10 year old vegetarian?!
10 year old vegetarian?
I regularly prepare meals for my meat-eating family although I no longer eat meat. Now my 10 year old nephew has decided that he wants to become a veggie and we're concerned about him getting adequate nutrients for his growing body. He takes kid's vitamins and isn't a fan of soy or seitan products. How do I make sure he gets the complete protein he needs?
Answers:
congratulations to your nephew for making such an intelligent, mature decision! there is protein in many vegetarian meals and foods, such as beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, peanut butter, nuts, whole grains, and dairy products. if (this is pretty unlikely, but still) he starts to get tired or weak all the time, take him to the doctor. you might want to take him to a nutritionist if you're feeling unsure of what to do so a professional can help you. finally, check out www.goveg.com because it is a very helpful website and will send you a free veggie starter kit.
Source(s):
http://goveg.com/essential_nutrients.asp... i have been a vegetarian since i was a toddler or young child
Nuts (incl peanut butter)
cheese
baked beans
milk
eggs( if he eats them)
If you can keep him from doing this just yet..My daughter became a Vegetarian at age 12! I thought I was watching her diet quite closely and yet she developed a health problem. I won't go into details, but we ended up with alot of doctors visits, and her drinking Ensure 3 times a day just to get things back to normal! We were lucky..My daughter today remains a Vegetarian, she raises her 3 daughters as regular eaters...As she says, when they get about 16 they can choose which is right for them. Try and stop your nephew for a few years at least!
The complete protein thing is a falicy actually. Protein comes from just about everything. Good sources include Nuts, whole grains, beans etc. A whole wheat bagel has upto 10 grams all by itself. Check out the vegetarian food pyramid online. Humans do not need meat to survive let alone to be healthy.
If you no longer eat meat, simply serve your nephew the same things you eat. Does your nephew live with you? If so, you shouldn't have any problem, but if he lives with his own parents there really isn't much you can do or say. You might invest a few dollars in a great vegetarian cook-book for him and his parents.
FACT: most Americans eat much more protien than the body needs. Protien can come in many forms, not just meat, dairy and soy. Legumes and nuts are great sources or protiens and truly......much better for health. With so many tasty recipes and a little creativity, there should be no problem.
I think I would be more concerned about him eating "junk" that cutting out meat.
Good luck.
Get a good book like BECOMING VEGETARIAN (or BECOMING VEGAN which is even better) to help dispel some of the myths about meat eating. Everyone believes the hype that meat is part of a healthy diet when it really is not. Meat is a convenient way to get some proteins and vitamins, but it's not the healthiest by a long shot. All fruits and vegetables contain protein. It's the vegetarian that relies on packaged food, sugary crap, and a unvarying diet that have health problems . Those problems go away when one eats a variety of fresh fruits and veggies and plenty of grains. I second the vegatarian/vegan pyramid as a guide (when I went veggie I covered a list of each food group with a bubble for each recommended serving with clear tape and used a dry erase marker to mark off the different foods during the day so I would know where I was lacking. Grains were my problem area and I wouldn't have guessed it until I looked at my numbers. It was a HUGE help!), but you really should get a good book to help you understand more about what our bodies need and the foods where we can find those. After all, cows get THEIR protein from grasses and grains. Why not cut out the middle man?
i was born vegitarian and i eat dahl. Dahl is a good source of proteins other than meat.
Cats should always eat meat . They are carnivores by nature and could go blind without the taurine protein in meat.
Most people get way too much protein anyways. Just give him well balanced meals and give him loads of confidence. I'm not a big fan of soy milk, but I love it on my cereal and in my chocolate milk. Maybe he will too.
goveg.com
nuts, edimomi, cheese, yogurt, fruit smoothies (mixed with soymilk, he'll never know! :-D) I'd ask his doctor if you're really worried...but other ideas that I do is...
Cheese ravioli mixed with vegetables inside
Fettucini Alfredo with brocoli
PB sandwich a banana or nuts
Omlettes with veggies