Vegetarian Advice: Pre-Teen Going Veg, Needs Plan

Question: 13, wants to go veg, step-dad says plan out her diet - is it worth all the work?

I am 13 years old and I want to become a vegetarian for two reasons 1) I feel bad about the animals and 2) I need to lose weight. My Step Dad says its fine as long as I plan out the entire diet. Everyday I have to have in writing what I am eating. Will it really be worth all the work? I'm not sure about it. HELP!- K. M.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice

Dear K. M.,

Your step dad is partly right. Your parents are responsible for you, and want to make sure you don't run into trouble, which is why he's asking you to plan your diet. And you should be in charge of what you eat - you can't expect your parents to plan out the whole thing for you, when they have a different diet. On the other hand, even an adult, who knows all about cooking and at least a bit about nutrition, can't jump right into being vegetarian overnight. You need to go veg gradually, for several reasons:

1) You may not know yet how to plan and cook nutritious meals. You need to start learning, if you want to become a successful vegetarian, and learn gradually about vegetarian diet and nutrition, not jump in over your head, with no preparation, and set yourself up to fail. I'm sure your step dad wouldn't expect you to become a violinist overnight, and for the same reason, you can't go veg overnight. There's too much to learn.

2) It takes time to get used to a different diet. You need to explore different foods, learn how to prepare them (e.g. beans, veggies, whole grains), find out what you like, and what agrees with you. In your case, you also need to learn what foods will help you to lose weight, and which won't. Again, there's a big learning curve. Hint: ditch the cheese, get more active, and unplug the TV.

3) Because you're still growing, you need to take care that you're getting proper nutrition. It doesn't work to just cut out the meat, and other wise eat just the same as you have been. If your parents allow you to go veg, they're still responsible for your nutrition, which means they'll also have to learn about vegetarian diet. Are they willing to support you that way?

So, here's my advice: First learn all that you can about vegetarian diet. I've attached two vegetarian reports to help you get started. And here are a few other resources for you

'The New Becoming Vegetarian' by Vesanto Melina and Brenda Davis - it's a very readable and understandable vegetarian nutrition guide, available online or at bookstores.

Get one or two good vegetarian cookbooks, and practice making some simple dishes for yourself, and to share with your family. There's a list of recommended cookbooks on Savvy Vegetarian.

Plus there are lots of recipes and cooking tips on Savvy Veg.

Gradually introduce vegetarian foods into your diet, and start easing back on the animal foods, with no deadlines. For instance, start out with a vegetarian breakfast, once you've got that down, start figuring out a few lunches a week, and so on.

Going vegetarian is a worthy goal, and you can succeed. Just take it one step at a time, and don't mind a few setbacks here and there. If you stick with it, by the time you're ready to leave home, you'll be pretty good at being vegetarian.

Good Luck! Judy Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

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