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Daughter going vegan.....help!!!!!
rwieber
Posts: 188 Member
My daughter is 15 and still growing and I'm concerned about protein and other nutrients she will need. How do I (as the mom) provide well balanced meals/food options for her?
I also have a daughter who is 21 who is gluten free (celiacs)....it's definitely a challenge to meet everyone's needs. Fortunately my older daughter pretty much manages her own food (purchasing/preparing etc). But I will be the one to oversee my 15 year old's diet. She is doing it by choice and I have decided to support her choice best I can. I know that I will continue to eat meat/poultry/dairy/fish but she is choosing not to. The rest of the family (husband, son, and other daughter) all will be eating those things too.
Suggestions for other ways to get the nutrients she should have? Quinoa, nuts, avocado, peanut butter, soy products (soy beans/tofu), beans/legumes are some things I can think of she will eat. Obviously lots of fruits and veggies as well.
Thanks in advance!!
I also have a daughter who is 21 who is gluten free (celiacs)....it's definitely a challenge to meet everyone's needs. Fortunately my older daughter pretty much manages her own food (purchasing/preparing etc). But I will be the one to oversee my 15 year old's diet. She is doing it by choice and I have decided to support her choice best I can. I know that I will continue to eat meat/poultry/dairy/fish but she is choosing not to. The rest of the family (husband, son, and other daughter) all will be eating those things too.
Suggestions for other ways to get the nutrients she should have? Quinoa, nuts, avocado, peanut butter, soy products (soy beans/tofu), beans/legumes are some things I can think of she will eat. Obviously lots of fruits and veggies as well.
Thanks in advance!!
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Replies
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Vitamin B12 supplement is essential0
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Maybe take her to talk with a nutritionist so you both have a clear idea of what is necessary to maintain the health of a growing body.0
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Here's an article from the American Dietetic Association that I think you'll find helpful.
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdf0 -
Is she doing it to lose weight?0
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Just a quick google:
http://www.vegancoach.com/nutrition-for-a-vegan.html
I'm sure there are plenty more sites out there with good information.0 -
my cousins are vegan and they are very healthy, now granted, they are adults, but they are raising their children vegan, too (ages 6 and 10)
i do not know very much about it, but i would say that there are plenty of vegans/vegetarians who are very healthy so hopefully you can find some advice. i think it's great to see young people embracing new ideas and trying things. perhaps this will be a very healthy lifestyle for her! (or maybe just a phase like my friend's son, who missed steaks too much! LOL)0 -
It's easy enough to get protein in with vegetables, grains, and legumes. If she chooses to eat meat replacements, like Quorn or veggie burgers, those are usually full of protein. Non-dairy milks, especially soy milk, are usually pretty high in protein. Seitan, a "faux" meat made from gluten is really easy to make at home and it's delicious when it's done well.
They even have vegan protein powders. I use a hemp protein powder on days I need a bit more protein.
Try to see if you have a co-op grocery store or a "natural" food store in your area. They usually have a lot of vegan options that the whole family can try to incorporate into their meals. Pick up some vegan cheese and black bean burgers and have a burger night for the whole family. Making a few "family" meals that she can eat will go a long way towards helping ease her into a new diet. It will also help it become a more permanent diet shift. There's nothing worse than being the only one unable to eat with the rest of your family at every single meal. If my family didn't make attempts to eat vegetarian meals every once in a while, I may have given up and reverted to my old diet by now0 -
I think a nutritionist is a great idea.
I also think it would probably be a good idea to make sure your daughter understands that she must meet nutritional goals when making this switch. Make a pact with her that as long as she is getting in enough protein, calcium, vitamins, minerals, etc. that you'll do everything you can to help her adjust to this lifestyle. I've known too many people who claimed they were vegetarian or vegan who were really "snackfoodterians". They subsist on potato chips, tortilla chips and salsa, french fries and the occasional iceberg lettuce salad. A teenage girl cannot survive on that type of diet.0 -
No, definitely not doing it to lose weight. It might be a phase but I won't know until she changes her mind (or not). I do want to support her choice.
I appreciate the advice and links so far!0 -
I do a lot of vegan cooking, not because I'm vegan but because it can be healthy and tasty, and my wife and I have a good friend who's vegan. For a full vegan diet, it would be worth consulting with a dietitian; B12 is the major vitamin deficiency to watch out for.
A great resource is Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Post Punk Kitchen website (http://www.theppk.com) as well as the cookbooks she has co-authored. A couple of other cookbooks that I've found useful are Donna Klein, The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen, and Robin Robertson, Vegan Fire and Spice. I haven't yet looked at Mark Bittman's Vegan Before Six but I really like his other cookbooks; How to Cook Everything Vegetarian has lots of recipes that are vegan or that can be made vegan with a few substitutions.0 -
I went vegan at a similar age (14 yrs ago). My meat eating mother would make a curry for all with a small pan without the meat for me or spag bol with soya mince (pretending it was meat to the rest of family who didn't notice). There are loads of products that you can put in the oven that are vegan, especially Linda McCartney stuff. Cereal with soya milk for breakfast. Pasta with sauces.
Also B12 supplements aren't essential as it is generally an additive in soya milk's, fake meats etc. I have never taken a supplement in my life.
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Hello. I became a vegetarian when I was 12. I started eating meat again at 21. The reason? My hair was falling out ( I thought I was going bald!), I was lightheaded, my nails were breaking... I went to the doctor who ran some tests and it turned out I was missing iron, biotin and a bunch of other stuff. I was medicated and started eating meat again.
So if your daughter is going vegan she should do it properly with a professional's help (which should include blood work) and she probably will have to take vitamin supplements.0 -
Another thing.... my tracking on MFP has shown that I am getting all my nutritional needs met on a vegan diet (other than the B12), but I do recommend that she track for a little while to check that she's doing that and that she's eating enough calories. Vegan foods are often lower in calories and people sometimes lose weight unintentionally when switching. And sometimes people make the mistake of just dropping meat/dairy/eggs without thinking what to replace them with that have the same nutrients. Tracking helped me figure out that I was shorting myself on iron consistently and then address it. Transitioning from vegetarian to vegan, I realized (from tracking) that I had been relying heavily on dairy for protein and calcium, so I had to do some research on that too.
I prefer to also take supplements just as a precaution, but also get my minimums from diet (I actually did the same thing as an omnivore, so that isn't really a change). The ones I take are (1) Ovega-3 Vegetarian Softgels for omega 3 from seaweed, (2) Deva Vegan Vitamins Daily Multivitamin as just a general vitamin. Is formulated for vegans and contains extra B12 and (3) RAINBOW LIGHT Everyday Calcium for extra calcium. I get these on Amazon.
Your lists of foods are good... here are a few more ideas. I get all of these at Whole Foods: blackstrap molasses, Whole Soy & Company soy milk yogurt, SoDelicous almond milk that is fortified with protein/calcium, seitan, lots of green veggies for iron, Cliff Builder's Bars (20 grams of vegan protein, tastes good, and makes a nice snack). There are a lot of iron fortified cereals out there, so check labels to find some.0 -
She doesn't need to, vegans are not the healthiest people believe you me.0
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In addition, there is an organisation encouraging people to go vegan for November. They have a bunch of different recipes and info on there which may be helpful.
http://www.govegan.org.uk/0 -
:creeps for links:0
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So, we recently had her blood tested and she was low on Vit D. She has begun taking Vit D and I will have her take B Complex (6/12) as well. Since she is also stopping any dairy, she is drinking Almond milk which is fine. I think the iron is something to note, so I will have her take a multi vitamin. I'm sure I will also make an appt to see the Dr. again to discuss the vegan choice.
I think we will explore the veggie/bean burger. I love that there are so many options now for vegetarians/vegans. Lots of fabulous ideas. Protein bars are awesome on the go! Cereal is a definite in our house. She likes the almond milk so that helps.0 -
I became a vegetarian at 11, and I've been every different "kind" of veg you can be (ovo-lacto, lacto-only, even vegan). I've also been a very healthy and very unhealthy vegetarian. For me, it all came down to learning about nutrition. Lots of new vegetarians and vegans just cut out animal products and don't replace them with other protein sources, and that's an excellent way to make yourself sick. (Trust me, I've done that, and I figured out a way to improve my health without eating meat, but if she can avoid getting sick in the first place, it's SO much better!).
It can be helpful to think of it as a plant-based diet, not a no-meat diet. keep the focus on the things she can eat, not the things she doesn't eat.0 -
Tell her to make her own food. Problem solved.0
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Just a note....this is my daughter's choice. She has her own reasons for choosing to become vegan. I know it can be a loaded discussion on either side (for or against)...we have had discussions in our home. I know not everyone will understand or support her reason or choice but I appreciate those of you who offer great suggestions. I am not blindly just telling her "go for it" without trying to help her figure out how to do this the most healthy way possible.
We are fortunate to have an EXCELLENT store in our town. It's got all kinds of natural/gluten free/vegan/vegetarian options.0
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