I think a lot depends on what the typical meal plan for your family is on how the best way to minimize cooking w different dietary requirements.
But, wrt tacos, I actually really like doing lentils vs black beans. I sautée onions & use taco seasoning like i would for meat but add in cooked lentils. You can also do jackfruit tacos that would be more like carnitas.
My whole family is vegetarian, I have been my entire 40 years of live. Please don't listen to the "won't get enough protein/nutrients" camp, it's simply untrue. Millions of people all over the world are vegetarian and live long and healthy lives. My own kids have always been vegetarian and my 13 year old son is 6 feet tall!
I think it requires a different mindset when thinking of preparing vegetarian meals. Instead of looking to replace the meat for her, think about meals that are naturally vegetarian. We love bean and grilled veggie burritos, quiche, twice baked potatoes, stir fry, and Indian food.
Post by definitelyO on Jul 30, 2020 17:47:09 GMT -5
DS declared himself vegetarian in 6th grade after a class trip and the girl he liked was vegetarian. It lasted about 3 days...
that said, my cousins are vegan and my aunt and uncle used to be vegetarian. I agree with PP and you to get her involved in planning, researching, etc.. and try to modify your current meals vs. creating 2 meals at a time. when I have them over if I'm making a pasta dish, one will have meat the other mushrooms or meatless crumbles.
I'm taking a nutrition class right now and decided the first week to stick to a vegetarian diet with limited eggs and dairy (trying to limit animal proteins - so where I would normally have eggs and a Greek yogurt in one day, I'll just have one and eat bread and fruit in place of the other). As part of the class, I had to track my meals with an app that allows you to see how much of all the essential nutrients you are getting. Even on days where most of my meals were closer to vegan, I had no trouble getting enough protein or exceeding the amount of essential amino acids. I'm also trying to lose weight, but I'm still getting the recommended amount of protein without making any extra effort.
I personally don't want to rely meat substitutes, so I tend to do a mix of sauteed or roasted veggies on top of rice or another starchy base. Tonight was tacos with black beans and corn in place of the meat.
I wanted to add that a lot of the vegetarian meals in my regular rotation come from the budgetbytes website. I think she has a lot of easy vegetarian recipes that are really good.
I wanted to add that a lot of the vegetarian meals in my regular rotation come from the budgetbytes website. I think she has a lot of easy vegetarian recipes that are really good.
Ditto this. She has a lot of great recipes & they aren’t complicated to make or require pricy ingredients. And they are delicious.
I wanted to add that a lot of the vegetarian meals in my regular rotation come from the budgetbytes website. I think she has a lot of easy vegetarian recipes that are really good.
Ditto this. She has a lot of great recipes & they aren’t complicated to make or require pricy ingredients. And they are delicious.
In my extended family, we have like every combo and my mom is the master of making meals work for the whole family. I decided to stop eating most meat when I was 12, and I’m almost 40 and never changed my mind. I wish my family had guided me better on protein substitutes, but there are way more options available at grocery stores and restaurants now! We have vegetarians, vegans, and dairy free/gluten free family members. A lot of meals you can add meat to last, like spaghetti or any type of sauce over rice. Lasagna, you can split to smaller pans. Grilling is easy, because you can do meats and veggie dogs, veggie burgers, kebabs. Meals like tacos have a bunch of ingredients and everyone can choose which ones they want. Remember, anyone can eat the vegetarian option but the vegetarian can’t eat the meat option, so err on the side of slightly bigger vegetarian portion. Vegan or gluten free are more challenging, but for those we usually just have different variations like personal pizzas and one has a gluten free crust and vegan cheese.
I would strongly encourage her to follow either an Ovo-Lacto-Vegetarian or Pescatarian Diet. While possible, it is very difficult to get all of the needed amino acids and essential proteins through a Vegetarian Diet, and for a child that age who still has so much growth ahead of them, both physical as well as the brain, it is essential that they get the appropriate amount of nutrients. You also need to ensure that she is still getting a good amount of fat in her diet as it is essential to the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K. I was a Vegetarian for several years for ethical reasons and even for me as a full grown adult, it was difficult. I found that some days I wasn't getting nearly enough calories, so that was a struggle. In my practice, I worked with a Vegan who had gotten to the point that her hair was falling out because she was malnourished. It turned out that she had virtually no fat in her diet. We were able to add some back in without her having to abandon her Vegan lifestyle and with some careful meal planning were able to get her "healthy" again.
For actual meals, I'd focus on the veggies that she like. If it's taco night, saute her up some peppers and onions and whatever other veggies she likes, cook in a good fat like evoo, and top with sour cream to ensure she's getting some fats and proteins. For spaghetti night, you can do shrimp primavera if she'll eat fish, or, and it sounds weird, but I love a soft boiled or lightly fried egg on top of my pasta when you crack the yolk and then mix it in, it's super yum. Pizza is great you can really load on the toppings. For breakfast, if she likes oatmeal, cook it in heavy cream to get in some fats and calories at the beginning of the day. My daughter isn't a vegetarian, but lives on salads, so I always make sure to add some healthy fats. Beans are a great source of protein, so if she'll eat them, I'd add to whatever you can. I'd definitely avoid any Soy substitutes at this age being that she is pre-puberty as Soy can be treated as a faux-estrogen and can have a negative impact on development.
Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.
I don’t think it’s that difficult to get all the nutrients one needs without eating meat. If one eats a generally balanced diet without meat they’ll be just fine.I do agree that being vegan it can be more difficult to get a few nutrients if not eating enough of a balance, but I think OPs child just said vegetarian.
A lot of people around the world are vegetarians their whole lives. I think I was vegetarian for about 20 years. I played 3 sports in high school and D1 sport in college and never had any problems with my health by not eating meat.
OP I would see how things go. Being a vegetarian doesn’t automatically mean one needs supplements. It’s best to get what we need from actual nutrients in general. It’s great that you’re being supportive!
Post by Doggy Mommy on Aug 2, 2020 12:04:53 GMT -5
We eat vegetarian probably 80% of the time, and dh is more committed to it than I am. Most of the time, I'm fine with vegetarian but sometimes I want meat and he doesn't. I'll make myself a beef patty and him a gardenburger, or make paninis and mine has meat and his doesn't, he'll have a frozen vegetarian corndog when I have a hot dog, or he'll have grilled tofu when I have grilled shrimp, stuff like that. It's not hard really. We've found pan fried potatoes are a great meat substitute in Mexican food and tofu in Asian food. Often it's as easy as just leaving the meat out and cooking everything else the same as we normally would.