14 yr old daughter vegetarian, wants to go vegan

I won't let my emotions get in the way here. I have three things I really would like you to consider:

Visiting her doctor with her

Visiting a nutritionist with her

Make her study up, if she wants to do it make sure she's doing it right.

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.

Quite frankly, if you're that concerned about her getting appropriate nutrition I would advise you to seek out a vegan-friendly registered dietitian. The average MD is not educated in "common" nutrition, let alone vegan nutrition.

She should take a high quality B12 supplement. As VergingOnVegan said, you only need to supplement iron and calcium if she is not eating a well-rounded diet. However, with ANY diet one should be aware of what they are consuming; eating animals doesn't suddenly provide everything that's needed. I would advise any parent to be concerned about their child's diet.

As to complete proteins, basically if she eats a legume and a grain each day there is no issue whatsoever with getting essential amino acids. (see for example: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/tc/healthy-eating-vegetarian-diets-organic-foods). The fear of not getting enough protein on a vegetarian or vegan diet is based on myths that it's hard to do. There are vegan athletes who train at high intensities and I'm sure require more protein than a 14 year old girl and they meet those requirements just fine. I would encourage you to go through reliable nutritional information WITH your daughter to learn more. The site mentioned above is good, as are the books Becoming Vegan and Vegan for Life.

This is excellent advice.

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.
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I'm not trolling I would like a serious answer. The area I lived in has a large population of vegetarians and vegans that follow certain religious and culture beliefs. I worked in a restaurant that catered to there dietary needs. I was told COUNTLESS times that people would get sick consuming even broth or small amounts of meat,. whether they knew it was meat based broth or not. I also knew some friends that stopped following a vegetarian diet and had a hard time eating any sort of meat product without getting sick. How is it possible if the above is true that this was happening?

I think it's respectable that you're supporting your daughter's sense of right and wrong but I'm also going to put this out there that I think vegan diets at this age may not be the best. I'm not saying it's impossible but it's very difficult to meet the needs of her developing body - and you can have serious repercussions for not meeting some of those needs.
I say this as a girl who was vegan from the age of 13 until 20. I had a lot of strange problems when I was younger, and even nutritionists sometimes don't anticipate all the needs of a young girl's body. Additionally, if you do go through with it I would recommend that you make sure it's a complete diet overhaul not one that "veganizes" foods she may already be eating by relying on soy products. I know they have soy substitutes for just about everything - but for a young girl's body the estrogens in soy products may or may not be very good for her health. Some of the repercussions of my vegan diet for years were osteoporosis at 24 resulting in bone density loss and I had hormonal problems related to over consumption of soy (painful periods, lack of periods, super PMS, hormonal related migraines....). It wasn't fun.

I think you should talk to a nutritionist, but remind your daughter that it might not be good for her body. Some people are perfectly healthy on vegan diets and it really doesn't work for some people. If it doesn't work out of her and she has to incorporate some animal products into her diet, she can still live by her convictions and find sustainable foods.

Additionally I would say as a side warning, a lot of young girls suffering from eating disorders hide their disordered eating by becoming vegetarian, then vegan, and slowly cut more and more foods out of their diet. It works because as it happens slowly over time parents and others around them may not notice how little they are eating.

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.

I'm not trolling I would like a serious answer. The area I lived in has a large population of vegetarians and vegans that follow certain religious and culture beliefs. I worked in a restaurant that catered to there dietary needs. I was told COUNTLESS times that people would get sick consuming even broth or small amounts of meat,. whether they knew it was meat based broth or not. I also knew some friends that stopped following a vegetarian diet and had a hard time eating any sort of meat product without getting sick. How is it possible if the above is true that this was happening?
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I don't have a scientific answer for this one but I have an experiential answer: after not eating meat for 12 years, I started eating meat again and I was mostly fine. A few times I accidentally ate meat and I got really sick and ended up throwing up BUT that probably was more psychological. When I decided to start eating meat again, I started with lean meats and did a lot of research, I didn't experience much discomfort and it went away fairly quickly.
However, my college boyfriend couldn't eat something with meat. If he did, it resulted in him being pretty sick for a few hours. The difference between us was he was a lifetime vegetarian who until he ate something my grandma probably put bacon in, had never digested meat (he was 25 at that point) and I stopped eating meat around the age of 12.

I'm curious to know:

1. How does eating animals suddenly give you everything you need nutritionally speaking? Do people show concern about omni friends' micronutrient consumption? Or do you ask your friends if they get enough fiber or vitamin D or vitamin K?

2. Do you recommend that omnivore friends with children see a doctor/dietitian/nutritionist to make sure their children are getting everything they need? Or if they eat a SAD do you just let it go?

Rhetorical questions, really. I realize the OP asked a question and she's getting answers. Just curious as to how concerned people are about kids eating a SAD and if they would ever say anything, because a lot of people have no problem expressing "concern" when someone eats a veg*n diet.

I'll take on number two but yes, I do recommend all my friends take their kid to a nutritionist if I start to see signs of malnutrition (sallow skin, dark circles, poor or thin hair, brittle thin nails). I do this because as a young adult I suffered from malnutrition due to an eating disorder and I have cousins who suffered from malnutrition living on fast food and junk food diets. We all have health problems related to this lifestyle that we wouldn't want to give to any children we care about. So yes, I do. I also alert parents when I notice their kids practicing disordered eating or any of the pro-ana tips and tricks I used to know so well.

After my experiences, I just think it's important I realize that many people really don't know the signs of malnutrition or eating disorders. Since I do, I try to spread the word. Maybe it will help catch some issues before they get bad: also, I recommend they see nutritionists or dietitians, not doctors because doctors really aren't in the business of studying nutrition and foods.

I think there are many vegas on this website who actually seem to meet their protein goals by eating from good alternative meat sources. The branches of protein are not the same for every kind of protein source. They are unique, and for fitness goals certain types of proteins are better building blocks. Egg, Soy, Whey, Casein, and etc. Soy protein is pretty popular among vegans I think. People in here really need to stop talking about their own convictions and provide helpful information if possible. Some people turn vegan because they don't believe in killing animals and I respect that. Just make sure your daughter has every nutritional need covered.

Red flag! A lot of teenagers (adults too) use the vegan diet as a cover up for an eating disorder. If she has an eating disorder or history of eating disorders you need to take her to a dietician and watch her like a hawk to make sure she is eating enough or flat-out say no.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/07/22/when-veganism-is-an-eating-disorder.html

Have you ever tried to flat-out say no to a teenager, particularly with regards to forcing them to eat something?

When I did it at that age (with no attached eating disorder) if my mother had told me I wasn't allowed to be a vegan, I would probably still be one out of spite.

Alright, this might be extreme implying her daughter has an ED because she wants to be a vegan. Geez, I eat more as a mostly vegan ("vegan pescatarian" fish, and incredibly limited dairy/eggs/etc) than I ever did as a meat eater. I mean, it might be something to keep your eye out for, if you have suspicions, but I would say the odds are that this is a choice she's making for ethical reasons. Or perhaps even just to be counter-culture, and it'll be a short lived phase. Either way encourage it as long as it's not an ED.

B12 is your main problem as a vegan as it only comes from animals (I eat fish 1-2 a week), so I don't have this issue, but there are supplements that can provide this. She should get all her iron if she's eating dark greens, but it probably wouldn't hurt to take a vitamin with iron in it. I myself take a daily multi with 100% iron versus one with no iron just because of my low animal-product diet, but the dark greens have all the iron you need.

The protein myth is ridiculous. You can google this on your own, but it's 100% possible to get enough protein without animal products or even soy. Here's a link to 7 sources of plant protein: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4491/My-Top-7-Sources-of-PlantBased-Protein.html

ALSO, PEOPLE. WHEY IS NOT VEGAN, STOP SUGGESTING IT. Do not give your vegan daughter whey. Whey is an animal by product, and it's in A LOT of products (including doritos /sigh). Whey is a milk by product from after the curdling process. Casein is also NOT vegan - also a milk product! (For the record many "dairy free" cheeses contain Casein including Galaxy). Get used to reading food labels, or teach her to do it herself.

I would recommend going to a nutritionist because of her age. Obviously her health is the most important thing. But go to one who is accepting and understands the needs of a vegan diet.

And if she's being ostracized and wants to stop - she will. She's a teenager guys. That's what teenagers do. Teenagers explore new things and she could be experimenting with things much worse than veganism. Also personally, I can still go out to eat easily. At any sit down restaurant they will make something for me (even if it's just a huge salad with salsa for dressing and a side of steamed broccoli!)

Obviously this is a tender topic for me, but I'm personally SICK of the amount of s*** I get for choosing to eat the way I do. I don't sit there and smack chicken wings away from omnis, so their opinions aren't always welcome. In my experience former veggies/vegans with issues did not eat a balanced diet. (No guys, you can not live on bread your body will stop working). On the other hand I know children that have been vegans since toddler age, and they're doing great!

Good on you for being a parent willing to accept your daughter's diet, AND for wanting to make sure that it's healthy.

Red flag! A lot of teenagers (adults too) use the vegan diet as a cover up for an eating disorder. If she has an eating disorder or history of eating disorders you need to take her to a dietician and watch her like a hawk to make sure she is eating enough or flat-out say no.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/07/22/when-veganism-is-an-eating-disorder.html

Red flag! Teenagers suffering from anorexia may exercise a lot! If your teen is exercising, make sure you watch them closely for other signs that they may have developed an eating disorder!


Note that this article also points out:

It’s important to note that for most of the country’s roughly 3 million vegans, who don’t consume or wear any animal products, their eating habits never veer into mental illness. . . And studies have found that the physical benefits of veganism, when observed in a healthy way, are extraordinary, including lowered risk of chronic disease, improved heart health, and increased energy.

Problems arise when individuals approach veganism primarily as a vehicle for weight loss . .

(end quote)


No need to go all fear-monger. A parent should be paying enough attention to what goes on with their children to notice changes in behavior.

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.

Seriously, read "Eat to Live" or "Disease Proof Your Child". She'll be getting plenty of protein, essential fats, and micronutrients following this plan. Vegan or near vegan diets protect from heart disease, cancer, and other chronic illnesses. It's a good way to go.

definitely talk to her doctor first, and shell have to take a lot of vitamins/supplements, hopefully she likes tofu cause a lot of her diet will be that. But i dont believe being vegan is bad for u if u do it the right way. Eat all the healthy stuff and not just the junk. My brother turned vegan and he lost a lot of weight which is good for him, and all his problems became minimal too! but on the other side i went to school with a girl whose also vegan but looks like shes a ghost. So it can go both ways you just have to be very careful. I suggest you both do your research before she goes vegan.


P.S. Apparently most vegans dont eat honey either!

She'll need to take B12. I recommend checking out "Eat to Live" by Dr. Fuhrman. Here is the food pyramid, and the animal products are absolutely optional, so one can do this totally vegan and as far as I'm concerned, it's probably the healthiest way to eat on the planet.

I definitely second this. Eat to Live is excellent. I think Disease Proof your Child is by the same author.

Well done for supporting your child


Determined not to get shouty at some of the stupid comments regarding nutrition and veganism - my only advice is that as parents we should always make sure our children are eating a healthy diet, REGARDLESS of if they're vegan or not.

I was a vegan for four years, and unless each meal is meticulously planned I absolutely do not recommend a vegan diet.

Young people underestimate how easy it is for your health to deteriorate on vegan/vegetarian diets, and will be unlikely to go through the bother of understanding macronutrient ratios as well as micronutrient intake, much less planning them. Another problem is that vegan foods can be just as heavily processed and just as fattening as non-vegan foods (vegan meat substitutes, dairy/egg free desserts, et cetera). However, because it's vegan, some are led to believe that a toffee made with earth balance olive oil margarine and turbinado sugar is somehow healthier than a toffee made with butter and white sugar, when at the end of the day, both toffees are just fat and sugar.

I understand that it may be hard for you as a mother to not support your daughter's decision, but this is really where it would be in her best interest to not encourage her to go vegan without her educating herself about nutrition from an unbiased source (not from established vegans with an agenda).

But the same can be said for any normal diet - put thought into it and plan it or you'll end up eating crap.

Being vegan/veggie doesn't automatically = healthy, but that goes for any diet! Thats most of the vegans here said 'make sure she learns about eating healthily before she goes vegan'.