Anonymous wrote:Restricting a child's diet in an unhealthy way. What could go wrong?

How is her diet being restricted in an unhealthy way? You realize that millions children all over the world are vegetarian for various reasons, and are perfectly healthy and thriving. Meat is hardly a requirement every day.

Should we talk about the SAD or anything else as clearly you just came here to be negative?

I really like the Morningstar sausage. You can do a lot with that.

And don't forget about falafel.

Things my kids like

Vegetarian sushi
Egg drop soup or miso soup with frozen vegetable dumplings
Vegetarian fish tacos with slaw, sauce, etc
Tortellini with pesto, vegetables, mini mozzarella balls
Nachos with beans, vegetables, salsa, cheese, avocado, etc…
Crepes with sweet and savory fillings
Make your own sandwich
Tacos

So many chemicals in fake meat!

Hot news item: being vegetarian is not unhealthy. In fact, it’s the opposite.

Stop with your meat obsession. Almost no culture ate as much meat as Americans do now, so the kid will survive a vegetarian month.

Restricting a child's diet in an unhealthy way. What could go wrong?

Anonymous wrote:Everything has protein in it. Don't stress. She'll be fine for a month. Do lots of beans. Also my kids like just plain tofu as a side or a snack.

+1. Little kids don't need a huge amount of protein. Nut/seed butters, beans, quinoa, lentils, lots of different vegetables and grains are enough. You don't actually have to eat fake meat products unless your kid wants to try them.

We do impossible meat tacos with beans and cheese
Black bean burgers
Lentil soup/stew
Ricotta lasagna.

What will they make up next.

Everything has protein in it. Don't stress. She'll be fine for a month. Do lots of beans. Also my kids like just plain tofu as a side or a snack.

That’s great! She’s making her own choices and you’re supporting her.

My veggie kids love a lot of the same things other kids do, just made vegan or veg. Try Asian noodles with soy sauce and steamed veggies & tofu, soups, and classics like mac & cheese (cashew base for bonus point) or grilled cheese. You can always offer a handful of pistachios or whatever nut she likes in case you worry about balance.

Great cookbooks include the Veganomicon (lots of great standards with lots of flavor) or minimalist baker. Good luck!

Take her to the grocery store. Go to the huge section of faux meat products and let her pick some. I am not being snarky. I just find that having the kids pick it out increases the odds they like it. And it really is about individual taste. Is your kid more interested in the food that looks like ,eat and designed to taste like meat? Or the stuff that is just designed to be non-meat.

Impossible "chicken" nuggets
Burgers or meatballs with Beyond or Impossible meat
Ravioli and tortellini with cheese filling
Pasta with peanut butter sauce or cold peanut/sesame noodles
Pizza
Tacos/burritos/burrito bowls with roasted sweet potato cubes, black beans, and rice
Vegetarian sushi (if foods touching is ok even if mixing them isn't)

My kid loves black bean quesadillas and black bean nachos
We get spinach/cheese tortellini from Trader Joes and have that for dinner once a week. Use whatever sauce you like, we do pesto, Alfredo or Raos red sauce.

So, my kid, 8, has decided she wants to do meatless May with me. I’m on board with her excitement, but she eats like a kid in many ways, which despite me offering lots of things, I think she has learned from her father.

She will try pretty much anything, but doesn’t like food to touch. She does like chickpeas in hummus and straight of the can, and some preparations of tofu, but I don’t feel like there’s enough options there to feed her for a month. She is absolutely committed for some reason (not from me) to do this month. She eats fruits, vegetables and things like quinoa and different grains so I’m not in a dead panic.

FWIW, I will still be giving her milk and eggs for the month. I know that goes against the point, but for now they are things I can reliably get into her. I may change that as we figure out new foods for her to feel adventurous about.

I’m happy to feed her “fake” meat for a month if I have to, but in the years I was vegetarian, most of the products available now didn’t exist. I’m happy with tempeh/tofu/seitan etc. but that’s not going to work for her. I can try her on TVP but I hear the new products out there are more delicious.

What are good products in the market place now for faux meat? She had a Yves veggie hot dog last night and a Beyond chicken strip. She didn’t hate them but did eat them, so I figure once she doesn’t necessarily equate them with “real meat”, she’ll be fine.

This isn’t the thread to debate about why vegetarians want things to taste like
Meat. I could do this without, but I think it’s nice that my kid came up with this on her own for some reason and has absolutely decided to commit herself. She’s not ready for just lentil shepherd’s pie. But for that matter, she wouldn’t eat regular shepherds pie because it’s all
Mixed in. She’s not a picky eater, but still
Likes what she likes. She’s much more tolerant than many of her friends so I trust by the end of the month we’ll have added a whole bunch h of new foods.

I do have a lot of great Vegan and Veggie cookbooks that I’ll be using, but for now I’m looking more for
Faux stuff or super kid friendly options and suggestions.


Thanks for
Your help!