Ways to Adjust to Your Child's Vegetarianism

If your child has come to you and informed you that they have become a vegetarian you would be forgiven for feeling shocked and perhaps even a little worried by their admission. You may believe that they are going through a phase that they will quickly grow out of. Or you may doubt their sincerity. Their friend Abigail is doing it, so they are copying her and just trying to "fit in". Rather than let your imagination run away with you, it would be best to talk to your child about their decision. Try to find out the reasons for this change and listen to their response. Do your best to be supportive of their decision. After all, it would be wrong to try to force them to continue to eat meat and related meat products if they are serious about their decision.

Do not worry that your child will now starve and be hungry all the time. Being a vegetarian in this day and age is not what it used to be. It is possible to get a balanced diet, without eating any meat products. Once you know of your child's decision, you will need to do two things, go shopping for some vegetarian food items and educate yourself about vegetarianism. Find out what your child already knows. Likely, they will know more about vegetarian food products than you do, so try to get a feel for what vegetarianism involves. Read up on it and learn what types of food you can substitute in meal ideas.

If the rest of the family are die hard carnivores you will still need to enlist their support, so that your child does not feel isolated or in any way strange. Show respect for your child's new beliefs in the way you cook. For example, if you are cooking bacon for the rest of the family, it would be wrong of you to use the bacon fat left in the pan to cook the onion and other ingredients required for your child's meal. Use separate pans if you are cooking two separate meals and try to be mindful of your child's feelings. A Muslim or Jew would be outraged and appalled to be unintentionally served pork, so watch how you cook your child's meals. If your child is old enough, you can get him or her to help you prepare some of their own meals. This would be a big help to you, especially if you are busy trying to multi-task and get everyone else's meals ready too.

Make sure your child is still eating a balanced diet. They may require some dietary supplements such as Iron or Calcium. But if they are eating a wide variety of fruit, vegetables, beans, peas and pulses, they should be fine. Try out vegetarian alternatives to meat, such as soy(a), tempeh, tofu and add these products to meals that would usually include meat. Also, use a variety of beans in your cooking, such as kidney and butter beans and add these to salads, stews and casseroles. They are an excellent source of protein and a great meat substitute. Try to have at least one day a week that is meat-free for everyone in the family. It will mean a lot less cooking to do, as well as involving the other family members with the vegetarian lifestyle, that can and does work. It is also a healthy alternative that all can benefit from.

It is easier to shop for vegetarian food items than it used to be. Have a look in the local health food shop and you will find aisle after aisle of vegetarian food items. Be careful of many food items that claim to have nothing but vegetables in them. I have found that even soups that call themselves vegetarian are cooked in beef or chicken broth. That is hardly vegetarian! Read the label and you will soon see what the soup really contains. Be careful when choosing cheese too. Cheese tends to contain rennet, a product which derives from a calf's stomach and is used to curdle cheese. Also, there is gelatin. It is a product that comes from the connective tissue of animals, such as skin, cartilage and bones. So these two products would be off limits for a vegetarian. As you learn more about vegetarianism, you will know what to look out for when shopping and what to avoid. As your child gets older, they will be able to take greater control over their choice to be a vegetarian. But above all else, if your child is serious about becoming a vegetarian, do all you can to support them.