Re: Any vegetarians out there?
 

I didn't get to the top of the food chain to become a vegetarian.

Re: Any vegetarians out there?
 

I truly don't think you meant to do it but your post seems incredibly angry towards me. I don't understand "Maybe you should apply this attitude towards them. " I think I have been extremely mature by not sabotaging them. I can honestly say that nothing they have eaten has been contaminated by meat in anyway.
In terms of them eating fish. I agree with you but since this is the only form of protein that they are getting at the moment, I ain't telling them.

Re: Any vegetarians out there?
 

Sounds like vegelitism to me.

Semi-vegetarianism consists of a diet largely of vegetarian foods, but may include fish and sometimes even poultry, as well as dairy products and eggs. The association of semi-vegetarianism with vegetarianism in popular vernacular, particularly pescetarianism (also called pesco-vegetarianism and described as a "vegetarian" diet that includes fish[5][6][7][8]), has led to what vegetarian groups cite as improper categorisation of these diets as vegetarian. The Vegetarian Society, which initiated popular usage of the term vegetarian as early as 1847, condemns the association of semi-vegetarian diets as valid vegetarianism; the organisation points out that the consumption of fish is not vegetarian.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism

Re: Any vegetarians out there?
 

Lots of protein in beans.

Re: Any vegetarians out there?
 

Lack of protein will not be a problem. We actually need very little protein in our diets, and the only people with protein deficiencies also have a calorific intake problem (IE, they're starving)

Be careful about iron intake. Lots of green leafy veggies will sort that one out.

Here in the US there are plenty of vegetarian things in the freezer section - Even in my meat eating household, we have Mock-bacon as it's far less fattening than real bacon.
(not as much as in the UK unfortunatly - Quorn in the UK is great)

My advice would be to make food without a meat substitute if you can. so don't try and make veggie lasagne with a soy based ground-beef subsitutute - Just make it with a veggie filled tomato sauce.
The reasoning behind this is as a meat eater, you will be obsessed with making it taste like meat and it just wont, so don't bother!

Make your regular family meals and they can eat the veggies, or maybe have a bit of fish instead of that chop or steak. most fish bakes in 10-12 mins in the oven.

Re: Any vegetarians out there?
 

I can tell you that if my brother and I, at 17 and 14, had announced that we were now vegetarians, our mum would have laughed and said "Fine. You know where the kitchen is, knock yourselves out."

Re: Any vegetarians out there?
 

My sisters were vegetarians about the age for about a year. One gave up because she couldn't say no to bacon and KFC, the other gave up when she went to university and couldn't afford to be so picky about what she ate.
Was never tempted myself as I don't eat fruits or vegetables.

Re: Any vegetarians out there?
 

If you can get hold of a recipe book from Hendersons Salad Table of Edinburgh, that might be of use to you. I got my one about 8-10 years ago. Hendersons do great veggie food. You just don't miss the meat with their food. I'm not a veggie, but I make a pilgrimage there when I go home at least once or twice. Their chocolate mousse is to die for.

Re: Any vegetarians out there?
 

They are pescetarians, as am I.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pescetarianism

Re: Any vegetarians out there?
 

Show them the kitchen and let them prepare their own meals...end of your problem, another stage of their growing up. If you don't currently buy what they want to eat, give them a budget each and let them pool if they want to.

Re: Any vegetarians out there?
 

Penny, no, sorry. I have just had bad experiences with people telling me that I eat fish (including schools trying to serve it to me wayyy back when and not letting me leave the table because I wouldn't eat).

Anyway, as for their overall health they should be fine. My grandmother was a vegetarian for most of her life and lived to be over 100 and I've been veggie since I was about 14 (and on and off before then). What I meant is that maybe you should help them look at their diet by taking them shopping etc. and see what meals they come up with. I used to make veggie sloppy joe all the time using veggie mince "meat" and onions etc. with my dad (who is a certified carnivore).

The only warning I would have is about veganism. I tried it and because I didn't plan my meals well ended up tired all of the time but that was due to my own stupidity about not planning what I was eating.

:-)

Re: Any vegetarians out there?
 

I've been vegan for 4 years and never cared about where I get my protein, calcium, or any of the rest of it. We really don't need anywhere near as much as most people think we do. But..... I don't think I could live off salads all the time. The body is pretty good at telling the mind what it needs, and I rarely think 'salad'.

One thing I would add: Go easy on the cheese. Many vegetarians substitute everything with cheese.... the consequences are obvious.

Re: Any vegetarians out there?
 

New born babies have the biggest growth spurt of their lives from age 0 - 6 months, powered by the nutritional content of their mothers milk right?
from the calories in Breast milk only 4.5% of those calories are from protein.

Re: Any vegetarians out there?
 

Elder brother became a veggie for a while...we both worked at an abattoir, not actually in the abattoir more like underneath it ...we did a sewer renovation job and spent 2 weeks in and around the place.Never bothered me one bit ...work for 4 hours then a meat pie for lunch ...work ..home for pork chops.My brother however took it badly and for nigh on 4 years never touched any meat products (Unless Walkers beef crisps count).....then one day I walked into the pub to find him with his nose in a bag of pork scratchings ....that as they say was that...

I have always considered myself a vagitarian though ;)

Re: Any vegetarians out there?
 

Nothing wrong with a bit of fish.