What would you say to a 10 (almost 11) year old DD if she decided she was a vegetarian?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions and ideas.
We sat down with our nanny a few days ago.
She said she was overwhelmed with DD being picky with her food before becoming vegetarian. For example, DD would refuse multiple choices of food offered by the nanny while making school lunches. Dinner leftovers (involving meat), turkey sandwiches and occasional hotdogs were something that my DD would actually eat. It's a nut free school, so now DD's lunches would be more challenging with no meat and my DD being picky.
She said she was supportive of my DD becoming a vegetarian, but wanted her to take some responsibility for planning her meals - meaning DD should do some research about nutrition and come up with different choices to substitute the meat part of the meals. Not cook her own meals, although she would be expected to help on no homework days.

It's been a few days and things seem to be going well. We got veggie bacon and burgers in the freezer. Eggs, lentil soup, some indian food and a few other options.
It will probably take a few more days to adjust, but so far so good.

Thank you everyone

So the real issue is a picky eater.

[Anonymous]

I also had disordered eating as a teenaged vegetarian, but mainly because my parents didn't fully support me and provide healthy choices only fattening ones. as a vegetarian in my 30s (until my second pregnancy), I was able to make healthy choices. Not all teenaged vegetarians and vegans have ED, there are millions if not billions in Asia right now living healthily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And no, 10 years old is not too young to develop an eating disorder. Many parent say their child started restricting that young but they didn't realize what was happening until a couple years later -- WATCH OUT is all I am saying.

Please stop conflating being a vegetarian and having an eating disorder. The latter is a serious health problem, the former is, in most cases, a compassionate ethical choice.

It makes my blood boil when people talk as if going vegetarian is the start of anorexia or what have you. You sound very misinformed.

Going vegetarian was one of the first "restrictions" in my ED (anorexia) because it was a socially acceptable one. I was 16. You also sound very misinformed about eating disorders. The ratio of girls who were Veg*n at my inpatient treatment facility was incredibly high. For that very reason, veg*nism was not allowed in the treatment center, no matter what.

Vegan is not a dirty word. You don’t have to use an asterisk.

[Anonymous]

Kids can choose special diets when they're old enough to plan, shop, and cook meals themselves. And the odds that your son will get cross-contamination are really high if she's cooking vegetarian where most of the protein comes from his allergens. Just say no.

[Anonymous]

"
I'm sure the nanny is nervous about the meal prep and planning that will be involved. It is a big responsibilty to manage nutrition for active, growing kids. I would sit with your kids and make a list of simple dinners your nanny prepares for them that work and what other things can be added. This would give her a place to start and help her see that it doesn't have to be daunting. They are also old enough to understand that there is work involved in managing appropriate diets and that they each have important nutritional needs that must be met with their respective diets."

The minute the daughter causes your son to go into shock because of some nuts, milk, or whatever, it's the nanny who is going to get blamed. This is a bad idea.

[Anonymous]

It’s been 9 years… why do these old threads get revived? Ops kid probably doesn’t even live at home anymore.