A moral dilemma.........

[bexxie]

Right this may sound odd but I am in a quandry over something.

My daughter is 6 years old 7 next January and for the past two years has been adamant about eating meat wanting to be a vegetarian. For all this time I have been giving her meat and telling her it is "vegetarian",now this has come to light after today when she caught me roasting the chicken and obvioulsey it is in the birds shape,so she knew that this meat was in fact meat and not vegetarian. I managed to convince her it was and the fact she has just eaten it has made me feel guilt beyond belief.

Am I wicked? Does she nutritionally need the meat? Shall I make more consious effort and take her serious at this tender age......I want to know all of you that are Vegetarian at what age is considered to know your own age?

Weird one I know but any feedback will be much appreciated.

Bex.x

 

[cassi]

I am wondering if she has just heard that some people, or friends of hers are vegetarian i.e because there parents are etc and so finds this interesting and is just doing it because they are.

If not then have you tried talking to her and asking her why exactly she would like to be a vegetarian. If she has real reasons etc then i dont see why it would be a problem. But if not then im guessing it is a result of the first thing i mentioned and she will probably grow out of it.

Meat is very nutritional but alot of vegetarian meat these days has alot of the nutritional value added so it wont hurt her to be a veggie.

My step brothers were vegetarian from a young age because their mom is but have now decided they dont want to be and they both eat meat except one of them dosnt eat beef, but thats because he dosnt like it. And this isnt the case for you're little girl as she eats it when she thinks its vegetarian meat

Hope you find a resolve

Cassi xxxx

 

[skatty]

My friend has been a veggie since about the age of 6! She was adamant that she didn't want to eat meat or fish and her Mum looked into it and started cooking her meals using other sources of protein like lentils and quorn, her Mum then also became a veggie and still is!

I think you should feel proud that you have a little girl with such strong opinions at such a young age. She may change her mind as she gets older but as long as she is eating a balanced diet it doesn't matter. It just might mean more work for you

 

[bexxie]

Thanks I asked her why she wanted to be a vegetarian and she said because she doesnt want to eat animals. I didnt take her seriousley to start I mean we live in the middle of the country where it is part of par to see animals going to market for meat and most people i know have their own chickens to rear for meat.

I think I will try her on the vege stuff and see where we go from there.
Thanks it was a good help.
Bex.x

 

[Urchin]

I was veggie for 11 years, there is so much vegetarian protein stuff on the market now if she doesn't want to eat meat I wouldn't make her.

I'd get some quorn mince and veggie sausages etc. and tell her as long as she eats healthy things you will let her be a proper veggie.

 

[Charm]

I was like Urchin, I was Veggie for 13 years (started at 16).

There are a lot more choices now than there used to be. I have tried to eat meat but I just don't like the taste anymore.
I eat fish and sausages but that's about it.

Try making family meals with Quorn (curry, lasagne, bolognese etc) for a change and she'll feel like your trying just for her.

But as long as she gets her 5 a day and plenty of variety she'll be fine.

Good luck with the scan by the way

Cx

 

[stephlw25]

When i was younger, around the same age i guess, i was adament i did not want to eat animals but my mum kept lieing to me and telling me that the meat on my plate was "vegetarian".
Then when i went to have tea at my grans house she was cooking bacon and i asked for some, she said "i thought you dont like meat" and i was like er..?? bacons not meat??!! (i was only young!!!!! ) then she told me it came from a pig and i felt sick! more so that my mum had lied to me so i never trusted her when it came to food again!! i wouldt even eat veggie sauages as i thought she was lieing to me to trick me to eat it!!!!!