Supporting a new child vegetarian?

My 11 year old son has decided to become a vegetarian due to concerns about cruelty re factory farming. This is ok with me, but I am concerned about him getting enough nutrition, especially protien, as he is still growing. He is not a picky eater - will try anything. My big concern is packing meals for school as his school is a nut-free zone. Whay suggestions do you have for high protien snacks and lunches that are nut free? I don't want to feed him beans 3 times a day.Supporting a new child vegetarian?
What a great son you have, to care so much about cruelty to animals. And cheers to you, for supporting him. It will be tough for both of you, no question, but you can do it. There are many good vegetarian cookbooks, and your local bookstore probably has some with receipes designed for kids. You can probably find recipes online as well. Finding sources of protein, aside from nuts, may be much easier than you think. Also, most supermarkets now carry vegetarian options that many people find quite tasty. Morningstar Farms is one brand, and there are others. You can find substitutes for hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken patties and nuggets, bacon, sausage, and more. My family eats them often, and you can also get crumbled burger substitute that can be used to make great chili. Their protein usually comes from soybeans. Check out your local health food store, too, although that is usually more pricey. Perhaps he would consider including some fish in his diet as well. And eggs. Both are excellent sources of protein.
There are some rally delicious tofu smoothies that you could make him with yogurt and fruits and tofu. Something else that's really good is pasta. Try to make meals ahead of time so he can feel like he has some variety. Tofu stir fry, Tofu soups, and other tofu dishes can be made weeks in advance and frozen.

http://www.tastyandmeatless.com/recipes_鈥?/a>Supporting a new child vegetarian?
LOL I doubt anyone wants you to feed him Beans 3 times a day.. ;-}



There are several books out on the market that refutes the promoted idea that we need "tons" of protein everyday. If fact the latest study says the average grown man only needs 2 oz a day to be healthy. Even if you doubled that for a growing male child. That is very easily to met in non-animal form.

Is this child going to eat dairy(Organic of course)? If so then a nice cheese sandwich.. or cheese with raw fruit. Also there are plenty of Rice %26amp; Soy based cheses. Where you find them you'll find other interestning foods too.

Hummus( sorry,beans) is great as a sandwich or as a dip for raw veggies. Think outside the box. Big fresh salads with lots of veggies, even fruit like apples. Just remember that atting this way means he'll need more food, because it burns off(digestes) faster.

Once you get started with this it will be easier.

Lots of luck.
Try some hummus, or some avocado (make sure the avocados are ripe first) sandwiches, which are delicious. Pack cheese sandwiches (which taste good with cherry tomatoes.) . You can pack him some cold pasta with a tomato vegetable sauce or a cheese sauce or a pesto sauce. If he doesn't mind carrying ethnic foods, you can make veggie sushi, with cucumbers and avocado and stuff.Supporting a new child vegetarian?
There are many ways to get protein other than beans which don't really have that much protein in then anyways. You can try soy products that come enriched with protein you can find these at any grocery store. What I really like are the frozen soy products that tast like meat. That way he can still enjoy a hamburger with out the actual ham in it.
CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND YOUR SON!!!!!! Him, for making a thoughful decision, and you for supporting him. My 12 year old daughter and I became veggies last year. We are allergic to wheat, eggs, and soy, so it has been really challenging. But, we are thriving. I bought a thermous for my daughter, and I pack her a hot lunch every day-mac n cheese, meatless spagetti (we use rice pasta) cous cous (if you have never tried cous cous please do-it is a tiny pasta that cooks in minute-look for it where indian foods or in the rice section of store-you can throw in some corn or peas to it) I also make her veggie wraps with sprouts, lettuce, tomato, cucumber wrapped in tortilla or rice wrappers. One way to ensure your son gets protien is to eat quinoa, another grain available at health food stores. If you would like to email me at any time you can-I will be happy to support your sons wise decision, and perhaps him and my daughter could begin emailing to support each other. We watched a movie called "eating" about the RAVE diet (google that for some good info) that showed how poorly animals are treated, and then we found out about all of the nasty toxins that are injected into meats to keep them fresh. Watching that was more than enough motivation to go veggie! Good luck!
My daughter who is 5 has actually announced she no longer wants to eat meat...so I asked her what she meant, no animals? as well as no animal products? or just the meat, she said just meat, but that fish was okay, so we went with this.



breakfast= eggs, and cereal...that has lots of vitamins

lunch= her school allows her to bring peanut butter, but on occasion she will bring a box of veggies and fruit bowl (all kinds but always including broccli) and sushi

dinner= sushi, fish, veggies

drinks....milk, milk, milk, and water, for added protein....protein shakes, (small ones for her little size)

and she drinks water



other options also include pediasure

and you could always check out vegetarian websites.
Protein is easy and the least of your worries. It's in everything. Take a look at the Vegetarian food pyramid online. Too much protein is not a good thing though.
Please be sure to visit veganlunchbox.com. This site is *wonderful.* It's an award-winning blog featuring fabulous, kid-tested (7 year old) menus, each beautifully photographed in his school lunchbox. Jennifer also has a recipe book, which is well worth the modest price. Our 7 year old, vegan since conception, IS a picky eater, alas. He'd be content with tofu and tamari, ww pasta and tamari, TVP chili, hummus, carrots, broccoli, potatoes, miso soup, soba noodles with tahini-ginger-garlic sauce, and soymilk. Forget tomatoes in any form except ketchup :P. Citrus is suspect, too. But he's the tallest boy in his classroom, very healthy, hemoglobin at 14, is in advanced placement math, etc.

Oh, try Smart Dogs and the deli slices made by Lightlife and Yves. I have no idea whether they taste like meat, having become veg over 40 years ago, but, aside from the salt content, they're quite good.
Soy products, as others have mentioned, are easy to come by. Chickpeas and lentils are also good sources of protein. You can use hummus (made from chickpeas) as a spread on sandwiches instead of mayo--it's wonderful! Or use it as a dip for veggies or pitas or chips. Speaking of vegetables, broccoli is a decent source.



Is he lacto-ovo veg? Cheese and eggs are easy protein sources. Whole grain products have a good amount of protein, too, so give him stuff made with brown rice or whole-grain breads.



Really, it's not as hard as you think. Everything has some protein in it.



Also, even for a growing child, one lower-protein meal in a day isn't going to do any harm at all, especially if it's delivering other nutrients that perhaps he doesn't get in high-protein foods. You could even focus lunch on fruits and vegetables, and get him his high-protein foods at breakfast and dinner.



There are a number of books available about raising vegetarian children, many of them written by doctors or nutritionists. I encourage you to read at least one of them, to really understand his nutritional needs (most people in America get *too much* protein, actually--he probably doesn't need as much as you think) and to get ideas for a variety of foods he will enjoy.