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

Having parented 4 teenagers, 3 of them girls, and 2 who have done the "no meat or animal products because I'm socially concious and it's cruel" thing I found it to be a way for them to express their independance, exert some control over what has previously been out of their control (what food goes on the table) and they're not really serious about it for long. We didn't stop eating meat as a family on the whims of one child, and while we supported them and provided them with other options it didn't last long (6 months, a year) when they weren't eating what the family was eating, and the fridge was full of bacon and left over spag bol.

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.

They do all promote vegan diets, but sadly most of them cherry pick info and disregard other facts. As a vegan, I can't stand Colin Campbell and his book of lies- the china study. His heart may be in the right place, but his cognitive dissonance is strong as anyone I've ever met. Even his own conclusion doesn't support the evidence that he's cherry picked for his book- which is sad since he's the one who picked them…

I would also say stay away from Freelee that idiotic banana girl. Lastly I'll say that being vegan isn't a diet. It's a cruelty free lifestyle. Plant based is a diet. There are plenty of wack jobs in the vegan community just as there are in the animal consuming population as evident from some of these posts.

Don't listen to doctors unless they majored in nutrition- doctors know very little about nutrition. You wouldn't ask your mechanic for advice to fix your laptop, so don't expect proper advice from a doctor when it comes to nutrition- you probably know just as much as they do.

jjrichard83 wrote: »

Omnivores and carnivores have a much shorter intestine system- 3-6 times the length of their body. Herbivores 8-12 times.. .Guess where humans fall? Roughly 11 times the length of their body.

Humans have shorter tails though.j/k

A mother is being supportive and reaching out for help and she gets snarky unhelpful responses. Cute.
No steak would ever make me go back to eating meat. Or dairy, which I find to be way more disgusting than meat. Watch Forks over Knives and youll never look at dairy the same again.

In any case, the basics are tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils, split peas. I would imagine she'll want to cook and explore her new wonderful choice.
Ohsheglows.com is a favorite go to blog of mine that you or your daughter may want to check out.
I personally dont purchase fake meats or cheese all that often because just like anything else, processed food is full of crap. It can be a helpful tool to transition until you or her are more comfortable making full meals but vegan junk food is still junk food.

I get all of my vitamins and minerals from my daily diet without supplements, I take b12 twice a week. My calcium is just fine, dont believe the dairy hype that you arent getting enough.
While I do agree its a great idea to talk to a nutritionist, please do a bit of research first to find one that is open to "alternative" diets, hollistic healing etc. Someone not familiar with veganism could completely discourage her from moving forward.
If she wants to ask questions, there are several people on here perhaps she could contact directly, to avoid unwarranted feedback

Cheers to you being open and willing to assist her in this change!

ilibc wrote: »

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.

To avoid this problem make sure she increases her intake of greens and beans. One way to get in more greens is through green smoothies. There are a lot of recipes online.

jjrichard83 wrote: »

dbmata wrote: »

Iffin' I had a daughter, and they pulled that silliness, I'd take them duck hunting with me.

There is one kind of animal that uses saliva to pre-digest their food. They are called herbivores. Guess what? Humans pre-digest food with saliva.

Human use the enzymes in saliva to pre-digest carbohydrates. They also use their incisors/canines to tear meat. We have evolved as omnivores. Vegetarianism/veganism is a choice.

The girl is 15, not 6. She's old enough to decide what she prefers to eat. And she is also old enough to prepare her own food, if she doesn't like what is available. So, I am not seeing the problem with her choice to become vegan, like some others do.

My advice would be to teach her about macro nutrients and for the first few months, keep a close eye on her intake until she gets the hang of it. If she has a smart phone, have her download the MFP app so that she can see what she for herself what macros she is getting.

I kind of have a similar situation. Maybe I can help you a little. ?

I am vegetarian...but mostly on a vegan diet. My husband is not vegetarian, but is gluten free. My step-daughter is none of the above, but is a damn picky eater! lol SOOO...I understand the challenges you have! Here's typically some of the things I do:

• First of all, I make ONE meal a night. No short order cooking for anyone...myself included. If you don't like what I've cooked, I keep other options on hand all the time that you can cook for yourself.
• To accommodate for my GF hubby, that one has become very simple...it's all about substitutions. I just buy GF pastas, breads, flours, etc. There's a GF alternative for almost all wheat products. Some of them are great (almond flour, coconut flour, GF bread crumbs, etc), some are not so great (GF biscuits were a big fail for us!).
• To accommodate for my vegan diet, it can be a little tricky, but it's worth it IMO. For this, I will typically do one of two things. If it's a meal with meat and veggies combined, I'll just portion out a little for myself in a mini-casserole or mini-skillet and cook mine separately sans meat. If it's not, that's even easier...I'll just make 2-3 veggies on the side and just have those for dinner and leave the meat for the carnivores.

Other tips for vegan cooking:

• You had a good list of vegan sources of protein going. Keep some Qrunch or Quorn products on hand in case she'd like to add that to her dinners.
• ALWAYS replace chicken stock with veggie stock in any recipes. Just because there's no solid meat in it, doesn't mean it's ok for a vegetarian/vegan.
• If she is vegan, you'll want to keep almond or coconut or rice milk on hand and replace your milk in recipes with this.
• Butter...please don't sub with margarine (blech!). Get Earth Balance. It's dairy free, all natural, and tastes all as good as butter.
• If a recipe calls for cheese, try to take some out for your daughter before you add it. Otherwise, try some dairy free cheeses (Daiya is really good).
• If your daughter is full vegan, she probably will not eat eggs. Eggs are the one non-vegan thing I do eat, so I can't help with that...they could be some kind of egg substitute on the market. ?
• Honey...most vegans don't eat it, but some are ok with it. Check with your daughter. Good replacements are agave nectar and molasses and pure maple syrup.
• NEVER EVER EVER try to *sneak* an animal product into your daughter's food. Respect her feelings about it (it sounds like you are) and never ever ever try to talk her out of it.
  
  That's about all I can think of off the top of my head. Good for you for helping your daughter with her dietary choices!

AlyRoseNYC wrote: »

The girl is 15, not 6. She's old enough to decide what she prefers to eat. And she is also old enough to prepare her own food, if she doesn't like what is available. So, I am not seeing the problem with her choice to become vegan, like some others do.

My advice would be to teach her about macro nutrients and for the first few months, keep a close eye on her intake until she gets the hang of it. If she has a smart phone, have her download the MFP app so that she can see what she for herself what macros she is getting.

She's too young to be on MFP.
Maybe Sparkteens?

Show a keen interest in your daughter's knowledge. Let her teach you what she knows. She will listen when you listen. Veggies have lots of proteins....how else could gorillas be so strong? Atkins have low sugar protein drinks than can be sitting in your refrigerator with no hints about them. Perhaps she will take advantage of that based on her studies of the veggie diet. I eat lots of veggies as an 82 yr. old male, but occasionally (like last night) bake swai fish (budget), YELLOW PEPPERS, onions, and sliced sweet potatoes in garlic and coconut oil, along with some cooked frozen veggie mix. Verly healthy and I got those Omega 3 essentials. Be patient with those girls.