my son is wanting to be a vegetarian!?

[gryeyes]

I commend your son for making such a decision, and echo everybody else's suggestions to make him do his own research. I have some vegetarian friends who are very healthy and a really good friend who is vegan, and is darned healthy too.

I like animal proteins far too much to give them up. <*patting my expanse of tummy*> Granted, most of my excess weight is the result of years of sitting on my considerable backside and ingesting a surfeit of non-animal proteins (fries, candy, sweets, scads of baked potatoes with "everything" on 'em, etc.). But I do love eggs, butter, cheese, fish, poultry, pork, and beef.

And let's not forget the empty calories in "adult beverages."

 

[featherz]

I've been vegetarian (not vegan) for years. I eat TONS of protein, probably way more than I need. eggs/beans/legumes/soy/greek yogurt and a little vegan protein powder to top it off (made from artichoke/pea/rice protein)... I feel better than ever! That said, in kids I'd just let them try it and see what happens - might just be a phase, might not be.

 

[EweSheep]

My hubby is a vegetarian, or more of an extreme vegetarian. Not sure what to call him LOL!

He eats NO meat, period. No fruits or veggies or any green leafed plants. NONE! Been on this diet for over 40 years. Health problems not sure yet. Eats peanut butter sandwiches with chips or cereal in it. French fries and mashed potatoes (no butter), white bread ONLY, no wheat, rye, or dark breads, likes soda, water but no fruit juices. Likes sweets as long it is artificial flavored. Does not like anything with walnuts or pecans in cakes and cookies, no frostings, no carrot cakes. Eats NO beans. I don't know how this person eats the way and be able to stay alive LOL! He had tests and has LOW cholestrol of 132 and across the chart, excellent readings.

However he does get tired alot, sleeps alot if you let him, and once he starts on a project like a hard job, he does not have the "staying" power. He does not drink or smoke or do drugs.

I think alot of this is mental on his end. He used to eat hamburgers with a passion until one day he decided not to eat any meat anymore. He simply lost interest and didn't like the taste of it. When prodded a bit more, I think it has something to do with his mother, who was abusive to him. I asked his mother one time if she influenced him or know why he stopped eating meat. She didn't know why nor she cared. She told me if he dies from his stupid diet, that is one less person to deal or feed.

Eating vegetarian has good benefits and wonderful thing to do for a day or two like a devoted steak eater like myself!

 

[welsummerchicks]

It's very easy to get a healthy vegetarian diet. I did it for many, many years; I started when I was 14 too. Today I occasionally eat chicken or fish - that's about it. My numbers are all fantastic.

My mother about had a cow when I announced I was done eating meat. Kids often lose the taste for it at that age - I had no big political or social agenda, I was just one of those who lost the taste for it. In any case in about a WEEK, LOL, my mom was a convert. She went out and bought the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen and 'Laurel's Kitchen' and started whipping up an Enchanted Broccoli Forest. Attacked the whole thing with her typical passion and flair.

And one thing she found out was that the National Research Council, under pressure from various special interest groups, had doubled or tripled (I forget which) the protein requirements in their guidelines. People simply do not need THAT much protein.

When we were young, very few of my friend's families ate meat more than 2-3 x a week, many only 1x a week. That's a very recent thing, the idea we have to eat meat every day. We usually had fish one day, chicken one day, and beef one day. On other days we had mac and cheese for dinner, an omelet, something like that.

Some years later she made the comment, 'I thought when you said you were going to be a 'vegetarian' that you were only going to eat vegetables'. Well needless to say she discovered she could still pack me full of very fattening foods and still make them 'Veg', LOL. But people DO seem to think that! We went to one restaurant once and I was served a large plate full of sauteed peppers and onions and nothing else, LOL!!!!

Going to Indian, Thai and Health Food type restaurants with a vegetarian is a lot of fun. Plenty of things to choose from.

Protein is provided by eggs, milk and other dairy products like cheese, seeds like sesame and sunflower, legumes like lentils and beans.

Vitamins and minerals are best provided by fortified dairy products and fresh vegetables and fruits. People often gripe about the cost of fresh veggies and fruits - but we buy a lot of frozen fruits and veggies to save money - these days they're flash frozen without water or syrup, and can be really nice cost savings.

Especially fun to make are the 'combination' proteins that really boost each other. You can create a dish that has AS high a quality protein as meat that way, with very little time and effort.

For example, bean enchiladas with cheese. Huevos Rancheros - beans, salsa with eggs poached on top. That takes me about five minutes to make. Open a can a beans, open a bottle of salsa(chi chi's chunky!!!), break some eggs over the top, simmer covered in a skillet. Throw some cheese on top and let it melt a little. Of course we add plenty of garlic and chile powder for us grownups, son may like that too.

A lot of the traditional 'peasant' foods are 'complete proteins'. Beans and tortillas, for example. Bread and cheese. You really don't have to stretch too far to do it.

Another great product to use is all the soy products - soy nuts, tofu, tempe, miso....all of it is good! Tofu can be dipped in batter and deep fried, or it can just be diced up and tossed in a stir fry. I like to marinate tofu in white wine, vinegar and - yeah - garlic. LOL. A spoonful of miso can be added to most soups or casseroles - it has a little bit of a salty, sour taste. Not everyone likes tempe - but we sure do. A nice fat slice of it is great on toast with a lot of veggies.

You can also get frozen vegetarian entrees - pizzas, complete dinners, there are a ton of those things out there now. Thai stuff, Indian stuff, American style, whatever you want.

We make a ton of fresh salsas here, just chop up some tomatoes, add a little vinegar and spices, and voila. I've made salsas with everything from tomatoes to mango chunks (YUUUUUUM!!!!)

A big favorite of mine is home made granola to make a granola with oat flakes, wheat flakes, puffed rice, soynuts, walnuts, sesame and sunflower seeds, and just a drizzle of half and half honey and canola oil. You'll notice all those nuts and legumes pack a lot of protein. The amounts and proportions don't matter much - I usually use an equal amount of each item, and I add a hefty measure of cinnamon too. Never can have too much cinnamon. Toast on pans at 300 degrees, stirring every 15 min, for about an hour. When done, add cut up dates, raisins. Eat with yogurt, fresh fruit. YUM.

If you want to make beans less - well - you know - soaking them overnight in water and then draining off that water and cooking them in a fresh change of water a good long time, seems to help. Sometimes if I'm in a hurry I cook beans in the pressure cooker, takes much less time.

There is a dandy 'refried casserole' in betty crocker cookbook, I'll put it at the end of this.

Or you can used canned beans, though buying dried beans in bulk works out very cheap. We love Bush's canned vegetarian beans at my house.

Too, keep in mind that there are many other legumes beside beans. Indian groceries are a cheap source of one of the best legumes there is - red lentils or as Indians call it 'red dal'. It cooks in about 20 minutes. It's so delicious. But plain old brown lentils are also wonderful - simmer in chicken broth with some carrots, add a dab of sour cream. Creamed brown lentils is one of the most DECADENT things, so delicious.

I make a bunch of bean spreads for sandwiches, too. Puree garbanzo(chick peas) with a little olive oil and garlic and oregano. Tahini (sesame seed paste) is another delicious sandwhich possibility. I like mine with lettuce and tomato.

What I generally do is make up a 'breakfast casserole', a 'lunch casserole' and a 'dinner casserole' about once a week when I do all my baking and stuff. Then if a person is pressed for time they can just cut off a hunk and warm it in the microwave. The breakfast casserole might be a 'strata' - it's based on bread that's soaked in an egg-milk mixture and topped with cheese. A lunch casserole is usually a beany dish with grains and some cooked veggies.

One thing you might do is get him some vitamin B12 tablets, that is, depending on what type of vegetarian he wants to be, if he doesn't want to eat eggs or dairy products, say. People store vitamin B12 for long periods of time, require very little, and even veggies who eat no cheese and eggs can get it from Brewer's yeast (I used to take about a tablespoon full a day), and many cereals and soy milks are fortified with vitamin B12.

And vegetarians who eat cheese and eggs don't have to supplement or go out of their way to get enough B12 at all.

Refried Bean Bake
1 can (17 oz) refried beans
1 med onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 c)
1 small green pepper, finely chopped (about 1/2 c)
4 eggs
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese (6 oz)
1 teas chili powder
1/8 teas garlic powder
1 jar (12 oz) Mexican salsa

Mix beans, onion, green pepper, eggs, 3/4 c of the cheese, chili powder, garlic powder.
Pour into ungreased square pan 9X9X2, sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake uncovered in 350 degree ove til hot and firm, about 30 min.
Heat salsa, serve with bean. 8 servings, 190 cal.

We vary this with fresh garlic, diced or pressed, different kinds of cheeses, a big handful of chopped fresh cilantro, etc

 

[mom'sfolly]

Being a vegetarian is very easy these days. There are tons of prepared foods, good cookbooks and a variety of ethnic foods that are vegetarian. I have several cookbooks, and some of the recipes are favorites in this house. My kids would rather have veggie sausage than regular grocery store pork sausage (but the farmers market, homemade pork sausage is the favorite).

As many have said, traditional foods are often vegetarian, and a complete protein: bean soup with wheat bread, corn tortillas and beans, rice or roti and dal, tofu and rice. I think if the kid is open minded about food, it will work better. If your kid only eats fries, burgers, and mac and cheese, going vegetarian will be more difficult.

He will not end up not growing, or being vitamin deficient if he eats a varied diet with protein, carbs and fat from a variety of sources including fruits and veggies, beans and bean products, whole grains, nuts and dairy.

Tonight's dinner at our house is a veggie meal, spaghetti with chickpea sauce. The sauce is flavored with garlic, onions and rosemary, and is wonderful. With the pasta and a salad it is a complete and balanced meal.

 

[chickened]

Some ofthe oldest and healthiest people in the world live in Mongolia and you would be amazed what they eat, bugs(beetles) grubs(fat gooey black centers) animal testicles(passed on them) some sort of chewy root and lots of meat among other stuff.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Quote:
Tell your Son what my Father told me:

"When your Mother puts food on the table, YOU eat it."

That seemed to work fairly well at the house I grew up in.

-Junkmanme-

Yep.... my kids eat what i have on the table..or they eat peanut butter and jelly...

But i'm a meanie.. where i'm sure the OP isnt...

I couldn't say that: eat what I serve or nothing at all. Or even alternate pb&j.

My son would either starve or have severe allergic reactions. He has so many allergies (including peanuts and soy) that his food choices are limited. But Hubby can't eat some of that because of his own allergies. And I'm on a diet. So, even tho it's difficult, we all eat three different things each meal.

But we've always done that. No big deal. We all get a good variety of fruits, veggies, grains (Kid and me get gluten-free, and Hubby doesn't) and protein.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
And once he is finished, have him run his report by his pediatrician.

 

[desertdarlene]

EweSheep, I don't know how your husband stays alive, either. Pretty much everything he eats sounds very glycemic with the high starch content and puts him at risk for blood sugar issues.

I have hypoglycemia and I have to eat mostly veggies and protein or I will get very tired and can't function. When I watch my diet well, I'm like a ball of energy.

 

[SilverPhoenix]

I've been vegetarian since birth, and my 6' 1" brother as well. My parents have been vegetarian for around forty years. It's no more difficult to live on a healthy vegetarian diet than it is to live on a healthy diet including meat. Eating healthy requires some reading and planning regardless. While of course the results are always arguable because there are so many variables and so on, in general studies have shown that vegetarians live a fair bit longer than omnivores.

My co-workers are all vegan and extremely healthy people. Many athletes are vegan and very successful, too. At some point I plan on phasing dairy out of my diet because of ethical reasons, though I'll probably always eat eggs from my own birds that I keep as pets. I've done a ton of research on veganism, and as long as one is careful and supplements their diet with vitamins, there does not seem to be issues with being vegan.

I would try to encourage your son, allow him to make decisions about what he wants to eat, and perhaps look into some vegetarian dishes that your whole family will enjoy.