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DEL.ICIO.USHave your kids ever given up meat?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
About couple of months ago, my oldest daughter woke up, ate bacon and eggs for breakfast, had a piece of pepperoni pizza for lunch and had sworn off all meat by dinner. She has been a vegetarian - no meat, fish or poultry - since then.
Her decision still seems a bit out of the blue to me. She had never expressed a distaste or disgust for meat, and I can’t think of anything that happened between lunch and dinner that day that would have sparked her choice. But she eats eggs and dairy products and seems to enjoy the meat substitutes, so the transition has been pretty smooth.
I remember reading several months ago that a growing number of kids are becoming vegetarians. The figure I saw was that about three percent of Americans aged 8-18 have switched to meatless diets, up one percent from an earlier study. Vegetarianism isn’t sweeping the nation’s youth, but it is growing. (The poll didn’t reflect if the kids’ vegetarian diets were long-lasting or just a phase.)
I have gone through two vegetarian “phases” in my life - once as a kid when my parents announced the steak on my plate was actually Bob, the bull on my family’s farm. That disconcerting bit of news turned me off of meat for a while, but it wasn’t very long. As an adult, I simply lost the taste for meat and didn’t eat it for a few years. When I was pregnant with my second child, I was so anemic that in my 8th month, the doctors and nurses said if I wasn’t morally or religiously opposed, I should really consider eating a steak or ten. I went to Capital Grille, at a proper steak and began to say goodbye to iron deficiency. Though I don’t eat much of it these days, I still do eat and prepare meat at home.
The summer is probably a good time for my daughter to make the switch to a meat-free diet, because it actually gives me time to prepare a well-balanced vegetarian menu for her. I still need to figure out what she will take for lunch when school starts back, but I have time to figure that one out.
Have your kids ever gone through a vegetarian phase? What brought it on and did it last? Do other members of the family eat meat while your child doesn’t? How do you balance the nutritional needs of growing children and their dietary restrictions with young (often picky) palettes? Do your kids have friends who are also vegetarians or have they found it difficult to stick to their diets at parties or other gatherings with friends?
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By JJ
June 25, 2008 10:03 AM | Link to this
Oh yea, my kid went off red meat for two years. SHe wanted to go off meat completely, but she had to have some protein, so I insisted she at least eat chicken. I had to get very creative with chicken recipes.
Sometimes I would cook myself a steak or pork chop, but she would not eat it.
Also, I kept her on a diet of fruits and veggies. She wanted to go Vegan, but there was no way, not in my house. I am a meat eater!!!
It lasted about two years. Then, one day we were at the ball park, and she was getting ready for a softball game, and she looked at me and said “Mom will you go get me a hamburger from the concession stand?” I was floored…..HUH? And she has been eating meat since.
By Jesse's Girl
June 25, 2008 10:26 AM | Link to this
I do not eat meat. Not because I have a great love for animals mind you…I just don’t like the texture. But I am not a vegan…I still do dairy. My oldest wants to do the same. But there’s no way! She’s way too picky for that to be a healthy choice for her. I explained that if she varied her veggie intake and supplemented with some soy protein that I would consider it. But she won’t. Her idea of a vegetarian life style is PBJ, mac n cheese and granola bars. And lets not forget her inability to pass up Chick-fil-A nuggets Yeah…she’s a real vegan!:)
By HB
June 25, 2008 10:40 AM | Link to this
I think the most important thing to stress to a child is that being vegetarian cannot mean just omitting meat. Too many college kids go on vegetarian diets of french fries and cheese pizza. Help Rose learn what vegetables and grains are good sources of protein and let her know if is her responsibility to make sure she eats enough of those. Find some good recipes and have her help you prepare them, not just for her, but for the enitre family a few nights each week. I think Moosewood has a kids vegetarian cookbook with recipes both suited to young palates and easy for kids to help make.
Most Americans would benefit from eating less meat (so many eat it EVERY meal!), and cutting back on meat consumption is good for the environment — a good lesson for the whole family.
By Stacey
June 25, 2008 11:00 AM | Link to this
I have two friends who both became vegetarians as kids. One is about to turn 50 and the other one is 30 and they still are (neither is vegan). Both say they became disgusted when they found out that meat is dead animals and haven’t eaten it since. They both eat dairy products but not eggs. They will eat things that contain eggs such cake, cookies, cornbread, etc. Both of them say they are the only vegetarians in their families so they cook meat for the rest of the family. They both say they get adequate protein from dry beans, nuts and peanut butter.
I’m trying to gradually ween myself from pork and red meat but I admit that I slip more often than not. I don’t see my son ever wanting to be a vegetarian and I know for a fact my husband would not attempt to quit eating meat.
By Jeff
June 25, 2008 11:00 AM | Link to this
In terms of sheer energy for the body, EVERY meal should include:
Some form of sugar. Preferably the natural kind, as found in adequate quantities in apples/grapes, etc.
Some form of carbohydrate. Think bread of some form here, though potatoes and other starches work just as well.
Some form of PROTEIN. Whether you get this from a legume, fish, chicken, beef, pork, rat, cat, dog, frog, moose, goose, hare, bear, etc does not matter. The protein itself is the key.
Have each of these in reasonable portions (most meals you see in chain restaurants are too large), about 4 times a day and you’re set. No need for caffeine or artificial sugars, no need for food to quell the hunder pangs.
How do I know this? It helps that I’m a borderline diabetic. I know what I have to have to get through the day, and TRUST me - my body lets me know when I’m not getting it!
As far as less meat being good for the environment: Eating less beef means more cows roam the land. More cows equals more methane. More methane equals more greenhouse gas. So I side with Ron White on this one: “What did you do for the environment today?” “*I ate a cow.”
By Penguinmom
June 25, 2008 11:40 AM | Link to this
My kids would starve to death if they decided to not eat meat. While they are at home, I’m not going to prepare a separate meal for them just because they don’t want to eat some particular thing. Once they are out on their own and fixing/paying for their own food, they can do whatever they want.
By newvegetarian
June 25, 2008 11:45 AM | Link to this
Like many others, I became a vegetarian in college (I’m still in college). My 2 roommates are environmental engineering majors, and they explained how much better it is for the environment. When I went home for Thanksgiving, I ate some meat though, just to not freak out my parents, who associate vegetarianism with an eating disorder.
By HB
June 25, 2008 11:54 AM | Link to this
“Eating less beef means more cows roam the land.”
Um, no. Eating less beef means demand will go down and the industry will raise fewer cows. Fewer cows = less methane and less energy and resources used to raise grain to feed to the cows. Far more efficient to eat the grain ourselves.
Switch to venison. Deer in Georgia have few natural predators other than man and would overpopulate and then starve to death if not for hunters. They are not held captive in overcrowded sheds for their lives, and it is kinder to thin the herd than let them starve. Organically-raised, grass-fed cows are also a better option as those cows eat what they are meant to eat (grass, not corn), spend their days out at pasture, and are not given insane quatities of antibiotics (far beyond amounts suggested to prevent disease) to bulk them up.
By Jesse's Girl
June 25, 2008 12:07 PM | Link to this
I feed our family venison!!! They love it….well all but the oldest child! We have always done this. Its cheaper and one big deer feeds us for almost an entire year…as I do not cook meat every night. Its so much healthier…no hormones, no contamination. You do take your chances with occassionally getting a very “gamey” tasting deer. But you deal with it. I also buy bison meat from a farmer in South Dakota. My brother has hunted with him before…so we know we are getting quality product. I personally like venison better…but hey! Of course….we would never tell the children what the meat is. They don’t really ask. But I can just imagine the look on their sweet little faces if they ever found out they were eating Bambi or the “furry animals from Montana”.
By JJ
June 25, 2008 12:33 PM | Link to this
Hey Jessie’sGirl Have you ever tried Organic meats? I have purchase Organic cubed steaks, and hamburger at Publix. I love it. Oh, and the chicken too.
I love buffalo, and go to Ted’s Montana often. However, it’s very hard to eat Buffalo, only because I am a HUGE University of Colorado fan (Grew up in Boulder, CO), and their mascot is a buffalo, named Ralphie!!!!!
GO BUFFS!!!!
By Jesse's Girl
June 25, 2008 12:43 PM | Link to this
I alomost never buy store meat. If a special recipe calls for something I do not have…then I will go to Whole Foods. But as a general rule, no store bought meat for us.
By catlady
June 25, 2008 1:00 PM | Link to this
I was eating less and less meat because it made me gag. Then I realized that I was feeling very sad, with all the news lately about “downer cows” and everything so I decided to quit making myself so sad. If I have an urge, I will eat a piece of meat, but luckily those urges are rare (heheh).
I struggle with anemia due to autoimmune disease so this is proving quite a challenge. The dr. is monitoring this every 8 weeks anyway. I always eat out of my extensive, nearly year-round organic garden, especially May-October, and I crave things like beet greens, which I can grow easily.
I wish I had someone to cook for me or lived where I could get those delivered meals. After 35 years of cooking I am tired of dealing with it, and eating alone now makes it harder.
Suggestions would be welcome. I do not hunt.
By JJ
June 25, 2008 1:52 PM | Link to this
Catlady Where do you live? Maybe I can do meals on wheels for you. I love to cook. And in the fall of ‘09 I will be an empty nester…..
I would love a second job that requires cooking. I’m serious, if you live close enough to me. We could be dinner pals……
By Babe
June 25, 2008 2:01 PM | Link to this
More children, and also adults, are foregoing meat because they are educating themselves on the ways in which cows, pigs & chickens live and the violently cruel & inhumane way they are killed. Some people could care less and continue to eat meat. And some people are compassionate and do not want to contribute to their suffering.
Educate yourself, go to www.meat.org
By Babe
June 25, 2008 2:01 PM | Link to this
More children, and also adults, are foregoing meat because they are educating themselves on the ways in which cows, pigs & chickens live and the violently cruel & inhumane way they are killed. Some people could care less and continue to eat meat. And some people are compassionate and do not want to contribute to their suffering.
Educate yourself, go to www.meat.org
By A. Nony Mouse.
June 25, 2008 2:06 PM | Link to this
Why would Theresa’a daughter suddenly go vegetarian.
CONTROLDuh.
Reread “5 sad days without Daddy!” Rose is clearly asserting herself in anyway she can.
My mom was a control freak at the dinner table and it gave me huge issues with food. Not saying this is the case with Theresa but, Rose is busy becoming Rose!
By JJ
June 25, 2008 2:17 PM | Link to this
A.Nony Theresa did not write this column. Keith Still is filling in while Theresa is on vacation……..
By Keith
June 25, 2008 2:22 PM | Link to this
Keith here — Actually Theresa’s daughter Rose hasn’t gone vegetarian (to my knowledge). I’m filling in for Theresa this week while she’s on vacation.
My nearly 11-year-old daughter is the new vegetarian. While we always have some kind of issue having three sisters in the family, I don’t think this particular act is one of them.
The only “rule” we set forth on the meatless eating was that the meat-eating sisters were not allowed to taunt/poke fun at their sister for her decision. Likewise, our vegetarian had to respect other people’s viewpoints and couldn’t make wretching noises at the table when someone at meat.It has worked out well so far — a peaceful coexistence between omnivores and herbivore.
By Kat
June 25, 2008 2:32 PM | Link to this
OK, first off, some of you need to pay attention (that means you, A Nony & HB). Theresa did not write this, Keith did.
Now to the topic at hand: one of my daughters rejected meat literally from the time she was old enough to try solid foods. When she was old enough to be verbal, she accidentally got a tiny amount of chicken in her mouth and immediately started gagging and saying “There’s a hair in my mouth!” To her, the texture of meat is like hair. She just couldn’t stand it in her mouth. She is now 12, and still isn’t ahuge fan of meat, but we don’t eat a lot of meat anyway, so it doesn’t matter. Very seldom do we have a “slab” of meat on our plates (like a steak or pork chop). I serve small amounts of meat like in stir fry or soup, but it’s never the main ingredient. I’ve also gotten good at creative recipes with alternate proteins. BTW, a good non-meat protein for lunchboxes is hummus.
Also, I do NOT prepare separate meals for my non-meat eater. She does eat it in small amounts now, and she is free to pick out what she doesn’t like, but I do make sure she eats what we eat and gets enough protein. She just leans more towards the veggies & grains in the meal, and that’s fine.
By A. Nony Mouse.
June 25, 2008 2:40 PM | Link to this
My Bad!
I still say Control. Not that it is a bad thing. At least she eats.
Too, she could have heard some favorite teen idol is vegan and there you go.
By HB
June 25, 2008 2:42 PM | Link to this
Sorry — missed the byline (hey it’s pretty tiny!).
By JJ
June 25, 2008 2:46 PM | Link to this
There is just no way I could ever give up meat, especially RED meat. Oh I LOVE a good Ribeye, NY Strip, or Filet Mignon wrapped in bacon!!! YUM-O!!!
I love pork chops, and pork roasts.
Never will I give up meat….EVER!!!
Unless of course I develop some disease where meat is not allowed….
By Citizen of the World
June 25, 2008 2:47 PM | Link to this
I think one of the biggest worries for parents of kids who go vegetarian is — how will they get enough protein? A realization that most Americans eat three times more protein than is good for them should put this worry to rest somewhat.
Parents of meat-eating kids would do better to worry about what all that protein is doing to their kids’ kidneys (which have to work extra hard to excrete all the excess nitrogen that results as a by-product) and bones (which lose calcium to neutralize the acid PH caused by too much protein). Another thing that might put parents’ minds to rest is that the human body has the digestive system of a herbivore (long and convoluted), not a carnivore (short and straight).
Kids — vegetarian or no — typically eat an imbalanced diet due to many factors, and parents fight an uphill battle to ensure proper nutrition. One way they can ensure better nutrition for their vegetarian child is to move toward adopting a more vegetarian diet for the whole family. Not saying it has to be totally meatless, but perhaps moving away from meat at every meal or making meat more of an accompaniment than the main attraction.
And you don’t have to make some big announcement about this, either. When I decided to give up meat 16 years ago, I was already in the habit of cooking meatless a few times a week as a dollar stretcher. So it took two weeks of meatless meals before my kids said, basically, hey, where’s the beef? (And chicken and pork!) I told them I wasn’t cooking it anymore, but they could continue to eat meat at school or in restaurants if they wanted. And anytime they didn’t want to eat what I cooked, I pointed them to the whole wheat bread and peanut butter — a good source of protein, I might add!
Now, one of my daughters eats vegetarian most of the time (a flexitarian) — because it is hard for her at parties and gatherings — and the other one eats meat more often than not, but loves my vegetarian cooking and wouldn’t ask me to make meat just for her. (My husband became a vegetarian 14 years ago — two years after I did. Once he realized there was still going to be lots of good stuff to eat and that it was better for him and the environment, no problem.)
Be proud of your vegetarian children and learn from them! They are making a smart, ethical choice that’s good for themselves and the environment
By kelli
June 25, 2008 3:05 PM | Link to this
my sister, brother & myself are all vegetarians. my mom can’t understand how; because my parents are not. but as we grew up and discovered all about the bio engineering of foods we quit it. we have encouraged others in our family to consider organic if they have to eat meat. no weird stares when my mom comes out of the kitchen with a tofu turkey for us and the other kind for everyone else.
By Citizen of the World
June 25, 2008 3:07 PM | Link to this
Question: If Keith wrote the column, isn’t it weird that he was anemic while he was pregnant with his second child?
By Lynn
June 25, 2008 3:11 PM | Link to this
JJ - I’m with you. It just ain’t gonna happen!
By Jesse's Girl
June 25, 2008 3:19 PM | Link to this
Um….Keith is a girl.
By FAL
June 25, 2008 3:19 PM | Link to this
Yes, actually my 15 year old daughter gave up meat for Lent. We are catholic and I thought that when Lent was over she would go back to eating meat again but she hasn’t. I was suprised at first but then I started thinking, I don’t really enjoy eating meat anyway so why not. I have a really hard time digesting red meats for some reason so I would only eat chicken and fish. I was only cooking it for her. It hasn’t been that long since she stopped eating meat, but I will support her as long as she chooses to do it.
By I Smell Bacon
June 25, 2008 3:21 PM | Link to this
Here’s the other side of the story: Went camping with a bunch of friends and their kids, one of whom was my 3 year old godson who was raised vegetarian by his mother. He got up early, left the tent and met up with me and others who were making coffee and starting breakfast. One of the guys cooking asked him if he was hungry, of course he said yes, so the guy (unaware of the vegetarian thing) offered him a piece of just-cooked bacon - he loved it - so he offered him a few more pieces. When I saw that he was chewing something, I asked him what it was and he told me that Uncle R gave him something to eat - when I realized it was bacon I asked him if he liked it - of course he did - if the first meat you’ve ever eaten in your life is bacon (crunchy, salty, smoky) - there’s no going back! When his mother got up, he asked her how come we never had this before? From then on, he wasn’t a vegetarian anymore.
By Citizen of the World
June 25, 2008 3:29 PM | Link to this
Keith is a girl! That explains it!
By Ganga
June 25, 2008 3:33 PM | Link to this
I got out of Art school and joined the Hare Krishna movement (best thing I ever did!)A no meat, fish or egg diet is the Vaisnava way. That was 30 years ago! It’s a way of life. It’s preparation for going back Home!
By Julie
June 25, 2008 4:03 PM | Link to this
If my kid swore off meat he would starve to death because he won’t touch a vegetable with a ten foot pole!! I have become very creative at sneaking veggies into other food, ie meat, though.
By Magenta
June 25, 2008 4:16 PM | Link to this
I think parents do their kids a great service when they can accommodate a shift in diet. My parents were basically great, but any time I wanted to try something new, they seemed to go out of their way to try & “tempt” me with things I was trying to avoid. If it was weight loss, Dad would wave Twinkies in front of my face, saying “Mmmmm!” And during college I went through a brief period of wanting to be Jewish (and therefore kosher) — it seemed every night Mom wanted to serve either pork loin or shrimp. Unless a kid is doing something unhealthy or nutritionally suspect, parents should do what they can to help. It’s about trust and respect, and can have a major impact on other areas of your relationship. Just my two cents.
By Tim
June 25, 2008 4:19 PM | Link to this
Jesse’s Girl…I hate to tell you but meat from a store and meat from Whole Foods is the same thing… you can buy what you think is better meat from publix, etc. Also, my sister found out at about 9 that she was eating the animals she loved… She hasnt eaten meat since and she is 25!
By That was me
June 25, 2008 4:23 PM | Link to this
I became a vegetarian at 14, and thankfully my mom was a lot more understanding and supportive than many of the posters here. She, my sister and I all decided we’d be vegetarian at that time (though they both didn’t stick with it). My dad was a diehard meat-eater, and even though he couldn’t understand the choice remotely, he at least supported me in it. This was back before vegetarian was as mainstream as it is now and in a small town. Nineteen years later (the last eight of which I’ve been vegan), I’m perfectly healthy. My doctor recently told me she was jealous of my cholesterol level.
I eat a variety of things, and I’ve never had to obsess about nutrition. Regardless of what lifestyle choice you make, it’s very easy to just eat junk, and it’s also easy to eat a balanced meal. There may be some learning to cook a little differently, as it’s a change from something you’re used to, but it’s not that scary or difficult. We had some cooking experiments in the early days, and those are some funny family stories now.
As for my mom and sister, they’re both vegetarian these days (my sister also vegan) and have been for years. And more surprisingly, my dad is a self-described vegetarian too (I never saw that coming, but he had some health issues and felt better when he ate vegetarian). But if it helps to know, I have always felt blessed to have such supportive parents especially when it came to something that was important to me. I’ve heard friends’ stories about how their families treat their vegetarianism and how hard it is for them when they go home, and I wish they could’ve been as fortunate as I was.
By Jesse's Girl
June 25, 2008 4:46 PM | Link to this
I shop at Whole Foods for just about all my food…not just whatever meat I may need. But thanks Tim.
By Shake's love
June 25, 2008 4:47 PM | Link to this
We have two boys and one girl. Our daughter (now age 7) refuses to eat red meat. She dislikes it and we’ve never attempted to make her eat any. She will eat turkey, an occasional piece of chicken, and seafood. She eats plenty of veggies, beans, etc.
We don’t have a problem with it at all. In fact, her choice has had a tremendous effect on the way my husband and I cook. We only eat meat on the weekends and sometimes not even then.
She has no problem sticking to it when she’s with her friends. She’ll eat cheese pizza or some variation of what’s being served.
By Jane
June 25, 2008 4:53 PM | Link to this
what I would recommend is that you not worry about it - if asked she probably does not know. I have the two grown kids - our daughter from age two got up daily looked in the mirror and decided if she was fat today. So I did cook what they would eat with 4 in the househld some days I cooked 12 different meals. By the time they were teens - I went on strike - The current issue at the house is both kids won’t eat HAM - now let me explain the glitch - both love bacon, sausage and pork chops. Nothing I can say will convince them it all comes from the same animal. Their Dad and I enjoy a nice ham on Easter and Christmas - but I have to do a Turkey on Christmas for them and the grandkids eat what isn’t nailed down. I did have a Dr. tell me one time that I did not need to worry they were healthy and if they were hungry they would eat.
By bajangrrrl
June 25, 2008 6:01 PM | Link to this
Citizen of the world, thank you for saying most of what I was going to say about over-proteined Americans ;)
On my 15th birthday I realized I hadn’t had any meat all day and decided that wasn’t hard at all, I think I’ll be a vegetarian. 21 years later and still no more red meat. I did eventually go back to chicken and seafood, but I’m much happier now when I can look an animal in the eye and know that there’s no chance that anything resembling it will be my dinner.
By Jeff
June 25, 2008 6:40 PM | Link to this
Sounds like your children are making your decisions and not you. Tells me who is truly running your house.
By Amy
June 26, 2008 10:52 AM | Link to this
Jeff, in regard to your comment yesterday, sugar IS a carbohydrate. This includes all sugar whether white table sugar or the sugars found in fruits.
By fer
June 26, 2008 1:26 PM | Link to this
Keith, get a copy of The Grit Cookbook if you can. If you can learn to make their tofu, I bet your daughter will love it. I recently found out that it’s even good cold.
By FCM
June 26, 2008 7:08 PM | Link to this
I have children who hate cheese, but like veggies…one thinks that anything other than a chicken nugget is poison. So no, I don’t think they will give up meat. They do however eat lots of veggies and salads.
All that said if you asked them what they want to eat…90% of the time the answer is PB & J.
My eldest just asked when it is ok to drop out of school. I asked her how she was going to support herself and pay rent (she’s 9). She just looked at me. I then asked who was hiring…these days you need a college degree to get in the door. She said “well I plan to be a vet…so I guess I will stay in school.”