# 12 year old vegetarian. Nutritionally sound choice? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 3, 2010, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-year-old-vegetarian-nutritionally-sound-choice/548998 "2010-08-03T12:36:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-year-old-vegetarian-nutritionally-sound-choice/548998/81 "2010-08-05T04:22:12Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Since you eat eggs, choose the high essential fatty acid (EFA) eggs (they are fed either flax seed or microalgae to boost their EFA content.) Alas, I actually don’t eat eggs (I’m just lacto-, not ovo-). (Well, I don’t eat eggs overtly. When they turn out to be hidden in a cookie or a cake or that sort of thing, I don’t care; I’m accustomed to that. Yeah, yeah, my vegetarianism is more about habit than logic.) ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-year-old-vegetarian-nutritionally-sound-choice/548998/82 "2010-08-05T04:31:56Z")
My sloppy read. Sorry. The rest still applies though: Nuts, seeds, a bit of flax oil, and you’re set fine in the EFA department. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-year-old-vegetarian-nutritionally-sound-choice/548998/83 "2010-08-05T04:38:17Z")
My son, LOUNE, has never eaten a steak or most meats in his life.He did not like the texture and chose not to. It saved me a boat load of money until he decided shrimp was a good food. He eats chicken blobs from Mc Donalds. That is OK with him. Chicken but not turkey. I never fought it. He got vitamins. He has never eaten a hamburger. He is a breadatarian though. When bread is a big part of your eating, you tend to be picky about it. But he has never made a statement of conviction or a point about why. He just did not like it and did not want to eat it. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-year-old-vegetarian-nutritionally-sound-choice/548998/84 "2010-08-05T04:49:59Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > 1. We are not going apeshit with this. We are not maintaining separate dishes/utensils/cookware that aren’t used with meat, or other silliness. Yes, I am the sole judge of what constitutes silliness. I’ve been a vegetarian for 17 years, i’ve known dozens of vegetarians and vegans, and i’ve yet to meet a single one who insists on this. About the only form of separation i’ve ever heard of is to keep at least one cutting/chopping board that will not be used for meat. And i also know some omnivores who do that anyway, just for the sake of hygiene and prevention of cross-contamination. I’ve never heard a single person insist on separate cutlery, cookware, or dishes. I’m not saying it never happens, but i think this one of those things that is far less common than most non-vegetarians seem to believe. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-year-old-vegetarian-nutritionally-sound-choice/548998/85 "2010-08-05T05:14:54Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > > [@lindsaybluth](#): > > > > his mother adopted a child without his consent. > > 😕 Totally off topic, but do parents usually consult their children before having a second child? > > I certainly don’t know anyone who did this, but maybe it’s common? There were extenuating circumstances…he was 10 years old, and her biological son. His parents split when he was two, money was a bit tight, the two of them were extremely close; the light at the end of the tunnel was her getting tenure. She got tenure, he celebrated with her, feeling more free and not worrying about money as much and she celebrated by…adopting. Taking out loans, of all things, to get them. And yes, the adoption agency DOES interview all existing children, so long as they’re capable of speaking. He was pressured into saying he was fine with it. Things have smoothed over for the most part now. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-year-old-vegetarian-nutritionally-sound-choice/548998/86 "2010-08-05T10:20:24Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > > [@Nava](#): > > > > [hijack]Sorry, but that thing about supplements is an American obsession. In other countries, people do not routinely take vitamin supplements for years. They may take them when they know they’ll be low for some reason, they may take them seasonally, but seriously, if you want to get iron in your diet, that’s what lentils, spinach and cockles are for![/hijack] > > Hey, I had anemia when I ate red meat 5 times a week _and_ took an iron pill. I’m now vegetarian and take two iron pills with a vitamin C pill. People snark to eat more high iron foods, but I _do_ (and see the red meat 5x a week above). Some people really just have a hard time absorbing iron. I’ve taken iron too (mine was ampules), but it was a temporary thing to fix a temporary deficiency caused by repeated bouts of tonsillitis (bleeding tonsils ftw). Your medical problem is permanent, but most people do not have it. Most people are able to get their iron through diet - so long as the diet contains iron. What’s absurd is doing what some people do, of eating like shit and popping an A-Z pill with every meal. I’ve seen diets of bologna and pills (and no, it wasn’t students, these people could afford to eat better). > [@Broomstick](#): > > I’d like to point out here that there really is a _genetic_ component to iron absorption. Some people absorb too much (see [iron overload)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemochromotosis) due to genetics, and it’s not beyond reason to think that someone might, due to genetics, absorb too little. The only way to determine iron deficiency (or excess) is by _blood test_, not by diet. Where had anybody said that diet can be used to _determine_ iron deficiency? It can be used to avoid it, when there isn’t a medical problem. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-year-old-vegetarian-nutritionally-sound-choice/548998/87 "2010-08-05T10:57:41Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > About the only form of separation i’ve ever heard of is to keep at least one cutting/chopping board that will not be used for meat. And i also know some omnivores who do that anyway, just for the sake of hygiene and prevention of cross-contamination. I’ve never heard a single person insist on separate cutlery, cookware, or dishes. > > I’m not saying it never happens, but i think this one of those things that is far less common than most non-vegetarians seem to believe. Yeah, I do cutting board separation at my house but that’s for avoiding cross-contamination only. I have some of those thin plastic cutting mats with non-slip backing that are color-coded by meat type, plus a bamboo cutting board for non-meat. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-year-old-vegetarian-nutritionally-sound-choice/548998/88 "2010-08-05T11:26:01Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > > [@Broomstick](#): > > > > I’d like to point out here that there really is a _genetic_ component to iron absorption. Some people absorb too much (see [iron overload)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemochromotosis) due to genetics, and it’s not beyond reason to think that someone might, due to genetics, absorb too little. The only way to determine iron deficiency (or excess) is by _blood test_, not by diet. > > Where had anybody said that diet can be used to _determine_ iron deficiency? It can be used to avoid it, when there isn’t a medical problem. Some people in this thread seem to have the idea that if you’re vegetarian you MUST supplement. Not always the case. If you have iron deficiency you should supplement, but if you don’t you shouldn’t as an excess of iron can also be very bad. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-year-old-vegetarian-nutritionally-sound-choice/548998/89 "2010-08-05T12:17:30Z")
OK, so we actually agree on that point. My own take is that you should supplement if and only if you happen to need to for specific medical reasons: some posters have expressed the notion that everybody should supplement. ---
**Author:** ![vegfox10](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@vegfox10](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vegfox10)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-year-old-vegetarian-nutritionally-sound-choice/548998/90 "2012-02-11T11:50:12Z")
I was 12 when I started being a vegetarian.It would be easier for your daughter if she wants to be a veganto start as a lacto vegetarian because she is growing and she needs calcium and then be a vegan so she can get used to it.My mom only helped me by boiling some vegetables .I did all of my research on the internet. Oh,and sorry if I made some mistakes spelling cause I am from Puerto Rico and I dont know to write a lot in english. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-year-old-vegetarian-nutritionally-sound-choice/548998/91 "2012-02-11T12:16:24Z")
Welcome to the Straight Dope, **vegfox10**! the thread is 2 years old, so if there was a decision it would already have been made. it would be nice to hear an update from the OP though, did your daughter go through with it? ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-year-old-vegetarian-nutritionally-sound-choice/548998/92 "2012-02-11T12:23:00Z")
Nevermind. Zombie vegetarian thread. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-year-old-vegetarian-nutritionally-sound-choice/548998/93 "2012-02-11T13:37:48Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > Welcome to the Straight Dope, **vegfox10**! the thread is 2 years old, so if there was a decision it would already have been made. it would be nice to hear an update from the OP though, did your daughter go through with it? If KBear is around and willing to share, I’d be interested in hearing how this situation was resolved. Did she study the nutritional issues? Does she have a balanced diet? Does she handle her own food? Either way, I hope things are going well. > [@Oakminster](#): > > 1. We are not going apeshit with this. We are not maintaining separate dishes/utensils/cookware that aren’t used with meat, or other silliness. Yes, I am the sole judge of what constitutes silliness. > [@mhendo](#): > > I’ve been a vegetarian for 17 years, i’ve known dozens of vegetarians and vegans, and i’ve yet to meet a single one who insists on this. It’s quite common for Indian vegetarians to insist on this. I have several good friends are vegetarians and when we were rooming together, we had separate cooking pots (we shared dinnerware though – go figure). Traditionally for Indian vegetarians, it’s not just the issue of the logical content of the meal, but otherwise vegetarian food is contaminated by contact, either directly or indirectly, with meat. So, picking the chicken out of a dish doesn’t make it eatable, for example. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-year-old-vegetarian-nutritionally-sound-choice/548998/94 "2012-02-11T13:40:24Z")
> [@phall0106](#): > > nevermind. Zombie vegetarian thread. graaaaains! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-year-old-vegetarian-nutritionally-sound-choice/548998.md?page=4)