How do I turn Veggie, plus children?

swizzle_2

Thanks for all that.

I`m not going to turn myself or my family veggie overnight, just looking at the bigger picture.

Got some details off the web, thanks for your help.

We will eat up what we have in the cupboards first, then eat more fish to begin with. Soya and other things will also be on the cards.

Will buy some organic meat and stuff if i can get hold of it, is supermarket organic ok? seems to be a mixed bag.

We will continue to have gelatin, but if we shop more in the health food shop etc this might change in time. Kids don`t eat many sweets.

My son will only eat ham sandwiches, he is fussey- sorry knows what he likes, so weaning him onto something else might take time, he does not like cheese or tomatoes. But will get him to try, any ideas where to buy organic sliced ham?

Murtle

organic ham can be bought from normal delis

another option to try might be the quorn version of ham.

pavlovs_dog

one of my flatmates in uni had M.E, but was also lactose intolerant (couldnt have milk), so she ate a very strict organic diet with a lot of fruit and veg. she relied quite heavily on the tesco organic range and on local health food shops. also consider local delis, farmers markets etc. even if you dont buy from them to start off with, you may at least find contacts of even more health/organic food shops in your area. obviously if you live in/near a big city you will probably have more choice than if you live in the back of beyond.

is supermarket organic ok? well that really depends on your needs, and what you want from it. personally, if i was going down the organic route and i had the option, i would support the small local business before i would line the pockets of the big supermarket chains. however one might be more economical than the other - in which case your financial situation could influence/limit your options.

perhaps you might be in a position to consider growing your own veg, and that way know exactly whats gone into it?

with regards to the gelatin/quorn/dairy fish scenario, it very much comes down to personal choice. some veggies say no way, others will do most in moderation. again, it comes down to whether you are dead set against the above, impartial, or if you can find cost effective alternatives that you like.

as for your son....all children have little quirks with food. if you have had a battle to find something that you know he WILL eat without question, then im sure as a mother your first concern is that he is a) eating and b) as healthily as possible. his palate will broaden with time, you just have to put up with him in the mean time (remember, boys are in training to be men, we can only work with what we're given ) dont battle with him. encourage him to try new things, help you in the kitchen so he knows how things are prepared and made. also, that he knows where his food comes from (ie, pork from a pig, but different types of pork from different parts of the pig) rather than just the supermarket!! again, if organic is a bit pricey for you, do research and consider halal meat - there are strict guidelines on the way the animals must be reared, treated and slaughted, and it seems much more humane than our normal butchery (for example they dont believe in slaughtering a calf and its mother on the same day).

if you look in the indexed collections (look to the blue bar at the top of the page, the stickys on the main page, or squeaky's signature), there are several threads on lunch boxes - perhaps you could find some ideas in there to try him on. use the summer hols to your advantage - take them to the park on picnics, and break him in gently with the new foodstuffs "mmmm, this pizza is yummy, would you like this in your lunchbox hen you go back to school in september?"

HTH!

Hunnymonster

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.

Something wrong there Ted - beasts really should be hung for a couple of weeks after slaughter to develop taste and texture....

swizzle wrote:

Soya and other things will also be on the cards.

If you're anti-GM you may like to remember that no Soya product can be guaranteed GM-free as all the major soya producers worldwide don't keep the GM/non-GM variants apart or labelled.

Magentasue

We're a veggie family but don't eat soya or quorn products, just 'ordinary' meals without the meat. Quiche and pizza without meat but with onions, tomato, mushrooms etc., baked potatoes with cheese and baked beans, egg and chips occasionally, ratatouille type stew, vegetable curry, cheese and veg pasties, ommelettes, cauliflower cheese ...

All with fresh veg or salad. Wish I could say it was that easy but the kids do pick and moan, especially if it's a bit different. None of them want to eat meat, they are just picky. Now I just cook what me and OH will eat and make sure there's someting on the table veg and pasta/rice/potatoes wise that everybody will eat.

What I have found is that our diet is high in fat (all that cheese). My kids are lean and healthy but I've put on a stone over the last five years. Am now trying to get rid of that which means that half of our dinners are out. As are the roast potatoes. And the apple crumble and cream to follow. Veggie diets are often high in fat if you rely on dairy products, better to incorporate more pulses into your diet and gradually phase out the meat. Fortunately I love most vegetables and salads but I'm not keen on pulses unless they're a small part of a meal.

Ted_Hutchinson

Hunnymonster wrote:

Something wrong there Ted - beasts really should be hung for a couple of weeks after slaughter to develop taste and texture....

But you have to remember this is a small farm which is simply using the butchering skills of the local butcher. Ideally you are right that a lamb carcass could be hung for up to 10 days and this would further improve eating quality. A beef carcase is best if hung for up to 4weeks. However the longer it hangs the more expensive per pound.
You will see from the price I paid only about £2.00 per lb so I really can't complain particularly when it eats as well as this one does. I'm certain that the less stress the animal has after leaving the farm is crucial and going directly to the local abbatoir at the appointed time leads to a minimum of stress. This can be best organised by small farmers using their own transport and having close contact with all those involved in the process.

Loadsabob

Magentasue wrote:

What I have found is that our diet is high in fat (all that cheese). My kids are lean and healthy but I've put on a stone over the last five years. Am now trying to get rid of that which means that half of our dinners are out. As are the roast potatoes. And the apple crumble and cream to follow. Veggie diets are often high in fat if you rely on dairy products, better to incorporate more pulses into your diet and gradually phase out the meat. Fortunately I love most vegetables and salads but I'm not keen on pulses unless they're a small part of a meal.

Hi Magentasue, you're right, of course, that if someone relies heavily on dairy, those products are high in fat. I guess I don't rely too heavily on it...but roast potato and crumbles, they sound good...and I do so LOVE them!.....

I thought I should say, though that in 15 years as a veggie, I've not put on weight. I'm quite a small frame, and have remained so...although I've switched to butter over marg, and I do like cheese on my pasta! And I eat eggs (free range organic, local)...

Murtle

loadsabob - snap

Veggie for the same time, and the same age now....how spooky....

I struggle now, since being confirmed as lactose intolerant. I struggle with the protein side of things to be honest. IMO a veggie diet really isn't suitable for everyone, but no harm in trying.

Loadsabob

Murtle wrote:

loadsabob - snap

Veggie for the same time, and the same age now....how spooky....

I struggle now, since being confirmed as lactose intolerant. I struggle with the protein side of things to be honest. IMO a veggie diet really isn't suitable for everyone, but no harm in trying.

That IS spooky! Tricky being lactose intolerant though. I mentioned elsewhere that I tried Rice Dream at the weekend, instead of milk on my cereal. It was really lovely!! I got the new one with soya as well. I've never managed to like soya milk, though I love the idea of it! But the Rice Dream had more of a milk mouth-feel. I was impressed, and will at least be cutting my cows milk intake by half because of it.

Protein IS difficult, I find. Especially as my boyfriend told me you should aim for a fist-sized portion of protein at each main meal (your own fist size is the right size for you apprently). I was shocked at that, as I have had nowhere near that for years! I do tend to buy Quorn, and soya mince or chunks. Beans, too I enjoy. Am determined to get more tofu into my diet, but that's an ongoing good intention!

Browntoa

I'd go with the above post, Quorn is very good to ease the family into non-meat food, I swapped normal burgers for quorn ones then only told my daughters after they had eaten them up with no complaints !! Soya Mince from Sainsbury's is very good as well ...just "Meat" up the flavour with Bisto or something similar

Orange or fruit juice is important with vegetarian meals to help extract all the iron , B12 etc