It's a day I knew would come. My oldest has decided that she is giving serious consideration to a semi-vegetarian diet (contrary to popular belief, "semi-vegeterian" is a dietary classification recognized by ALL dietitians and is, I believe, and important "first step" for someone who is considering transitioning to vegetarianism because of all the changes that need to be made for that to take place). I knew it would come because she has a deep love for animals.
Because she has a smaller build, however, we encouraged her to educate herself on a vegetarian diet first, to ensure that she gets enough iron and other minerals in her diet. I'm considering getting her her own copy of "diet for a small planet" that gives a terrific explanation of how to combine grains and legumes for complete program. I can't help wishing they made a "diet for a small planet for KIDS", though, because even though she can read at a high school level, she really doesn't like the dry text of materials targetted to older audiences.
As a sidenote, if any readers have any suggestions for good books on vegetarian diets for kids, please feel free to send them my way.
One question she asked about a vegetarian diet though, made me laugh. She wanted to know if shrimp counted as meat (she loves shrimp). As a non shellfish eater, perhaps I should buy some fresh shrimp (with the full body intact) sometime. I think that would end the shrimp fascination pretty quickly...lol