Daughter going vegan.....help!!!!!

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  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    warriorguy wrote: »
    how else could gorillas be so strong?
    Evolution. Physiological adaptation. Size. Omnivorous diets.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    rwieber wrote: »
    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 would suggest going with her to buy some books in it together so you can both learn. I wouldn't rec a nutritionist because most are antivegan/vegetarian and receive little to no training on those diets. The nutritionist at my work saw me eating a bowl of quinoa with pea an and asked where I was getting protein smh

  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    I don't think children can "go vegan" unless their parents choose to support it. After all, you are the one that buys the food.
  • rcontr7
    rcontr7 Posts: 61 Member
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    Some of these comments are so strange!! She can be PERFECTLY healthy being vegan. Good for you for supporting her. Getting protein is not hard as a vegetarian/vegan, getting iron is not hard, getting all the nutrients you need is not hard! With a little bit of research (no more than you'd need for eating healthy normally) she can figure out what is high in protein (I recommend lots of beans, almonds, etc.). Her hair will not fall out and she doesn't need to see a nutritionist (although most 15 year olds living on pizza and hamburger helper probably should).
  • rcontr7
    rcontr7 Posts: 61 Member
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    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    Pedal_Pusher2point0 wrote: »
    Tell her to make her own food. Problem solved.

    ^^^^ and tell her she is responsible for purchasing her vegan food. Let me just tell you - vegan food is wicked expensive. Your grocery bill is going to skyrocket.

    This is nonsense. Meat is so expensive!! Tofu, lentils, vegetables, etc. are so cheap!
  • greenwick
    greenwick Posts: 1 Member
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    I live with a gluten free person, and I'm a vegetarian. One thing that has helped us all out a lot is to make plenty of rice dishes.

    Some other things that work well with both:
    1. Mushrooms - meaty and delicious. Not a lot of protein, but they help satisfy the meat urge.
    2. TVP - mix some dry tvp up with oil and soy sauce in a pan, heat it up, then put it away in a container in the fridge. Later when you want to use it, add some water and maybe more oil or soy sauce, and you've got a quick ground beef substitute.
    3. Beans - Beans are cheap, and if you don't have a lot of time there are plenty of canned varieties. If you add the beans to rice, you get a complete protein.
    4. Tortilla chips/corn tortillas - these are easy to get gluten free, and you can do a lot with them.
    5. Tofu - if you haven't cooked with it before, it's pretty easy. Either slice it thin and cook it in a frying pan with some sauce, or press it to drain the water from it. It takes on flavor like no one's business. It's chock full of protein, too.
    6. Soy protein powder - I make protein drinks and bars with this stuff. It's much cheaper than the whey version, and tastes decent too.

    I recommend trying visiting your local asian food market, because they are likely to have lots of options that are both wheat and meat free. Thai dishes are also easy to do, lots of rice noodles there.
  • joflo723
    joflo723 Posts: 119 Member
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    rcontr7 wrote: »
    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    Pedal_Pusher2point0 wrote: »
    Tell her to make her own food. Problem solved.

    ^^^^ and tell her she is responsible for purchasing her vegan food. Let me just tell you - vegan food is wicked expensive. Your grocery bill is going to skyrocket.

    This is nonsense. Meat is so expensive!! Tofu, lentils, vegetables, etc. are so cheap!

    ^^^This.
    My grocery bill has been SO low since I've stopped eating meat, and the hubby and kid eat much less of it. That used to be a HUGE expense.
  • Makhai_
    Makhai_ Posts: 146 Member
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    in
  • shaumom
    shaumom Posts: 1,003 Member
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    I had one thought in addition to all the recipe advice: I'd get her tested for celiac disease if she hasn't been in the last few years.

    Most doctors either aren't aware of some of the celiac expert recommendations on family, or they just don't pass on the information, so just in case. Experts recommend that the entire family of a celiac get tested for celiac disease - with or without symptoms apparent - and if negative, get retested very 2-5 years. Because you are all in a much higher risk group to develop the disease (1 in 22), it can trigger at any age, and it can do damage for years before symptoms appear.

    The reason I mention this is that with a dietary change like this, to veganism, IF your younger daughter happened to have undiagnosed celiac disease, there's more of a risk to her to be aware of. And some of the potential problem might not show symptoms for a few years, after damage has been done.

    As an example, in studies, celiacs have less variety, and less numerous, gut bacteria than regular folks. However, vegans need a good level of gut bacteria or they actually can't break down and/or absorb some of the nutrients from plant sources as well as they need to (a good example of this is one of the main bacteria that breaks down oxalates and insures that calcium from plants can be absorbed in high enough amounts). I've known a few life long vegans who developed celiac disease and ended up having to shift to vegetarianism because they couldn't keep their nutrient levels up any more. :-(

    Just something I thought might be good to be aware of, you know?
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    It is possible to get all the nutrients you need on a vegan diet with a couple of things like vitamin B12 supplemented.

    For women, iron is another consideration - it's possible to get enough iron on a vegan diet, but not always easy as vegetable sources of iron are not absorbed by the body so easily. Women lose iron every month and need a lot more of it in the diet than men do. Be on the alert for signs of iron deficiency anaemia and be prepared to supplement with iron if necessary. If there are no signs of deficiency, then eating plenty of dark green vegetables and vitamin C, and some vegan foods are fortified with iron so those are a good choice.

    Protein's easy so long as you mix and match your vegetables correctly to ensure you get all the essential amino acids - combining whole grains and pulses is good, e.g. brown rice and lentils... hummus has both chickpeas (a pulse) and tahini (a grain)... it's not that hard to get enough protein, it just takes a little planning. Plus there are foods like tofu and quorn that are high in protein.

    Just one last thing - what is your daughter's motivation for going vegan? If it's for health reasons, then maybe she needs to reconsider; while it's possible to be healthy on a vegan diet, an omnivorous diet containing plenty of fruits and veggies and not an excessive amount of fat and carbs can also be very healthy and there's no health reason to give up meat or animal products - like everything else, they should be eaten in moderation as part of a balanced diet. If animal welfare is her concern, then respect her decision on that and help her to plan her meals to get adequate nutrition.

    Also, with regards planning meals for her and your other daughter - as it's her choice to be vegan, she should take an active role in planning her meals and help out with cooking etc. There's no reason why her decision to eat a particular diet should make more work for you - she's old enough to be helping in the kitchen.
  • kpolninja
    kpolninja Posts: 3 Member
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    barrypaulm wrote: »
    Google Dr John McDougall, Dr Neil Bernard, Dr Caldwell Esselstyn, DR Dean Ornish, and T Colin Campbell and watch their lectures on YouTube. They all promote a vegan diet for health.
    In addition to this you can also watch Forks Over Knives for free online or on netflix. It is pretty awesome. You can reverse type 2 diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, and other ailments on a vegan diet. As long as she isn't loading up on vegan junk she should be just fine. I've been vegan for 9 years and my blood tests are outstanding. Keep her on whole foods and don't let her get too crazy with the vegan junk and she will thrive.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    No you can't.

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