If there\u2019s one bullet I\u2019ve dodged as a parent, it\u2019s picky eating. Somehow, by some miracle, both of my kids have eaten really well since day one. They like fresh fruit and vegetables, seafood, spicy dishes, sushi, you name it. They\u2019re easy to feed at restaurants and other people\u2019s houses (remember going to other people\u2019s houses?? Haha, sob). Basically, I make food and they consume it, with very few exceptions. I am incredibly lucky; this I know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My nine-year-old daughter is particularly adventurous with food and will eat literally anything. Or would<\/em> eat literally anything, I guess, since she recently announced that she\u2019s a vegetarian. Pescatarian, to be precise: a person who eats seafood but no beef, chicken, pork or other meats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ah! This changes things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vegetarianism isn\u2019t picky eating, obviously \u2014 it\u2019s a valid personal choice, and I\u2019m happy to support my daughter as she discovers her values and asserts autonomy over her consumption habits. Eating animals is not a requirement for adults or children, and there are plenty of plant-based proteins to help keep her healthy. I am not a vegetarian, but as a mom, I\u2019m here to help my daughter live out her ideals. She didn\u2019t want to eat meat anymore, so she doesn\u2019t, and that\u2019s cool with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s been suggested that this is just a phase for my child and that\u2019s totally possible. It\u2019s also possible that this is the beginning of a lifelong commitment. Knowing this, it\u2019s very important to me that my daughter\u2019s decision be treated with respect. And honestly, we\u2019re well over six months into her pescatarian life now, and I see how meaningful it\u2019s been. She\u2019s a smart, determined, compassionate kid, and I\u2019d never try to talk her out of something that matters this much to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, I have to confess: the first thing I thought when she told me that she was going vegetarian was at least she\u2019s not a vegan<\/em>. Not because veganism is bad \u2014 my vegan best friend is probably reading this in amusement, hi! \u2014 but because she\u2019s nine years old and I prepare almost all of her meals. No meat? No problem. No cheese or ice cream? Get out of my house. (I\u2019m kidding. Mostly.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pescatarian angle opened things up a lot, but we couldn\u2019t eat seafood every single night. And while I knew her vitamin intake was good, I wanted to make sure she was getting enough protein. Oh, and did I mention that this child is also borderline anemic? Iron is kind of a big deal around here. So what was I going to feed her, and would I be able to keep her from shriveling into a tiny, pale blob without that sweet heme-iron on the menu?<\/p>\n\n\n\n As it turns out, yes \u2014 it\u2019s not that complicated. My daughter eats hummus like it\u2019s her job. We\u2019ve added more lentils and beans to our diet. I make sure there are plenty of dark green vegetables on the menu (like spinach and kale) and encourage her to eat more eggs. I offer tofu or other legume-based meat alternatives when I do cook meat for the rest of us (this is where her being a great eater is especially lucky \u2014 she loves tofu). We keep Yves falafel balls in the fridge as a quick meat replacement (she loves them in a wrap or with rice) and if all else fails, there\u2019s peanut butter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My daughter was already taking iron supplements, so I know she\u2019s getting the minimum amount she needs as well as what she absorbs from food. So far, so good \u2014 we even figured out how to adapt traditional holiday meals by buying stuffing with vegetable-based seasoning and making a small batch mushroom gravy ahead of time. Dare I say, this is working? It\u2019s not so bad?? I am not cursing the pescatarian gods for influencing my child??? And she\u2019s still not a vegan, phew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lot of kids go through vegetarian phases, but for some, it will be more than that. I\u2019m not sure if my daughter\u2019s decision is for now or forever, but as long as she\u2019s committed to this, so am I. As her mom, I will empower her choices and help teach her how to eat well within the parameters she\u2019s defined. It may take a little extra effort at dinnertime, but it\u2019s worth her knowing we have her back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If there\u2019s one bullet I\u2019ve dodged as a parent, it\u2019s picky eating. Somehow, by some miracle, both of my kids have eaten really well since day one. They like fresh fruit and vegetables, seafood, spicy dishes, sushi, you name it. They\u2019re easy to feed at restaurants and other people\u2019s houses (remember going to other people\u2019s houses?? Haha, sob). Basically, I make food and they consume it, with very few exceptions. I am incredibly lucky; this I know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,2],"tags":[231,232,230],"class_list":{"0":"post-2741","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-food","7":"category-parenting","8":"tag-child-vegetarian","9":"tag-food","10":"tag-vegetarian"},"yoast_head":"\n