are not easily accomplished for a 14 year old girl ( or anyone for that matter) on a vegan diet. Most plant proteins are incomplete and must be complimented with another source to gain the entire amino acid profile. Also: be aware that carbohydrates from many fibrous vegetables are metabolically inert in humans and we derive no nutritional benefit from them as we lack the enzyme cellulase.

    Maybe I should clarify that while I support her decision because it's based on her convictions, I am concerned that she won't be getting enough protein and other nutrients she needs at her age. Maybe I should talk to her doctor about it before I give the go ahead. Thanks for the advice.

    Now that I do support.
  • amyLhuff
    amyLhuff Posts: 102
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    Amen!!
  • Elleinnz
    Elleinnz Posts: 1,661 Member
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    Personally I would not support my 14 year old daughter to go that extreme (if I had one) , but that is your choice in the end of the day.

    Please make very sure that you u understand the potential down sides to a diet high in soy products.... This is just one link, but there are others if you google "soy issues"....

    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/18/soy-can-damage-your-health.aspx
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    The one supplement she will definitely need is B12, as there are no reliable, natural non-animal sources for this (a vegan B12 supplement will be synthetic). Other than that, I would strongly recommend the book Vegan For Life, which includes information on veganism at any stage on the lifecycle. Oh, and about proteins needing to be combined, research showed this to be untrue about 30 years ago--your body does need a variety of amino acids, but as long as you regularly consume a variety of food, there is no need to specifically combine proteins in a single meal.


    Yes, they do not need to be combined in one meal. I don't know that anyone specifically mentioned *meal* combining. But a grain and legume should be consumed each day to ensure consumption of proper amino acids. That's what I meant about combining, anyway.

    OP: here's a good B12: http://www.devanutrition.com/vitamin_b12.html
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    Personally I would not support my 14 year old daughter to go that extreme (if I had one) , but that is your choice in the end of the day.

    Please make very sure that you u understand the potential down sides to a diet high in soy products.... This is just one link, but there are others if you google "soy issues"....

    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/18/soy-can-damage-your-health.aspx

    You don't have to consume soy to be veg*n. However, for every study you find showing its negatives, I can find others refuting such claims.
  • SilkyHotspur
    SilkyHotspur Posts: 233 Member
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    A friend of mine went vegan based on his convictions of proper treatment for animals...i only give him a bit of stick for it. He did lose a lot of weight, and I helped him with research on proper proteins to make up for anything missing, etc...

    not to hijack the thread, but a question for vegans/vegetarians out there. It has been my experience from friends that once you abstain from meat for a prolonged period of time, you lose whatever enzymes that allow for the breakdown of the meat....correct?...or bunko science put out there by carnivores...fyi (me, total carnivore)
  • VeganZombie13
    VeganZombie13 Posts: 297
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    She canget all the protein she needs on a plant based diet. Just make sure she eats a lot of veggies, nuts are a good choice for protein but they also make a lot of fake meat that looks/tastes like the real thing. I eat them all the time..

    The only extra things I take are vitamin d and the B12, but everything else she CAN get from food.. I have been a Vegan for 2 years now..

    Wish her luck for me!!
  • paperandink
    paperandink Posts: 9
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    I wish i had gone vegan when i was 14. My nutrition as a teenager was terrible.
  • kzandarski
    kzandarski Posts: 51
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    my 12 year old has always been vegetarian and vegan for a year. When she became vegan the only condition I placed on it was that she had to learn to cook and eat balanced meals. Someone bought her the cookbook "Vegan Comfort Food" by Alicia Simpson. It has a shoppers guide and many great recipes. It was a life saver when we first started.I would recommend she use b12 supplemented nutritional yeast. My daughter uses it as a substitute for Parmesan cheese; it tastes wonderful and has the necessary B vitamins that are hard to absorb in a vitamin. Another resource she she uses a lot is vegweb.com. There are lots of recipes and resources

    I applaud you for supporting her convictions.
  • Meganalva
    Meganalva Posts: 282 Member
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    my 12 year old has always been vegetarian and vegan for a year. When she became vegan the only condition I placed on it was that she had to learn to cook and eat balanced meals. Someone bought her the cookbook "Vegan Comfort Food" by Alicia Simpson. It has a shoppers guide and many great recipes. It was a life saver when we first started.I would recommend she use b12 supplemented nutritional yeast. My daughter uses it as a substitute for Parmesan cheese; it tastes wonderful and has the necessary B vitamins that are hard to absorb in a vitamin. Another resource she she uses a lot is vegweb.com. There are lots of recipes and resources

    I applaud you for supporting her convictions.

    That's a pretty awesome 12 year old you have there :) What responsibility and conviction!
  • peachyxoxoxo
    peachyxoxoxo Posts: 1,178 Member
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    I don't want to make any assumptions or accusations, but I just wanna throw something out there because no one else has - I became vegetarian in high school after struggling with an eating disorder. Then I became vegan. I DO have ethical reasons for wanting to do so. But sometimes I wonder if I subconsciously chose vegetarianism/veganism in an effort to further restrict my diet. I know you haven't mentioned anything about body image in regards to your daughter. But seeing as she is only 14, that is something to think about.

    Otherwise, I think it would be good to meet with a dietitian. Vegan diets can be very healthy, but it will require some planning to be sure she's going to be getting all the nutrients she needs. As a vegan I take B-12 but I feel like I'm able to meet the rest of my needs through diet alone.
  • misao1994
    misao1994 Posts: 78
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    I do not support this. I find it a decision of de-evolution but this is my opinion.

    Should she decide to go through with it PLEASE be aware that nutritional needs are not easily accomplished for a 14 year old girl ( or anyone for that matter) on a vegan diet. Most plant proteins are incomplete and must be complimented with another source to gain the entire amino acid profile. Also: be aware that carbohydrates from many fibrous vegetables are metabolically inert in humans and we derive no nutritional benefit from them as we lack the enzyme cellulase.

    I find this completely offensive. I went vegetarian at 13 and I was and am completely a healthy girl/young woman now. Yes, I take supplements but so should everybody. There are ways you can make complete protein with out eating meat. And actually, I lost 15lbs when I became vegetarian. Vegetarians actually live longer than those who eat meat. De-evolutionize that. Being a vegetarian is actually extremely health if you do it in the right way. I eat a protein every single day. There's plenty of substitutions. My best friend has been vegan for a year, and yeah it's sometimes it's a struggle, but it's not hard. You just have to be more creative. Quinoa, legumes, beans, tofu, tempeh, ect are all really great sources of protein. Although, being a vegetarian/vegan is not for the picky eater. I'm lacto-vegetarian because I'm allergic to eggs, but I make tofu scrambles(just as good as egg based) and I like tempeh bbq sandwiches. It's really easy once you get the hang of it! It's definitely something she'll have to figure out on her own and what her "food niche" is, so to speak! Good luck to her!(: I've been a proud vegetarian for 5 years and haven't regretted a single minute of it.
  • VeganZombie13
    VeganZombie13 Posts: 297
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    A friend of mine went vegan based on his convictions of proper treatment for animals...i only give him a bit of stick for it. He did lose a lot of weight, and I helped him with research on proper proteins to make up for anything missing, etc...

    not to hijack the thread, but a question for vegans/vegetarians out there. It has been my experience from friends that once you abstain from meat for a prolonged period of time, you lose whatever enzymes that allow for the breakdown of the meat....correct?...or bunko science put out there by carnivores...fyi (me, total carnivore)

    Q; If you’re a vegetarian/vegan, do you really lose the physical ability to digest meat?

    Sort of, and only for a short period of time. David Levitsky, a nutrition professor at Cornell University, said the levels of enzymes that digest protein and fat can drop when you stop eating meat. But they quickly rise again once you fall off the wagon. “If you haven’t eaten meat for a while, it’s going to stay in your stomach longer,” but it’ll take only a day or two to recover your meat-digesting ability entirely, he said.

    Longtime vegetarians/vegans report nausea and other gastrointestinal symptoms after consuming meat, intentionally or not, but several experts said they knew of no studies on the matter. The symptoms could be the result of those enzymes suddenly being asked to work harder than they have in a while, but Michael Greger, a clinical nutritionist and director of public health and animal agriculture for the Humane Society of the United States, thought it could also be psychosomatic. “What’s really happening is they’re thinking of some poor animal somewhere, and this may actually cause them to throw up,” Greger said.
  • Jester522
    Jester522 Posts: 392
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    If you eat proper healthy meals it is extremely healthy.
    Isn't that what I was implying? Thank you, captain obvious.
    Sorry for swearing but it pisses me off when people assume they know about a diet they dont even follow.
    Maybe I don't follow it because I know about and decided it's not the best option. Hm?


    Not trying to pick a fight, but don't just jump on the offensive because I started my opinion - and then proceeded to give advice to properly going about a vegan diet. Relax.
  • paperandink
    paperandink Posts: 9
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    I do not support this. I find it a decision of de-evolution but this is my opinion.

    Should she decide to go through with it PLEASE be aware that nutritional needs are not easily accomplished for a 14 year old girl ( or anyone for that matter) on a vegan diet. Most plant proteins are incomplete and must be complimented with another source to gain the entire amino acid profile. Also: be aware that carbohydrates from many fibrous vegetables are metabolically inert in humans and we derive no nutritional benefit from them as we lack the enzyme cellulase.

    Maybe I should clarify that while I support her decision because it's based on her convictions, I am concerned that she won't be getting enough protein and other nutrients she needs at her age. Maybe I should talk to her doctor about it before I give the go ahead. Thanks for the advice.

    Now that I do support.

    Oh thank god.

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