How do I turn Veggie, plus children?

swizzle_2

After watching supermarket secrets last night, thats it I think we should turn veggie.

I don`t want to eat rubbish even if it is cheap and the price of organic/free range meat and chicken is just too much. So lots of fish and veg from now on.

But how do I start? I have 2 young children 6 and 3, so need to make sure we are getting all we need, no one eats cheese apart from an odd bit on a pizza.

Tuna and veggies for tea, will get it out of the freezer now.

se999

http://www.vegsoc.org/index.html

This is the home page to the Vegetarian Society, has recipe sections, also has sections on becoming a veggie, and special sections on nutrition for young children

Hope it's useful.

We're semi-veg, i.e. occasional meat.

When I'm travelling (UK or international) I use http://www.happycow.net/ to find local restaurants.

Hunnymonster

swizzle wrote:

After watching supermarket secrets last night, thats it I think we should turn veggie.

Tuna and veggies for tea, will get it out of the freezer now.

Is tuna a vegetable then? Or are you forgetting the dolphins that die as a result of bycatch with net caught tuna (and to a lesser extent line caught tuna)

Far better (and cheaper) to stop sourcing your meat from a supermarket and try a local farm shop (buy it direct from the guy who has 'grown' it) or a decent butcher (it's not in his interests to sell you rubbish - he doesn't have the 'backing' of all the other products a supermarket sells)

aliasojo

Thanks for the veggie link, I don't want to go completely veggie but I think perhaps we need to introduce more meat free meals into our diet.



Edited to remove my comments about supermarket meat subject as I didn't realise there was a dedicated thread about this subject already on the go.

swizzle_2

I know that tuna is a fish, but it says dolphin friendley on the box !!

Can`t just turn veggie over night, plus not very old style to throw away food I`ve aleady spent money on. We will eat up what we have and not replace it.

Have already checked out local farm shops, thier meat/chicken is not free range or organic.

So for a start it`s eat up, then eat a bit of fish, then maybe completely veggie will have to see how it goes.

But was just not sure where to start.

Ted_Hutchinson

May I suggest you visit The World's Healthiest Foods website. While it isn't entirely veggie it certainly encourages a healthy way of eating which inevitably means decreasing the reliance on meat.

However it is a very research based site and recognises that there are certain essential components of our diets that are most readily found in meat and fish.

I don't think it's necessary to go down the completely organic route. I've looked at the prices of organic lamb and I really don't think that the increase in price is justified. I bought, locally, a whole lamb (butchered) last week for about £90 and it grew up in fields that were organic in every respect but not certified so couldn't be sold as organic, similarly it and it's mum would have only had any medicine that was absolutely essential. I think if you can buy from a local farmer this cuts down the stress to the animal of going to market.
On Monday I saw it happily grazing in the field, by Wednesday it was in the freezer and I'm happily eating it now.

Our local butchers have also got their act together and are putting banners on the fields where that farmer is producing beef specifically for them. Most small farmers, like the chap who puts his cows/calves on my field, want to do their very best for their livestock and are proud of the way they look after them very often spending more on keeping them alive than common sense would tell them is economically viable. It's when meat production becomes intensive that the short cuts are taken.

aliasojo

Ted_Hutchinson wrote:

On Monday I saw it happily grazing in the field, by Wednesday it was in the freezer and I'm happily eating it now.

I realise we all do the same Ted (eat meat that was once alive I mean) but there's something very 'Hannibal Lecter' about your statement here. :rotfl:

jo_b_2

se999 wrote:

http://www.vegsoc.org/index.html

This is the home page to the Vegetarian Society, has recipe sections, also has sections on becoming a veggie, and special sections on nutrition for young children

Thanks for the link. I'm going to post a link to the free Vegetarian Guide for Parents from that site on the Freebies board. Hope that's okay.

I'm sure there are lots of others on the Freebies board who saw last night's programme but might not have ventured over to this board as yet.

JAMIEDODGER

i too saw the programme last night, and although i am tempted to turn veggie...i do love eating meat.....i talked to the children about it and we have decided to just eat less meat to justify the price increase to organic...they too were disgusted by the lifes those poor animal led. so i guess its more veg/pasta/potatos and rice per serving and less meat for us!!!

Loadsabob

swizzle wrote:

I know that tuna is a fish, but it says dolphin friendley on the box !!

Ah, but it's not "tuna friendly", is it?!! Just pulling your leg.

I went veggie at 14 (I'm now nearly 29), and have always been very healthy. I think the Vegetarian Society is a brilliant place to start with advice, nutritional information and recipes if you're not sure where to start.

I found the key is not to simply cut out meat and fish and eat the rest of your usual diet minus those things, but to actively introduce new foods. The key to a healthy diet seems to be variety, and if you eat as wide a range of foods as possible, you stand a much better chance of getting everything you need in your diet.

I had always felt that getting all my nutrients as a veggie might take a bit more thought than as a meat-eater, but having learnt over the years about the terrible nutritional value of mass produced meat, I feel that really, there are a lot of meat eaters who just think eating meat is enough to get all the right nutrients. Of course that's not the case.

Seeds, beans and pulses, loads of fruit, vegetables and wholewheat rice, pasta and breads. Soya products are very good, and there are lots of meat-style soya products if you find that easier and more familiar. Quorn is very available, though of course manufactured, and if you can learn to love tofu, in any form, that will be a real boon to your family's health. If I'm lacking in any one thing, I think it is probably protein, because so many of my meals revolve around vegetables and pasta or rice. So I'm actively trying to ensure I get a good portion of protein at each meal. Important for growth and repair!

There are also some good books on the subject, probably links on the Vegetarian Society website will be able to help you find those.

Good luck, I hope you enjoy it!

pavlovs_dog

although i never did turn veggie after contacting VIVA for my free vegetarian starter pack, it did introduce me to a lot of new ideas about ways of cooking, different foods etc. if it is something you are serious about then i throroughly recommend you get in touch, as the send you out a lot of info free of chrage, which is followed up by their newsletter.

they are linked to several celebs, including Paul mccartney, so there is always interesting articles to be found.

i think loadsabob made an important comment - you cant expect to sit up one day and go 'thats it, im never eating a, b, or c again'. it is imortant that you take time to look at all your options and break yourself and your kids in gently.

think of all the new and 'excotic' veggies, beans and pulses that you may never heard of before that you may suddenly find yourself eating - will you even know what they look like, or the most economical place to source them?

will you be cutting out all meat full stop, or just greatly reducing your intake? what about dairy, and fish? if you are cuttting these out, how will you monitor your diet to ensure you are all getting sufficient protein etc?

what will you stance be on things containing gelatin - made from bone marrow? wil your kids suddenly learn that they can no longer eat their favourite sweets, or jelly :eek:

are you willing to try meat alternatives - tofu, quorn and the like?

have you considered buying only halal or organic meat, but less often?

how will you feel if you do decide to go veggie but one of your kids is adamantly against the idea? how are you going to react on christmas day surrounded by turkey wih all the trimmings, whilst you eat your mushroom tartlet or nut roast?


what i am trying to say is dont rush into things. check out message boards on veggie websites. speak to people at your local health food shop. raid the library of its book supply, in particular student cookbooks for cheap and cheerful ideas.

break yourself in gently, give yourself time to find your feet, be prepared from funny reactions from rellies but stand your ground, and most of all have fun *hugs*