Help!!! 11 year old daughter wants to be vegan, need advice :-)

bev ralph

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Hi Guys,

My name is Bev and I live in a town called Hull in England.

My 11 year old daughter Olivia has been a vegetarian coming up for a year. (She's 12 in a few weeks)

She told me a few days ago she wants to go vegan and I haven't a clue how on earth to transition her slowly and obviously I want to make sure she remains healthy and get's all the nutrients she needs.

She has her reasons for wanting to be vegan, she says she loves animals and she wants to live on real food which I do believe is valid reasons.

She loves quorn stuff but I know a lot of the quorn stuff isn't vegan. she already drinks almond and soy milk.

I know it's such a silly statement but when I cook our dinners I automatically feel the plate is missing a main chunk without any quorn or meat substitute in place.

Where do I go shopping and where can I find really easy meals so I can try and transition her slowly?

Any help would be great guys

Thanks
 
Hello! As a teenager who just started going vegan, I might be able to offer some advice.

Vegan diets done right are extremely nutritious, likewise doing them wrong can be disastrous. I would recommend searching online for vegan recipes. You can find some delicious vegan recipes that use quorn here. I would recommend that you try and promote vitamin B12, calcium, iron, and zinc. These are some of the nutrients that are difficult to include in vegetarian and vegan diets.

About you worrying on how to transition her slowly, I honestly wouldn't worry about that too much. I know a lot of vegans, including myself, who went from eating meat daily to full vegan overnight. The only issues that happened to me personally were light stomach cramps the first day. Since she was already a vegetarian, the transition shouldn't be as extreme. If you still want to transition her slowly, I would recommend cutting out certain animal products one at a time until none are left.

If you are open to the idea of your daughter learning how to cook, that would make things a lot easier. I make my own meals out of my parent's way and it works great. Of course, this is only if you aren't open to making separate dishes for her.
 
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I've been vegan since 9 and am 15 now, and my health is great! I made a website for vegan and vegan-interested teens, and you may be interested in the information there, where I have meal ideas and health information, etc.

As I say on one of the Q&A questions, studies show nonvegans lack more nutrients than vegans do, so while going vegan should be done thoughtfully, it's not exactly like the alternative is more healthy. Nonvegan diets apparently need more care than most people put into them, so needing to use care as a vegan will hopefully not discourage you. It's not very hard at all once you get used to it!

You're an awesome mom to help her with her goal of being a vegan. Maybe you'll join her someday once you see how easy, healthy and delicious it can be? ;)

www.veganteen.net
 
Veggie burrito - use beans instead instead of meat.
Pasta + vegetables - mix everything in.
Rice + vegetables + bread +side salad.
Burger made our of soy or lentils. Burger+chips+salad.

Vegans need to eat a mix of fruit, vegetables, legumes, grains and so on.

You don't need a meat substitute necessarily but try and get at least some legumes in the diet (beans, lentils, peas, soy). Try half and half with meat substitutes and new meal ideas and see what works.

Vegan diets have less calories per gram of food, so you need to eat more food. Either large portions, more snacks, also keep in mind that amongst the vegan foods avocados and nuts are more fatty than other plant foods so not a bad idea.

Remember B12 supplement, and sources of calcium, iodine, and omega 3. I wrote a very short guide to vegan nutrition. You don't need to spend hours reading. This is all you really need: https://whytryveg.wordpress.com/2017/03/25/vegan-nutrition/
 
For vegan breakfasts:
Cereal
OR
Fruit
OR
Toast

I like toast with mushrooms and tomatoes when I have it available.
 
Lots of veg, lots of fruit, rice, pulses.

My mum still feels the same about 'something missing' even after a decade if I go round to eat.

Must be a Hull thing ;)

Good luck