Vegetarian 8 year old
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Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=42155
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Topic: Vegetarian 8 year old
Posted By: Bizzy
Subject: Vegetarian 8 year old
Date Posted: 05 June 2012 at 3:18pm
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So my 8.5 yr old (he will be 9 in November) has decided he is a vegetarian because he doesnt like the idea of killing animals. He hasnt eaten meat for about 3 weeks now. I am fine with it because he is very clear about his reasons but i am a bit worried that i wont be able to meet his nutritional needs.
Does anyone have any experience with young vegetarians or been one them self and have any tips... ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Replies:
Posted By: Cand3kids
Date Posted: 05 June 2012 at 4:48pm
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my daughter is 9 and has been doing the exact same thing for the last 2 months, i have been giving her centrum kids multi vits etc, our family are all big meat eaters so im hoping its just a phase
Candkids |
Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 05 June 2012 at 5:21pm
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Will he eat eggs? Also chickpeas and kidney beans have loads of protein.
Cheese/milk products will be good to keep his protein up too. You need to look up RDI's so that you know you're covering his needs. I have a thing which says how many serves etc, will come back later & type it up. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com"> 
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 05 June 2012 at 5:35pm
| I've been one since I was about 2. The only thing you really need to worry about is iron and B12. If you can get a kids multi that has both of those as long as you guys eat a variety of foods then he will be fine. I ate a crap diet as a kid and no meat and the only issue I ever had was iron. |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 05 June 2012 at 7:00pm
PM Claire, she'll be a fountain of knowledge I'm sure  -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 05 June 2012 at 7:21pm
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Oooh of course - when did she go Vego?
By the way - fancy seeing you here! lol!  ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: crafty1
Date Posted: 05 June 2012 at 8:10pm
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As long as he eats a good range of other foods should be fine, maybe just get checked every 6 months for the first year. I was vegie for years and did not eat a good diet but still had no issues. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: Nikki
Date Posted: 05 June 2012 at 9:47pm
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Personally I would suggest seeing a dietician before letting a child cut out any main food group. Like Stacey said the main issues would be iron and vitamin b12 (remember those vegan parents who let their 2 year old die cos they wouldn't give b12 shots??) ... but also getting the right protein mix in a meal to cover all the main amino acids is tricky if you don't know what you're doing.
His iron needs are still pretty high at that age, and red meat is by far the best source - high dose supplements tend to cause constipation - and its pretty hard to meet kids iron needs without meat. Vitamin B12 deficiency is horrible too (I don't absorb it, it causes anaemia, I have never been so tired in my life as when we were working out what was wrong with me! definitely hard to concentrate and I was sleeping 16+ hours a day at the weekend, and crashing straight after work every night). so yeah, while it is possible to have a great vege diet if planned well, its a bit more difficult to get everything kids need in to them as they are still growing (adults cope better as they eat more food overall and are not growing so don't need nutrients for growth). Is he happy to eat lentils, tofu, huge variety of veges and nuts / seeds, dairy, eggs etc etc? I would not recommend just taking meat out and not altering the protein mix. Just my view though. A dietician would have a better idea of what you should do (I did nutrition at uni). Hopefully its just a phase and a multi covers you til he moves on! ------------- DS (5yrs) and DD (3yrs) |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 05 June 2012 at 10:28pm
*giggles* She was 12 or 13 I think, but she's also studying child nutrition as part of her degree, and you know how she loves to share  ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 06 June 2012 at 4:37pm
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Hmmm she will probably tell me its not a good idea and i should just make him eat it! Will send her a message and see. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: squoggs
Date Posted: 06 June 2012 at 6:49pm
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I was vegetarian & dairy-free from pretty much as soon as I was eating solids as a baby (and ate meat for the first time at about 23yo) as I just didn't like meat. I just ate a lot of legumes & eggs...I did get aneamic at one point, but I was 15 and eating like a typical teenager - junk food! But bodies are pretty clever at getting nutrients that are required, I would agree in seeing a dietition or a nutrionalist though, just for some ideas & info :-) ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: crafty1
Date Posted: 06 June 2012 at 7:44pm
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My son only eats red meat very rarely, actually any meat pretty rarely, or eggs or dairy but he is very healthy. A well rounded diet should meet most people's needs, including children. It really is a bit of a reflection of our meat based culture that we continue to place meat as the holy grail of iron and B12.
Personally i don't believe it is as important as we are led to believe. I have lived among cultures who do not ever eat meat and their children are healthy and grow up just like ours. Some people do have issues absorbing certain elements but those people would have those issues with or without eating meat. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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