What you thought was a regular day in your house suddenly turned upside down by the announcement from one of your children, “I want to be a vegetarian”. Don’t panic! With a little planning + know-how, living with a little vegetarian can be easier than you think! If you can’t even imagine what to do when your child wants to be a vegetarian, you have come to the right place.
Protecting animals, environmental concerns, distaste for animal products are just a few reasons your teen, tween, or child might give you after they announce they want to be a vegetarian. Whatever the reason, a meatless diet can be healthy at any age. My tips this week can be applied to anyone in your house that has committed to a meatless lifestyle, not just kids!
Tara’s Tuesday Tips:
What To Do When Your Child Wants To Be Vegetarian
- Talk
- Have a conversation, begin with finding out why they want to be vegetarian.
- Respect
- Honor their decision without judgement.
- Be prepared
- Some kids don’t have well thought out positions as to “why”.
- Proceed With Caution
- Understand that some teens, tweens, or even children might be choosing vegetarianism for the wrong reason including the desire to achieve excessive caloric restriction. In effect, this might be a cover for disordered eating and needs to be handled with caution.
- Control
- Respect their decision without allowing them to suddenly be in control of what everyone eats in the home. Most importantly, be clear that they can have different food values but they are not allowed to tell others in the home what they should or should not eat. Additionally, this situation could be used as a good lesson in mutual respect + tolerance for others with different viewpoints.
- The “Junk Food Vegetarian”
- Firstly, this is a common mistake for new meatless eaters. Secondly, there are lots of foods labeled vegan or vegetarian which technically don’t contain animal products but are absent of any nutritional value. Third, if this type of food becomes sustenance for your child, it will have negative consequences on their health. Above all, when they are filling up on these foods, they are leaving no room for the good stuff!
- Expand Your Culinary Horizons
- Meat does not have to be the star of the plate! Lots of ethnic foods put beans, grains, and vegetables center stage. Maybe your child wanting to be vegetarian will force the entire family to expand their culinary horizons + their palates!
- Throw Away The Food Rules
- Don’t Be afraid of mixing + matching. Food doesn’t have rules. The “everyone eats the same thing” battle might be one that is not fought any longer.
- Protect Them
- Extended families are a blessing. However, in this situation, you need to be your child’s protector! In addition, you need to shield them from judgement. More importantly, from hunger. Call ahead + make sure they know the situation. After that, cook + bring an irresistible plant-based dish to share!
- Devise A Strategy
- For an exclusively meat-eating family, this can be a daunting task. It doesn’t have to be! For instance, you could start with Meatless Mondays or Wednesdays or both. Days where no meat gets cooked in the house simplifies meals. Most importantly, on these days, you have the opportunity to stockpile meatless freezer leftovers for nights when the rest of the family enjoys a meat dish. As a result, your little vegetarian will still have something yummy + fuss-free to choose from.
Tara’s 3-Step Approach To Dealing With
The New Vegetarian In The House
- Firstly, determine what foods your family likes to eat that already are vegetarian + keep them on the menu. Make lots + regularly freeze leftovers.
- Secondly, find family meals that can incorporate meat and non-meat ingredients such as pastas, stir-fry’s, chilis, soups, and tacos. In addition, Indian, Thai, and Mexican cuisines have lots of options.
- Finally, allow everyone an opportunity to be part of meal planning. If there are 3 kids in the family, allow the child that wants to be vegetarian as well as the two non-vegetarians an opportunity to determine one of the meals on the meal plan for the week. Most importantly, there is one important rule: there must be a meat and a non-meat option.
Will They Get Enough Nutrition?
Yes! The buzz around protein makes us all worry that we are going to shrivel up and waste away to nothing if we don’t eat a big slab of meat or drink a giant glass of milk. Wrong. Americans get PLENTY of protein. Protein is plentiful in so many wonderful plants. Moreover, as long as your child is eating a variety of whole foods, they will be fine!
However, there are other nutrients to look out for. For instance, iron, Omega-3’s/fat, calcium/vitamin D, fiber, and B12 (if vegan) are a few to keep an eye on. If your little vegetarian is only eating macaroni and cheese, you will have to worry about all of these. On the other hand, if they are eating a variety of foods, this isn’t typically a problem. Therefore, your best option is to be sure to include foods in their diet such as nuts and nut butters, avocados, tofu, calcium-fortified cereals and/or milk substitutes, green vegetables (they need these for the iron!), dried fruits + any fruits they love.
Above all, be sure to talk to your pediatrician about this!
Other Helpful Tuesday Tips For The
New Vegetarian In Your Family (Child or Not!)
- How To Be Vegetarian When Your Family Is Not
- How To Choose A Dairy-Free Milk Alternative
- Raising Vegetarian Kids
- What Is A Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet?
- Guide To Cooking Recipe-Free Meatless Meals
- Vegetarian Or Not, Let’s Talk About Breakfast
What To Cook When Your Child Wants To Be A Vegetarian
- Sweet Potato Mac N Cheese (dairy free)
- Sweet Potato Crinkle Fries
- Cauliflower Gnocchi Waffles
- Vegan Pesto Chick’n Pizza
- Easiest Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cauliflower Gnocchi Garlic Knots
- Sticky Sesame Tofu Recipe
- Three Ingredient Tomato Sauce
- Skinny Tomato Soup
- Taco Bell Nacho Fries Copycat
I conclusion, I wish you …
All The Best … From My Vegetarian Family To Yours 💚
Tara 💚
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