Jasmine Has Decided To Be Vegetarian

I thought dairy was vegan that excludes eggs...

I would say beans and nuts and soy products...

Thank you for posting to Point Whore! Wishing everyone many, many points!

Good luck!

Dairy is allowed on a vegetarian diet. Vegans don't eat dairy, but I don't think that's the best thing for a girl in the growing stage. I have not eaten meat since I was 17 years, that's almost 11 years now, and this was after lots of fighting with my parents. I never really ate meat, as I did not like it, and after lots of fighting about it they finally gave in right before I turned 17 as I kept throwing the food up.

I think it is great that you are letting her give it a try. If she likes meat, she probably won't last.

I love the morningstar burgers for a quick meal, but other than that you can make vegetarian lasagne, vegetarian pasta dishes, mexican meals with beans instead of meat. Vegetable soup is one of my great favorites. Beans is a great protein substitute for meat, and otherwise egg dishes are great too.

Make sure she gets some vitamins. For some reason I just could not get fish oil pills down for years, but this year I finally started using them.

Anne is right nuts, tofu and avocados other great foods for vegetarians.

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianvegan101/tp/TypesofVeg.htm

Here's a great link to the different vegetarian options.

I hope it wears off :) It's just easier to have the whole family like the same food.

Marsha, I forgot to mention homemade veggie pizzas. I actually think you should let her help with cooking her food, so that she can see that it actually takes work on her part too.

I was vegetarian for many years. Make a lot of sauteed veggies over rice, or put them in quesadillas, with or without cheese. It is Vegans that don't eat dairy. Most vegetarians DO eat dairy. It depends on how she wants to go.

Also there are a few fake meat products that are pretty good. I especially like the spinach nugget things that are sold in the produce department at my supermarket. I forget the name of the company. There are fake chicken nuggets that are excellent and they are full of protein. Also, you can use tofu, or tempeh, and rub it with a rub you would use for meat and then saute it or stir-fry it and put it over greens, or lots of raw veggies and make a salad. She can have pasta with vegetables in the sauce. Pasta has protein in it. My son eats it 1-2x a day and he is the tallest kid in his class and hasn't missed a day of school in 2 years. He isn't vegetarian BUT he prefers pasta to almost anything.

Also brown rice, or any other grain (quinoa has protein in it - wash the raw grains first though as they have a rotten tasting natural substance on the grains and they taste horrid if not washed off) - cook it and then top it with sauces made with vegetables. There are a lot of great books out there - Deborah Madison's Vegetarian for Everyone is a fabulous one - it is like a bible of vegetarian cooking. Also DeDe Emmons (I think that is her name) also writes great veggie books. Lots of choices these days. She won't have any problem getting her protein.

If she will eat eggs, dairy and fish she should be fine. Make sure there is a source of iron- I think raisins, spinach, beans and lentils are good sources. Canned tuna and sardines are always good.

She needs the protein.

MEAT... the OTHER white meat.

Our youngest daughter is a Vegetarian too. She was in 7th grade when she decided to be one. we thought it would pass but she is 27 now and still a vegaterian.

Morningstar makes some good "chicken" and "burger" patties. Boca is good too, but some have dairy in them which I can't eat. If she wants to limit dairy, Soy Delicious is a great "ice cream" and so is Rice Dream. Silk makes the best chocolate soy milk.

I was about your daughter's age when I gave up on beef and pork. Never liked the taste and was old enough to fix my own eggs or peanut butter sandwich.

Teach her to read the labels at the grocery! Many foods which seem vegetarian may have hidden beef fat or other animal ingredients.

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It wouldnt be too bad if you started making some veg meals for the whole family at least ocassionally. Veg really is healthier than eating meat. Maybe the two of you could make a project of finding veg meals the whole family would like.

Make sure she takes vitamins. My daughter can't eat lots of different foods, so we learned how to make changes in our meals. Have her help make meals, as its a great way to spend time together and she will learn cooking skills with you now.

If she doesn't use dairy she'll need vitamin B12. I've been a vegetarian many years but I use dairy. If she doesn't want to, I'm totally on her side and praise her for that decision. Recently I found out that dairy cows are more likely to have mad cow disease than meat cows, because of their age. See The Mad Cowboy for more information about mad cow disease. He used to be a rancher but now has been a vegan for many, many years.

The vitamins I use are called Alive! Whole Food Energizer. They are totally vegetarian. I take three a day so maybe since she's young still she could start on only one or two.

I think it is great that you're willing to do the research and help her out on this.

can't help you with that one

Good Luck

I wish I could help you out, but the only advice I have is that beans are great for a meat substitute.

Good luck,and all vegans are different some eat dairy some dont,either way make sure she gets her proteins she needs,they have some wonderful vegan dishes out there.

Thank You for posting to tryingfor3000.gather

Did she stick to it?

Good luck!

Sounds like you got some good suggestions.

sorry but I would be of no help. we are meat eaters. lol. how is she doing with it?

What's the difference between milk and eggs, as far as a vegetarian is concerned? They both come from animals, but the animals are not harmed to get it so ???

All I know is when my whole family did it for 30 days straight. We had more energy and felt much better, stronger and NO ONE got SICK during that time. So, I'm going to give you some links to take a look at in your leisure.

http://www.veggieglobal.com/nutrition/

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/healthnutrition/Vegetarian_Health_Nutrition_Information.htm

http://www.vegetarian-restaurants.net/OtherInfo/NutritionalInfo.htm

I hope you find them helpful. It could just be a phase that she is going through right now. But it is sooo Great to see you are willing to support her decision like that. You're a great MoM in my book!

THANKS