Transitioning from omni to [mostly] vegetarian diet-help with kids

[tygrss]

Hi everyone.

I'm currently in the process of transitioning my family towards a mostly vegetarian diet. The goal isn't to be 100% vegetarian (more like 80%). That said, if we become 100% veggie then that's fine too. :)

Anyhow, it's not difficult for ME to do because I was vegetarian for for several years in my youth (late high school through most of college). My husband couldn't care one way or another as long as it tastes good (I just have to wean him off of so much processed food--he's addicted). The problem is my 4 and 2 year olds. They are uber picky. I can bribe the 4 y/o into trying and eating quite a few things, but the 2 year old refuses. He'd rather go to bed hungry, which I refuse to let happen.

So, after that long-winded into, have any of you ladies transitioned your family with small kids from an omni diet to a vegetarian or vegan diet? If so, was it difficult? How did you get through it? Would you mind giving me a sample daily menu? I don't want to have them eating mac'n'cheese every day just to get them to eat something.

Thanks!

[SundayCrepes]

My kids have always been vegetarian. However, a year ago we had to transition our daughter to gluten free then we had to eliminate both cane sugar and dairy from her diet. We found it was easier to make our house pretty gluten free to prevent her from getting accidental gluten. At this time there is a minimal amount of cheese in the house. I do have a loaf of wheat bread in the freezer. Cane sugar is very rare here.

Our daughter was two and it wasn't an issue. She ate what we provided her. Around three we started pointing out that certain foods would give her icky poops so she chose to not eat them.

Our son was over 5. The transition was harder for him, especially since he's not the one with the medical issues. Whenever we went shopping and he would ask for something I would usually say, "We're not getting that today." Rarely I would mention that his sister couldn't eat that food, but I tried not to say that so he didn't "blame" her for the loss of foods. Eventually he stopped asking for most of the foods we were not buying any more. I do allow the kids to each choose a special food or two while we're grocery shopping each week. Often my son will choose a frozen mac 'n cheese or pizza. I figure I can't totally deny him.

Regarding being vegetarian. I have been pretty heavy handed about it with my kids. I tell them I don't think chickens (or other animals) want to be eaten. When we see meat somewhere I tell them, "That's a dead pig..." Since meats never on the menu I can do this.

Regarding putting your kids to bed hungry. As long as they have foods they like available, I wouldn't worry about it. They'll figure it out. If my kids don't like dinner I'll offer a rice cake with nutbutter and jelly. And we go through a lot of Lara bars. And offering a smoothie (with leafy greens) is always an option.

[Yuuichi]

What's the point of going "80% vegetarian"? You want your kids to eat healthy? Then why keep feeding them dairy and eggs? ANY amount of animal products at all is detrimental to health because we are not designed to digest any of these things (a cow's mother's milk is meant for her calves, not for humans- see http://connect.krishna.com/node/169). Meat, dairy and eggs are the main cause of obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, osteoporosis and cancer. Not just meat, and not just 80% of meat, but all meat, dairy and eggs, in any amount, is very bad for your children's health.

Your children probably wouldn't even want to eat these things if you didn't lie to them about where they come from. Explain to them it comes from cows, pigs and hens (have them visit a farm or something, so they can socialise with the different species and see that they're not unworthy of living and being loved, just like cats and dogs), and that you want to stop eating those things because it hurts them and it's not necessary to eat them. Your kids might not care about healthy food, but they sure don't want to kill animals, or for you to pay people to kill animals. If they know the food you give them comes from there, they won't want to eat it.

If you truly care about your children's health, going vegetarian isn't going to cut it. The least you can do is have a plant-based diet (no animal-sourced products), the best you can do is eat raw, whole foods. The only reason people go vegetarian is to feel better about themselves while in reality they just replace meat by cheese and eggs, which are just as bad for health than meat if not more. If you truly respect your children you will give them the choice to go vegan, and not force them to exploit animals against their will and without their knowledge. It IS easy, and it is the morally right thing to do. I went vegan overnight, it only takes the will to do it. Watch a slaughterhouse video and ask yourself if there is anything you really want to eat for that price. Start by substituting whatever your normal nonvegan meals are by the vegan equivalent, then you can gradually move away from processed foods.

Resources:

http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2012/03/21/how-to-talk-vegan-with-kids/

http://www.veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?24-Nutrient-deficiencies-more-common-in-meat-eaters-than-in-vegans

http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/is-there-anything-that-you-want-to-eat-that-badly/

https://www.msu.edu/~corcora5/food/vegan/osteo.html

http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/media/pdf/the-vegan-2010spring.pdf

http://www.peacefulprairie.org/eNews/milk-ad.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Gbq3lkKwY

PS. I may sound harsh but there's simply no soft way around this topic. I know you want the best for your kids, you just need to unlearn what dairy-financed media has taught you about nutrition because vegetarianism really is no good.

[mumkimum]

Didn't do a family diet change with young kids, but thought I'd give you a list of some well-liked veg meals that are more than mac/cheese by our kids (5 & 2).  We're lacto/ovo so not sure whether that applies.

Homemade fried rice (with frozen veg, egg, soy sauce, leftover rice)

Simple bean burritos (just mashed beans, maybe cheese) - can also fry in corn tortilla for tacos, or quesadillas (artichoke heart/olive quesadillas are popular), also mexican pizzas with beans, cheese, taco sauce, and olives.

Hash browns or potato cake, eggs, broccoli

Simple soups (broth, noodles or tortellini, spinach, tiny chopped veggies) 

Lasanga - either mushroom (though the kids pick those out) or a tortilla lasagna with peppers, beans, etc.

Homemade chili fries (with oven fries and homemade chili, cheese, scallions)

I try to add things I know are their favorites to stuff I make, and do things where they can pick their own toppings so there's more likely to be stuff that is liked and eaten.  For example, I know that 90% of the time she'll eat all the frozen veggies if I do them just for her, but if I make something fresh for us all (except a few dishes) as a veg side it's passed aside.  Cucumbers are always a hit lately, as opposed to carrot sticks or anything else so there's lots of that.  My kids are not big eaters in the first place and they're picky, but a sample menu for a day (for the older one):

breakfast: oatmeal and juice or yogurt and fruit

snack at school (usually fruit, veggies, a few crackers)

lunch at school from home: quesadilla, cucumber slices, fruit

snack after school:yogurt and graham crackers or cinnamon toast or veggies, pretzels, and dip

dinner: bean burrito or pesto noodles with feta and olives or baked potato with cheese and frozen mixed veggies on the side

The younger one eats 2-3 bites of everything, or nothing and eats 2-3 bites of something else later.  

[kathydavid]

My husband and I decided to go vegetarian during the week and not on the weekends. That gave us some wiggle room. Try finding things the kids already like and getting them veggie or vegan. I've found corn dogs, burgers and such that the kids like that are vegetarian. Then see as they get older if you can get them involved in helping to make the food. They seem to enjoy food more that way.

[Sharon Rouco]

Tygrss:

I understand what you are going through. I created a cookbook called "My Husband Is NOT a Vegetarian" http://www,myhusbandisnotavegetarian.com which demonstrated how to convert a Vegetarian meal to an Omnivore meal. After preparing a vegetarian (or vegan) meal once a week for my husband, he now requests and consumes a veg meal at least 3 times a week. His body just began to reject or crave meat in his food.  It will work for all. 

Just remember to take baby steps with the family. Do not force the veg meals. Just make sure to prepare at least on veg meal a week, then two and so on. If you need any recipes, check out http://www.epicvegetarian.com and if you need help let me know. Good Luck

[tygrss]

Thanks for the replies.

I think that the kiddos are slowly coming around. We ate veggie several days this week and the days that we did have meat it was a very small amount. Hopefully, it's signs of good things to come.

Yuuichi: Thanks for your concern, but your reply was completely out of line and off base. If you don't have something useful to say......

Edited by tygrss - 4/27/12 at 7:13pm

[greenemami]

We have always been vegetarian (although we now eat some fish too), but I am happy to share some favorite meals :) We are lacto-ovo too, so include eggs/dairy.

Breakfast: Yogurt (plain sweetened with a little maple syrup), fruit toast,

oatmeal with fruit, very occasionally scrambled eggs, whole wheat pancakes with berries and bananas. 

Lunch: Leftovers, soup, pita sandwhiches with hummus, spinach, cucumbers, tomatos, feta cheese.

Dinners:  Quiche (broccoli and cheese is the favorite), homemade veggie burgers (black bean and panko based usually) with sweet potato fries, bean burritos, veggie lasagna, all kinds of soups with bread...I am blanking now!

Snacks: Veggies and hummus, fruit, carrot sticks and peanut butter laid out like a sun on a plate, fruit and yogurt

[greenemami]

Originally Posted by Yuuichi 

What's the point of going "80% vegetarian"? You want your kids to eat healthy? Then why keep feeding them dairy and eggs? ANY amount of animal products at all is detrimental to health because we are not designed to digest any of these things (a cow's mother's milk is meant for her calves, not for humans- see http://connect.krishna.com/node/169). Meat, dairy and eggs are the main cause of obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, osteoporosis and cancer. Not just meat, and not just 80% of meat, but all meat, dairy and eggs, in any amount, is very bad for your children's health.

Your children probably wouldn't even want to eat these things if you didn't lie to them about where they come from. Explain to them it comes from cows, pigs and hens (have them visit a farm or something, so they can socialise with the different species and see that they're not unworthy of living and being loved, just like cats and dogs), and that you want to stop eating those things because it hurts them and it's not necessary to eat them. Your kids might not care about healthy food, but they sure don't want to kill animals, or for you to pay people to kill animals. If they know the food you give them comes from there, they won't want to eat it.

If you truly care about your children's health, going vegetarian isn't going to cut it. The least you can do is have a plant-based diet (no animal-sourced products), the best you can do is eat raw, whole foods. The only reason people go vegetarian is to feel better about themselves while in reality they just replace meat by cheese and eggs, which are just as bad for health than meat if not more. If you truly respect your children you will give them the choice to go vegan, and not force them to exploit animals against their will and without their knowledge. It IS easy, and it is the morally right thing to do. I went vegan overnight, it only takes the will to do it. Watch a slaughterhouse video and ask yourself if there is anything you really want to eat for that price. Start by substituting whatever your normal nonvegan meals are by the vegan equivalent, then you can gradually move away from processed foods.

Resources:

http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2012/03/21/how-to-talk-vegan-with-kids/

http://www.veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?24-Nutrient-deficiencies-more-common-in-meat-eaters-than-in-vegans

http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/is-there-anything-that-you-want-to-eat-that-badly/

https://www.msu.edu/~corcora5/food/vegan/osteo.html

http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/media/pdf/the-vegan-2010spring.pdf

http://www.peacefulprairie.org/eNews/milk-ad.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Gbq3lkKwY

PS. I may sound harsh but there's simply no soft way around this topic. I know you want the best for your kids, you just need to unlearn what dairy-financed media has taught you about nutrition because vegetarianism really is no good.

While I hear what you are saying, I think it is taking a pretty hardline to say that there is only ONE way to eat correctly.  While I feel like I feed my kids pretty darn well, I do not aspire to be perfect.  We do aspire to try to do our best and do what we think is right.   

FYI, my kids do know where meat comes from and how it gets to us.  I have made that part of the discussion of why we eat how we do.  Dd has still asked to try meat and I have let her once I felt she had a good grasp of where it came from.  She now mostly chooses not to, but occasinally will ask and then we have a discussion re: the better (according to me) kinds of meat to choose and why I would choose that.  I seriously doubt that all non-veg lie to their children about where meat comes from to brainwash them into it-it just doesn't bother some people/children. 

I don't see how this was helpful as a response to a post asking for vegetarian meal ideas that the OP's kids might like. 

[tygrss]

Originally Posted by greenemami 

While I hear what you are saying, I think it is taking a pretty hardline to say that there is only ONE way to eat correctly.  While I feel like I feed my kids pretty darn well, I do not aspire to be perfect.  We do aspire to try to do our best and do what we think is right.   

FYI, my kids do know where meat comes from and how it gets to us.  I have made that part of the discussion of why we eat how we do.  Dd has still asked to try meat and I have let her once I felt she had a good grasp of where it came from.  She now mostly chooses not to, but occasinally will ask and then we have a discussion re: the better (according to me) kinds of meat to choose and why I would choose that.  I seriously doubt that all non-veg lie to their children about where meat comes from to brainwash them into it-it just doesn't bother some people/children. 

I don't see how this was helpful as a response to a post asking for vegetarian meal ideas that the OP's kids might like. 

Exactly.

I had typed out a response, but it wasn't nearly as nice as yours.

[Sweetmilo]

Very happy to have found this forum, I do'nt have time to read through the entire thing right now, but two weeks ago I decided to become vegetarian/possibly vegan, and I'm tired of peanut butter and jelly, and not sure how to transition my family.  can't wait to read more!

[catnip]

We're a vegan family. Some of our favorite meals are:

Breakfast (always served with fresh fruit):

Vegan french toast (made with soymilk, chickpea flour and arrowroot starch - you can use another plant milk, soy is just our favorite)

oatmeal with hemp and sunflower seeds and dried fruit

whole grain toast with nutbutter (a low sugar chocolate version made from dark chocolate and roasted almonds is the favorite - less sugar than adding jam and really tasty)

whole grain waffles or pancakes

scrambled tofu with salt, garlic and onion powder, and nutritional yeast with toast. 

Lunch (always served with a raw veggie and fresh fruit):

tomato soup made creamy with blended cashews and bread

raw veggies and whole grain crackers (or toast triangles) with hummus

"quesadilla" made with refried beans and a little sprinkle of Daiya cheese

peanut butter and jelly. 

Dinner (usually a legume, a grain and 2 veggies):

Tofu 'fish sticks' (hand breaded with seasoned almond and cornmeal) and baked (change the seasonings slightly, and they are 'chicken nuggets' with rice, sweet potato oven fries and a green veggie

Mini lentil loaves with baked potato and veggies

Pasta with veggies, beans and some sort of sauce - roasted garlic, marinara, cashew alfredo (easiest sauce EVER)

Bean soup with kale and bread

Bean tacos with salsa, avocado, cabbage and lime juice

Grilled BBQ glazed tempeh, veggies, coleslaw and biscuits

Polka dot rice - tofu, diced veggies and brown rice with a splash of soy sauce for the kids, and a spicy peanut sauce for the adults

Often at dinner time, I will make veggies and grains for every one, a spicy legume dish for the adults and then serve plain beans or tofu to the kid(s).
 

[JudiAU]

We consume a relatively small amount of fish, pastured meat and dairy and eat a lot of vegetarian meals. But for some reason those small amounts make everything easier. I can totally understant the 80%. I'd rather serve a small amount of grass-fed pastured something than a lot of processed soy to kids so we rarely eat anything more processed than tofu.

Some meals our kids like:

fried (brown) rice with peas, egg, and about 2 ounces of Niman Ranch ham for a family of four

macaroni and cheese

whole wheat rotini with tomato sauce, spinach, and parmesan cheese

Indian style potato cakes

healhier muffins and kefir for breakfast

they both adore soft cooked eggs at any point in the day

potatoes au gratin

soups of all sorts

beans of all sorts

quinoa dishes of all sorts

pastas of all sorts

sloppy joes based on this recipe http://www.thekitchn.com/weeknight-recipe-oldfashioned-58069 wibut we more or less double the sauce, add extra veg, and add a bunch of cooked lentils so it ends up being a meat dish that reads "meat" but doesn't have much meat in it

[tygrss]

Originally Posted by JudiAU 

We consume a relatively small amount of fish, pastured meat and dairy and eat a lot of vegetarian meals. But for some reason those small amounts make everything easier. I can totally understant the 80%. I'd rather serve a small amount of grass-fed pastured something than a lot of processed soy to kids so we rarely eat anything more processed than tofu.

Some meals our kids like:

fried (brown) rice with peas, egg, and about 2 ounces of Niman Ranch ham for a family of four

macaroni and cheese

whole wheat rotini with tomato sauce, spinach, and parmesan cheese

Indian style potato cakes

healhier muffins and kefir for breakfast

they both adore soft cooked eggs at any point in the day

potatoes au gratin

soups of all sorts

beans of all sorts

quinoa dishes of all sorts

pastas of all sorts

sloppy joes based on this recipe http://www.thekitchn.com/weeknight-recipe-oldfashioned-58069 wibut we more or less double the sauce, add extra veg, and add a bunch of cooked lentils so it ends up being a meat dish that reads "meat" but doesn't have much meat in it

This is exactly us! We aren't anti-meat. I just believe that a predominantly plant-based diet is much healthier than a predominantly meat/animal-based diet.

Thanks for the meal ideas. I'm definitely going to look into the Indian-style potato cake idea. I haven't made those in years!

Thanks!

[MandyDugas]

Hey!

 I went from eating anything, McDonalds, candy, junk food, meat, dairy, processed foods to the healthiest diet you can think of. My husband was really into health when we met. My son was four at the time and he has just as bad of a diet as I did. My husband has a daughter who is 11 and she was a bit picky at the time too but they both changed. The first thing we did was stop buying junk food at the grocery stores. Then a month later we started taking meat out of our diet, and a month later dairy, and a month later sugar, and so on. It's been a year now and we don't eat any of the six white poisons; sugar, salt, dairy, white flour, white rice and soy.

My son is five now and he loves eating healthy. It was hard at first. We started him with a plate of veggies first before dinner. The veggies plate got bigger and bigger as the months went on. We make super intense gourmet meals at home. But with my son we just add natural sea salt (which is good for you) and nutritional yeast on plain brown rice pasta or to brown rice. Now he is eating everything we eat. He was just scared to try it before.

Try this vegan cheese sauce: put all these ingredients in a blender.

• 2 cups brown rice milk
• 5 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 cup potato starch
• 1 tsp sea salt
• chili flakes (optional)

Blend for 1 min and pour into a pan. turn up to med high heat and continue to stir until it boils. take off heat still stirring. It will have thickened. REMEMBER Don't stop stirring or it will turn curdy, it happened to me the first time. Now you can use this as a cheese sauce on quesadillas, steamed veggies, pastas, rice, anything really! It is amazing and the kids love it! Message me if you would like more recipes.