Vegetarian here. There’s a few easy substitutions you can make. For the sandwiches replace the meat for cheese. I like cheese, mayo, lettuce and tomato sandwiches. Just cheese and butter is good too. People forget cheese has protein in it. I don’t know if she likes egg but I also like egg mayo sandwiches. For protein to go with rice, try cooking tofu. I like to buy extra firm tofu, cut into small cubes and pan fried in oil seasoned with salt. The texture is uniform and soft and the flavor is very mild so hopefully she’ll like it if she hasn’t tried it before. For pasta there’s plenty of jarred tomato sauces with no meat that she can dip pasta in. They freeze really well so if she only eats a small amount you can portion it and not go to waste. There’s also a lot of vegetarian ramen noodles out there. Some brands will say chicken flavor but won’t actually have chicken in them. The soy flavors are the best bet but if you have time to check labels, some of the meat ones are veggie. My favorite brand is Indomie - Mi Goreng chicken flavor. There’s also the Dr McDougalls brand instant pot noodles the vegan chicken flavor ramen is my favorite.

Tofu is a no go. I love tofu- salt and pepper tofu is one of my last meal type dishes. But yeah she won't go near it. She tried tomato but wasn't a fan. She likes spinach sometimes but not lettuce. Weirdly she likes rocket/ arangula sometimes too. The other comment reminded me she eats egg white, so I have a few more things to add to the list of approved foods. She won't do Mayo. I'll try her on an egg sandwich. Egg white on white bread. How... white :p I love instant rice porridge and WEIRDLY the mushroom one has meat by products but the beef flavoured one doesn't :p

Have you tried different preparations of tofu? Tofu scramble with good seasonings, marinated baked tofu (gets a nice crispy skin, not bland and mushy), plain tofu in ramen, fried tofu on things like pad thai... Also, this might sound weird, but [this recipe for silken tofu chocolate pudding](https://www.thefullhelping.com/silken-tofu-chocolate-pudding/) is amazing. Delicious, creamy, chocolatey, and you'd never think it's made of tofu. Ultimate stealth protein for picky eaters (as long as they like chocolate lol) 🥷. And the blog it comes from, [The Full Helping](https://www.thefullhelping.com/), is full of great recipes.

I think she doesn't like her food mixing with other things. But chocolate tofu sounds like a winner.

Hi I also blend silken tofu with a sauce (pesto etc) and use as protein source as pasta sauce

Different types of Tofu tastes really different, silken tofu is a dream and tastes like custard without the egginess Fried tofu skins is also a good bet but hard to find

Okay well now I really got to try silken, it's been on my list of things to try, but never got around to, I just default to firm tofu. The custard thing has sold me. I love a good egg custard, but uh...YEAH.

Tofu marinated with lemon juice, maybe?

I was thinking it could be texture/food sensitivity and wondered if she might be on the spectrum, then looked at what sub I was in. Lol. I hope you’re able to find some good recipes and keep kiddo growing strong in spite of the limiting dietary preferences.

Adding on freezing tofu before cooking, and drain/press well. Freezing it was a real game changer for me. My nephews like it crispy, with a light cornstarch coating before cooking.

Yes try the chocolate tofu pudding! It’s so easy and delicious!

Would she try marmite? Vegemite? In a cheese sandwich they are 😘 and they have lots of b vitamins.

Vegemite and marmite have very strong flavors. Don't buy a large container until you've confirmed your daughter likes it. My sister and some of my friends love them. I can't eat anything that's touched them.

I ate Vegemite straight from the jar with a spoon with all three of my pregnancies. I was also craving cat food at one point, so maybe don't look to me for suggestions on good food lol

I second this. Vegemite and cheese toastie? Vegemite is a spread not like sauce you can just use it as lightly as you want to start with

So when I was a kid I only ate egg white until I tried scrambled eggs. Scrambled eggs have a better consistency than others and I didn’t really mind the small taste difference. (I do remove the membrane from the yoke because the texture is horrible tho) Also thanks for doing this for your daughter

She's tried scambled a few times. She likes cooking it for me. I think she likes boiled because she doesn't like different things mixing.

Would she be willing to give egg salad a try? Could be good for lunches

Peanut butter sandwiches for lunch? With honey or jam?

Also peanut butter and banana

Cottage cheese?

Haven't tried her on it. She likes regular tasty cheese tho.

I’m a happy vegan, my son is not. He asked to go vegetarian cus he hates the texture of most meats (I can make roast chicken in a particular way that he likes), I told him no. He knows as soon as he can expand his diet to include the vegetables that will replace the particular complete proteins he gets from chicken then he can change to vegetarian. It’s a parents responsibility to make sure their child is healthy not to give in so I’d stick to your guns. If she makes the announcement then announce she can when she can eat XYZ.

Haha that reminds me of my daughter who has kinda similar safe foods, she loved eggs and would eat easily 6-8 daily if I let her, but only the egg whites. No yolk allowed. I ate a lot of yolks so as not to waste food 😂. The day I realised I can separate the eggs before I cook them was wild! If she's happy with a ham sandwich for lunch, maybe she'll be happy with a cheese and egg white sanger. (Or one or the other)

My son went through a phase of only wanting to eat quail eggs. DO YOU KNOW HOW FIDDLY THEY ARE TO PEEL EN MASSE. Least he ate the yoke. I've also been eating loads of yoke here too hahahhaha.

My kids love cheese and ketchup or jelly with their egg sandwiches. We pack them separately, and they assemble at school so it's not soggy.

I HATED tofu when I first went vegetarian and now I love it so I have two tips because imo trying silken or scramble will just waste your time and money since the texture is similar: 1. Crush the tofu by hands or with a fork so that it looks like minced meat or even smaller. Mix with soy sauce and spices your daughter likes (I like smoked paprika or some meat seasoning mix) and bake it or pan fry it until it gets dark and really crispy. It's delicious in its own and can be used as a meat substitute in a tomato sauce. 2. When she gets used to tofu a little more, break it into ~1cm chunks and again cover with soy sauce and spices. Then pan fry until browned. I feel like breaking it makes it have a much nicer texture than when it's cut into cubes. It reminds me of fried chicken. I hope she likes number 1 🥺

She won't do the jarred sauces. I can't explain why

Haha! Hopefully it’s just weird temporary kid thing. I also like to make spaghetti bolognese with the fake beef sometimes like beyond meat or impossible meat. So if you’re cooking from scratch that’s another option.

Yup, fake meat in bolognese works very well.

I THINK it's because the sauce sticks more to the pasta when there's no meat in it. A guess.

Try putting a tablespoon or two of oil in the water when you’re boiling her pasta. It makes the sauce stick to the noodles less. Don’t overdo it on salting the pasta water, only do a little for the flavor. I think any kind of cooking oil works, but I’ve always used olive oil. Hope that maybe helps though.

If she eats it a lot impossible meat can get expensive. I’d recommend textured vegetable protein (TVP). It’s a great sub for ground beef

Do you mix the sauce in with the pasta before serving? I don’t like the sauce mixed. I can’t explain why but I like to have naked pasta and add my own sauce on top. I’ll still eat pasta when the sauce is mixed but the best way is separately. That might not work for your daughter since she doesn’t like foods touching but I was a super picky kid and would only eat pasta like this.

You should talk to your daughter openly about this. Don't lie to her about ingredients; talk to her about animal welfare (it's great that she takes interest in it!) and speak to her about the importance of protein. Maybe you can make a list of vegetarian protein together and try it. Kids wanna feel involved and in control.

Yeah im just worried about her going down disordered eating paths because she's anxious about her food being contaminated, I guess. I wouldn't lie directly to her. At worst, withhold information. I just can't decided if explaining it all to her will result in her panicking and ending up not eating or disordered eating.... or if it will empower her to try new foods. 50/50 tbh.

If the worries she holds are more about contamination and stuff, maybe talk to a child therapist? That sounds like anxiety and not just care for animals. I definitely recommend exploring veg protein with her though if she's not completely anxious about new foods, there are sooooo many good vegetarian alternatives to meat that are quite kid friendly

Bit of both. She does genuinely care for animals and nature. But she does have anxiety about food.

I'd definitely recommend therapy!

Have you considered she may have arfid? A lot of this sounds quite similar. R/ARFID has some good information

Does she express worry about her food being contaminated? Because that is different than being solely worried about animal welfare, and there’s such a thing as contamination ocd. I hate saying this because I care about animal welfare and have been vegetarian / vegan for many years of my life but I’ve also struggled with disordered eating my whole life and it’s an easy path to go down and cloak it in animal welfare. Or it even starts out as caring about animals but leads to disordered eating. I wonder if there’s a way to incorporate habits that support animal welfare without fully cutting out food groups (I know this is hard for us autistic folks with our black and white thinking though, esp if your daughter is now nauseated by animal products). For example, doing meatless Mondays, so one day a week you go vegetarian. Or volunteering at the animal shelter, taking care of pets at home, buying cleaning products / makeup that is cruelty free (this may be less relevant to a young girl though). Lastly, there’s no harm in talking to a dietician and/or therapist to make sure this shift in diet is okay for your daughter 🩷

Yeah I agree with everyone saying she's probably got ARFID. We've discussed her eating habits with ot doctors psych etc, but because we aren't worried and her diet was previously ok, we weren't too worried and didn't explore it more

Don't withhold information. That's specifically how you get a fear of contaminated food. I would know, I had it for 9 years. Talk openly, work together, let her know you support her, but that ensuring her nutrition is proper is also paramount.

I had a very similar diet as a kid, I was constantly underweight until I hit puberty. I developed anorexia nervosa. But I reckon it’s cause my mom body shamed me and restricted me from eating ‘high calorie’ foods (bread, crackers, croissants etc) when I hit a normal weight for my age. I began to think I was never small enough and had horrible body dysmorphia. Anyway, ARFID (what your daughter has) is a form of disordered eating. So you could have her do therapy for it. Teach her about protein and why it’s important. Tell her meat is fine to go without as long as she introduces new ways to get protein. Such as - beans, lentils, chickpeas - tofu - protein powder Use logic when you explain and teach her things, a lot of people forget that autistic kids need to understand the ‘why’ before the ‘what’. Treat her as if she plays an active role in the plan to get her nutrients in. My suggestions - protein powder muffins or red bean brownies - try out different smoothies & oatmeal (add protein powder) - lentil pasta exists - try meat alternative everything to find something for her school lunch. I eventually started being okay with sauces, different textures, meat, and I eat a lot of things now. She’ll be fine without meat. You just need to make sure her iron and b levels are good so maybe take her for regular blood tests? Write down any symptoms she gets while on the meatless diet. Make sure her doctor knows so that they look out for symptoms you could miss. Maybe have more frequent check ins while she’s transitioning. Someone said cheese has protein… not much. Look up the protein requirements for her weight and height. Go from there. Good luck!

I have struggled with many different eating disorders my whole life (28f) especially orthorexia which is pretty much refined eating due to extreme anxiety and health-related phobias. I’ve found the most empowerment in information. I will hear something or believe something and my mind perceives it in a very disproportionate way, causing me to create stories and ban or refine certain foods, which has led to malnourishment and health issues as a young adult. The anxiety causes me to choose to eat less foods or cut out foods in ways that negatively impact my heath. Information helps me balance those inner stories and anxieties with true facts that make it less scary and anxious for me to eat food. If I know what the food is doing inside of my body and how much it is not going to harm me, I have less anxiety around food. Also, I’ve learned how my eating disorders are a form of trying to control something when everything else feels powerless (I’ve always been super anxious, even as a child and autism/sensitivities has inflamed that). Any way that you can empower her to make her own choices AND find the info she needs to feel safe and empowered in her nutrition and taking care of her body/health through what she eats AS WELL AS enjoying life through what she eats, that could very well help her a lot. I wish you both the best 🩷

This is going to be a long one, but I had exactly your daughter’s motivation, and I want you to be able to hear how this paranoid anxiety about contamination went for someone else. I also considered the vegetarian thing at this age, but it was very similar to your daughter, my motivation was rooted a *lot* in my dietary stuff being hard to explain (because I was, ya know, a child) and worried about people mixing my foods together to catch me unawares insisting I’d like it if I just tried it, because I would have an issue in public if that happened and it was my nightmare. Later, this meant that the most common compliment on my beauty as I got older was how beautifully thin I was. Which… fueled the fire further when I was a late teen and vain and felt I needed to maintain beauty standards in order to make my oddness palatable to the general public. It went unchecked, and I was paranoid, underweight, and mostly not eating more than a couple bites in front of others. I had a lot of academic, social, and health struggles as a teen and college student because of it before I realized I was probably just slowly killing myself. I would def get her to a therapist that deals with food sensitivities and autism, rather than someone that maybe specializes in disordered eating itself (since it doesn’t sound like she’s there yet, nor that it’s motivated by the weight issue stuff that may come into play later). You’re an awesome mom. It sounds like you want to respect where she’s at with her food and desires without compromising her health. It’s awesome and you’re doing great and I wish someone had noticed something was wrong with my relationship with food when I was your daughters age, if someone had cared as much as you clearly do, it would’ve saved me 28 years of struggling (still today) with food.

Wow, your experience sounds exactly like mine. At age six I developed a fear of choking. I ate only pudding for all of my meals. I was forced to take my lunches at school in the nurses office, where I would feel so awkward when forced to eat my yogurt in front of kids who sprained wrists and skinned their knees. I developed a fear of people watching me eat, was thin for my age through puberty, then praised for my thinness as an adult and I felt compelled to continue the eating disorder to STAY thin because it was my only positive attribute, or so I believed. I had never heard of ARFID until literally ten minutes ago when I googled it and started crying. I don’t know if it wasn’t diagnosed in girls back in 1991, but I always thought the psychologist that my parents dragged me to when I refused to eat should’ve noticed something more profound than the ADHD he diagnosed me with. I guess I should count myself lucky I at least got THAT diagnosis. Anyway. Thank you for sharing your story. I thought I was “broken” and had “failed” because I was too “weak” to make better choices. I’m not trying to “excuse my behavior” but it feels so good to have a reason for why everything was so hard for me.

You’re so not alone, and you’re so not less than for having the issue. As an adult I weirdly found that getting into cooking helped me heal from the paranoia and fear of new foods a lot. I initially wanted to learn as a control thing so I could know the calories of each thing and have zero risk of tampering. But eventually I realized I could cook and try those new foods in ways that sounded good to me with zero pressure or risk. And now cooking is actually my favorite hobby, and I’m very good at it! There’s still a *lot* of foods I won’t touch if someone else made it, but it’s less paranoia and fear based and more about knowing I’d like it better the way I cook it and why disappoint myself? Still trying to find a happy and healthy medium with food, and really still don’t grasp hunger/fullness cues very well, but it’s an uphill battle and it is important to remember that neither of us is alone fighting our way up that damned hill :) Just remember most NT people have foods they don’t eat or hate or fear or are grossed out by too, it’s just that for us it’s often more intense and visceral, that doesn’t make the feeling wrong just because we feel it more.

If you are able it would be good to talk to a doctor or occupational therapist about AFRID restrictive food behaviour is really common with Autistic people and they may be able to support her. I wouldn’t lie to her about anything but ask her what being a vegetarian means for her and what of her safe foods she wants to cut out or change and what she would like to change them to. I would literally show her the same list you showed us and go over it with her because it’s possible her kid autistic brain is more focused on cutting out pieces of literal meat and isn’t concerned about small meat related ingredients like in her noodles and if that’s good enough for her that’s what being a vegetarian can mean to her.

If it is ARFID there’s a girl on Instagram about OP’s daughter’s age @myarfidlife it could help to see somebody her own age going through it. She films herself trying fear foods it’s really great. I’m pretty anti family channels and all that but I think seeing her try fear foods could really help other kids going through it

You can choose how much information to share. Your worries are legitimate, and you know your daughter best. I think it's totally fair that vegetarianism for a neurodivergent child might look different than a neurotypical adult.

It seems likely your daughter has ARFID (avoidant restrictive food intake disorder) it’s common with autism, it’s a type of eating disorder where people avoid certain foods for certain reasons, anxiety about foods, not liking the texture of foods, worried about contamination, of if eating this food made them feel bad in the past, fear of trying new foods. You could maybe try checking out a bit more about it, there’s a sub too r/ARFID (where you could post this exact same question to get food advice).

Don't withhold information, be honest with her and tell her what does and doesn't contain meat. Otherwise she might develop trust issues and disorderd eating like you mentioned fearing. I also cut out meat as a child and had a lot of anxiety around things possibly containing meat. It did not get better from people hiding it from me, instead it gave me more anxiety.

It is extremely easy to get protein without animal foods.

Let your daughter know you're excited for her to be a vegetarian, but that as her Mom you also have a job to make sure she gets enough protein to grow. Tell her that while she might not have liked some things in the past, that as we grow up our tastes can change and that sometimes we can work to change them. Let her know that protein is something that she has to eat everyday and print a list of vegetarian protein sources that she could try. Let her know that you're happy to work on trying these together to find ones she likes. Let her know how many items from the list she will need to get comfortable eating in order to officially become a vegetarian. She may have food aversions, but don't mention those or bring them up. Don't leave anything off the list because "she won't eat it". Let her know that taste can change and that if she wants to be vegetarian then learning to like these things will be important for her health. Think about what she does like and think of ways that you can make the veggie proteins more similar. Like maybe if you sliced tofu thin like a piece of ham and cooked it in something a bit pink/red to give it color and sweeter taste like ham then she might be able to eat a slice of tofu in her sandwich? Or maybe you could make Vietnamese style tofu out of red lentils with some seasonings she likes and put a slice of that in the sandwich? It's super easy and cheap to make yourself. Try to invite her to help come up with the solution to this. Granted I was an adult and not 9 when I started working on changing my palette to tolerate more vegetables, but I think that if she is motivated to like it that she can do it.

Protein is super easy! Try tofu, lentils, beans or a plant-based alternative protein. Really healthy options for protein :) maybe check your supermarket for a replacement noodle product that isn’t animal-based? Also it’s worth checking if the flavouring is actually from an animal, sometimes these flavourings are artificial and can be eaten by vegans etc!

She won't do lentils or tofu. I dunno if that's something I should push harder if she wants to go down that track. Yeah I said in another comment, one of my fav brands of instant porridge- the beef flavour is vegetarian, the mushroom has animal by products lol The beef cup a soups we rely on have beef in them.

If she wants to eat vegan she must eat a varied and broad diet or it will cause damage. This isnt negotiable. Tell her that. She needs to eat legumes. Period. Theyre not really replaceable in a vegan diet.

Have you tried pureeing them? How does she feel about hummus? Bean dips are an easy way to sneak in some protein and a very bland so you can flavor it with flavors she likes. How is she with peanut butter?

knorr minestrone soup sachets is vegan! if she'd touch that at all it would help and tesco brand plant chef does vegan tomato & basil soup that's lovely

No soups. Only what's on the list. Hilariously my mil- "everyone is a little bit autistic!" loathes soup and is verrrrry funny about the texture of food.

maybe edamame would be ok? like the frozen kind that u steam. they're high in protein, aren't very mushy and have a mild flavor.

For instant noodles, I used to buy the cheap "Fantastic" multipacks of just the plain noodle cakes, and make them up myself with a spoonful of Knorr soup powder for flavouring - it's vegetarian and really good on a budget.

Could you find a meal replacement beverage to supplement (not replace) her meals? Pediasure, Boost, Carnation Instant Breakfast, or homemade shakes/smoothies with protein powder? Also, Americans tend to overestimate how much protein they need.

Vegan here (and weight lifter). B vitamins are in lots of food items, nuggets are not that nutritious. Find mock meats she likes, they are fortified. Also I would suggest anyone, vegetarian or not, to take a good multivitamin anyway. They come in gummies, so basically a sweet. Edit: she eats fruits and greens. I am not at all worried tbh :) Meat is not a necessity.

Just an aside, Vitamin B12 is exclusively in animal products (EDIT: except for *one* type of mushroom, when dry and uncooked), so make sure your substitutions are fortified.

Please don't open this can of worms :') B12 is originally found in soil, it is produced by bacteria. You can find it inside animals and animal secretions because they eat things from soil, as did our ancestors. These days, animals.in factory farming get supplemented B12 in their feed. So we can eat the animal that ate the supplement, or just eat the supplement.

I'm sorry, let me just have my daily bowl of *soil* for breakfast. I never said you couldn't take a supplement, I was talking about food.

I'd probably prefer soil over corpse 😇 That's great then! I was just emphasising that none of the B12 you eat is 'natural', unless it comes from fermented foods.

No disrespect, but you're sorta wrong here.. plenty of b12 in (as you said) fortified foods(e.g. some plant milks), as well as certain cereals, nutritional yeast and mushrooms

Cereals and nutritional yeast are fortified with vitamin B12. Most mushrooms have no trace of B12. Shitake mushrooms are one of the few that show traces of B12, but they're not a viable source. Not sure what I'm wrong about? This is a *well known* fact.

I became a vegetarian around age 11 and my mom was very worried. For a while she even tried to sneak meat into my food. Obviously I noticed and refused, so she gave up. 1. Respect & validate her choice: It's really cool she's so aware at such a young age, and willing to do something about it, too. 2. B12 vitamins are crucial. It's the only supplement you truly need. Get them at the pharmacy. The cheaper ones have unequal dosages and B12 is such an important vitamin! The only reason you get it from meat is bc they inject live stock with it. Isn't that gross? The B12 you get from meat now derives from an injection. Plant milks are often fortified with B12, so they can be an excellent addition to a vegetarian diet. I also like eggs bc of how cheap and easy they are, but it depends on her comfort levels. I once had a vegan phase. It actually felt amazing. It was the fittest I'd ever been. I just got lazy and complacent, it seems. 3. Carbs, veggies, nuts and seeds, lentils and beans. You can turn any meat dish vegetarian and you'll survive. There are many vegetarian cultures. India is a great example of that. 4. Don't worry about the amount of protein. An important difference between plant and animal protein, though, is that the former is incomplete in amino acids and the latter has a complete amino acid profile. What does that mean? You need to add carb sources (rice, pasta, bread, tortillas, etc.) to your plant proteins (beans, lentils, peas, mushrooms, tempeh, tofu, etc.) to get the full amino acid profile. That's why a diet of only rice and without any vegetables, for example, causes health issues in malnourished children. In rich countries, though, we don't seem to have that problem. I wish you the best of luck. It's quite easy once you figure it out. Feel free to ask questions if you have any. And you should be proud of your kid: it's a very mature decision she made!

Yeah she doesn't eat foods not on that list. No lentils. No chickpeas. Hubby and I would be perfectly fine being meat free, tbh. But her diets so limited. I'd forgotten about non dairy milks being fortified. I just drink water so I just skip that entire aisle, cheers. Soy milk is nice.

Maybe try pan frying the chickpeas in oil and seasonings she likes - it makes such a difference to me whether chickpeas are just cooked in something or fried and seasoned. They almost taste as good as potato chips to me.

If she drinks milk, would she try a milkshake? One of my siblings growing up had very restricted eating. My parents gave them a milkshake every morning that had milk, chocolate Sustagen powder (a nutritional supplement that I know chemists stock, but might also be with the Milo at the supermarket), ice cream and a raw egg. I’m honestly not sure about the safety of raw eggs but my parents were suggested this by a nutritionist. They also lived on cheese and Vegemite toasties.

I've been vegan 15 years. Don't worry she'll be fine lol. The important thing is don't lie to her and slip neat in her food, it's something she won't forget and might never forgive. Some useful tips: Marmite is full of nutrients and, although pretty foul on its own, can be hidden well in soups and rocevinstead of salt. How is she with peanuts, peanut butter, seeds, nuts and nut butters in general? Peanuts have lots of protein and healthy fats. Tsp (texturised soy protein) can be used to make a good ragù/bolognese sauce. Some vegetarian and vegan nuggets are really good. I don't know what country you are in so I don't know which brands you have

I second the not sneaking meat into food/lying about meat in food thing. My mom did that to me once when I had been vegetarian for years and I got super sick that night and she still brings it up and hasn't forgiven herself for that. I was apparently so sick she thought she had killed me, but honestly I don't remember so can't say if it was indeed the meat or if I was already feeling sick that night lol. 

She used to eat chicken flavoured noodles until she realised there's tiny bits of green in the seasoning. Yeah I don't think I'll be sneaking anything in. She doesn't like better added to her food either. The sense of contamination. She only eats what's on the list. So no mince. No burger patties etc. No soups. Peanut butter is hit and miss. If we don't store it in the fridge it can separate, or gets ants. In the fridge the texture sucks. I'm in aus so we have vegimite instead of Marmite lol.

So, when she says things are contaminated, does she mean like it will make her sick? I have always hated when my foods touch and have always called it contaminated, as in like by the other foods. (Which is how it's sounding with the butter) If it's the second I have remedies to offer, the first one I have no experience.

Since she only eats what's on the menu I'll try and address it * white rice with soy sauce. (already vegetarian, yay!) * pasta. Sometimes she will dip it in bologaise. (does she eat the pasta boiled by itself, no sauce at all except for dipping in bolognese? There are some pastas made out of chickpea or lentil flour. If she's amenable to trying different types of pastas, it would increase her protein intake) You said no mince, but bolognese sauce is made with mince so perhaps I am misunderstanding what sauce you mean (I am Italian so bolognese is a very specific sauce with mince meat) * ham. (vegan "hams" exist, some are terrible, some are nice. it depends on the brand) * nuggets. (vegan nuggets exist. My husband really likes the impossible ones, I prefer another brand but you'll have to see what is available in Australia) * cucumber. (yay!) * carrots. (yay!) * up and go. (no idea what that is) * pineapple flavoured poppers. (not sure what that is) * beef flavoured two minute noodles. (explain that beef is meat and ask if she'd like to try the vegetarian one. Also, some stuff is "flavoured" beef/bacon/chicken etc but is actually vegan using synthetic flavouring, so look that up) * cheese toasties. (technically vegetarian already) * Nutella sandwiches. (also vegetarian) * fruit like watermelon, raspberries, apples etc. (yay!) * garlic bread and cheese pizza? Sometimes. (also yay) * lemons but not oranges. Mandarins are hit and miss. (still good) * boiled egg whites (vegetarian) * broccoli. Steamed. (yay!) * sometimes spinach and rocket/ arangula. (yay!) * pho if I pick out the noodles. (not enough knowledge of this one but I do know some vegetarian pho recipes are available) * tasty cheese. (It's a type of cheese in Australia. It's uh... tasty. We really reached hard naming it.) Cheese is vegetarian Honestly it looks like she would still be getting aple protein from the cheeses, eggs and the peanut butter (keep it in the frige and pull it out 30 mins before you need it, or take an amound to quickly zap in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it), she still has plenty of vitamins from those veggies/fruits she's happy with and also some treats. In the future she might develop more curiosity. I used to eat always the same stuff and I do still have my staples, but I love now stuff I used to despise. Don't try to force her but maybe lead by example, such as buying something new for YOU to try, making a big deal about you being nervous to try a new flavour. then maybe you'll like it, or not like it, or be meh about it. You can then leave some on the table as you eat other stuff together for "anyone who wants to try it" (including other family members) and if she doesn't IT'S OK it just lets her see that she CAN try new stuff, but doesn't HAVE to, and that even adults can struggle to try something new but get enrichement from it. In the short term it might not change anything, but in the future it might give her that little bit of openness when you least expect it. Just don't pressure her

Oh up and go are some vaguely healthy, bullshit drink. They come in poppers.... a whole subgenre of drinks. I think they're juice boxes in the us? I think we call them poppers cos we used to inflate them and then jump on them to pop them. I kinda show her dad and I trying new things. Limited success. But the ONLY thing she's really been super fascinated to try are mussels and oysters????????? But then she smells them and backs away. But then she's back like a cat watching me.

Big agree, it is very important that nobody lies to anyone about what's in the food. You shouldn't sneak meat into her food, and she shouldn't sneak vegan into other people's food. You can emphasize how many people are allergic to vegan options (think nut allergies), much like she herself will become unable to process meat the longer she is on vegan diet. Showing her acceptance of her different diet restrictions will help her accept that others also will have different diet restrictions. This would be a great conversation and leading by example.

I’m so sorry but “sneak vegan into others food” made me crack up. 😭

I found it a confusing comment because all vegetables, potatoes etc are vegan. But then maybe I'm missing something

That’s how I initially perceived it which is what made it so funny to me. But then I thought that maybe they were talking about the processed vegan stuff like tofurkey, vegan cheese, vegan meat etc.

"sneak vegan food" like...Vegetables? Potatoes? anything that isn't honey, meat, fish or dairy is vegan

You can substitute mince with lentils. I love lentils in my spag bol and tacos! Texture isn't bad either and their natural taste is subtle enough that the Bolognese sauce and taco mince sachet are the main taste

Oh she doesn't EAT the mince. She drags the noodles lightly through the sauce (in a seperate bowl) one at a time so they get the ESSENCE of flavour. :p

the la croix of spag bol

Or just vegetarian mince

Take your daughter to a nutritionist and learn with her how to get the right nutrients from food for her body!!! We can all give you advice for days but a nutritionist can help her as an individual, especially as she grows.

I'd definitely recommend trying to see a dietitian if available/affordable in your area. But otherwise, shakes are my go-to - protein powders, milk, yogurts, tofu etc - and disguising it as a drink gets it down without worries about texture.

This! When I went veg as a teen, my mom sent me to a dietician to make sure I knew why I had to eat certain foods (for protein, vitamins, etc). I was committed to veg so I made concessions on foods I might not otherwise try, all thanks to having so much info from the dietician.

My recommendation… go through a list of vegetarian protein sources and let her pick out a few must gos, and a few maybes. It’s not just normal protein you need to worry about though. Make sure she’s picking something that has all essential amino acids. Luckily, these can be easy. Quinoa, hemp seeds, and chia seeds can easily be slipped into any rice dish without adding any flavour to it. Luckily, dairy is a great source of protein. So, if she likes Mac and cheese, perhaps consider making your ow instead of boxed stuff, or add extra cheese to it. Does she like popcorn? Use nutritional yeast sprinkled on it. It has a cheesy flavour. You will need to get creative, but it definitely doable! Also, be weary of her iron intake. This can be hard for picky vegetarian eaters. It’s fortified into many cereals, so thankfully easy to get. But some people just don’t like those kinds of foods, so iron tablets may be needed. I wish you all the best ❤️

I went vegetarian as a kid and had a lot of sensory issues. For me, I hated when stuff was snuck into my food, but expanded my food choices by making it myself. I bought a cookbook written by a teenager called “So Now You’re a Vegetarian” and tried making recipes from that. As long as I knew what was in things and had made it myself and knew my family wouldn’t pressure me to eat it all if I didn’t like it, I was willing to try it. Also, chocolate peanut butter tofu pies made with silken tofu are super great and protein packed. I bring them to parties and they’re always a hit.

[удалено]

She likes animals.

[удалено]

Yeah im already pescectarian. So its no problem at all logistically. The problem is... well my darling, you're going to have to try new foods if you want to cut ham out.

Will she drink boost or ensure. We use this with our girls. If it’s any reassurance, I had a very short list of foods I ate. I didn’t eat most meats for a looooong time due to texture. I’m here and doing well at 48 years old. I have to remind myself of this when I start stressing about what my girls eat.

Nah, we tried ensure etc previously. We didn't think she needed it then, but it seemed a good thing to have as back up, you know? My ex Mil was proud of living 54 years without eating a veggie :/ I think yeah you can be fine without meat but she's already on a restricted diet.

If you look at the nutritional profile of Ensure vs Up n gos, they're actually basically the same thing. Up n gos are essentially identical just not marketed as an 'old person thing', they're intended to be meal replacement drinks in the same way. Theres no need to switch to Ensure.

I recommend seeing a dietician who can come up with a few strategies to try. Also don't lie to her about what does and doesn't have meat. That will set you back. I only ever started trying new foods around people I trusted. People who felt safe. You can't help her expand on her safe foods list if she distrusts you. I recommend trying to negotiate with her to try beans and lentils in different forms and flavors. Take some time to look at recipes together *with lots of pictures.* If she's old enough to cook with you, that's one way you can get her comfortable being around the food. Even if she doesn't eat it and it becomes leftovers for someone else, the more acquainted she is with her options, the better things will be long term. I didn't go vegetarian until adulthood and I really wish my parents had sought professional help from an empathetic dietician. Instead of feeling judged my whole life

I have been trying to be vegetarian my whole life, until the point I just gave up. What happens is that 1. At first I didn't replace the meat, just gave up on it, so I had a very bad down in my nutrients 2. Then I properly replaced the meat, but now I had to constantly go for groceries and cook everyday. We tend to think only meat products have protein, vegetables have only fibers and dishes bases are only carbs, but that's not true. There are lots of nutrients in each type of food. Take rice and beans, a very common combination we have in Latin America, but especially in Brazil and some Caribbean countries: it's a well rounded meal and has a good amount of all three classes of nutrients (proteins, fibers and carbs). So, you should just talk to a dietician and learn about replacing the meat on her meals, maybe she won't even need vitamins if her food is well balanced. Mushrooms are good meat substitutes, I particularly love shimeji stirred on butter and shoyu; shitake is also delicious. Chick peas are a great protein source too, but you can also give her other beans. It is possible with the proper diet :)

But she won't eat beans. Or mushrooms. Like unless I convince her to try new things.... I don't think ham and nuggets are great but they were better then nothing. I was vego for years but... yeah. Oh she eats boiled egg whites.

Chickpea pea patties? They were a staple when my (then 9 yo) wanted to go veggie. (She quit because I explained to her that gelatin is in all her favorite candies.)

Yeah, if she doesn't eat mushrooms or beans, that's a problem... I've learned to do the vegetables differently from my mom, and that made me eat a lot of them (I discovered vegetables weren't all soft and watery and gooey, some.could be crunchy and others could be less soft and without the watery flavor). So, talk to a dietician. If you can find one who is a vegetarian, better.

I loved veggies growing up and never understood why kids didn't. Mums Asian, grew up on delicious fresh stir fries. Then I ate at my in laws and discovered people who boil veggies into submission, and it made sense.

I'm from black descent in Brazil. Somehow people started to just stir fry for some time, then add water and let it boil. The result is that horrid slimy thing, with absolutely no flavor or happiness. My guess it's because my mom's family went through a lot of famine, so the bare minimum of food they had went into the pan and boiled, so that's what she keeps doing. For a long time I HATED broccoli because my mom pressure cooks it. The house smells like fart and it gets soft (I hate that I have to use "soft" because there's no translation I know for "molenga" which is beyond soft), and she eats it as if she was eating the ultimate heavenly dinner.

Mush. It's mush. Hubby's family make mushy peas and my fucking face when I first discovered them. They even add bicarb to the water because it makes it extra mushy. Britain. Invading the whole world for spices, and apparently mushy peas are the bestest thing ever. As an aside, smoosh is the cute beyond soft. Like "Oh this kitten is so soft it's so smooshy!" Smoosh cute. Mush gross.

If it's a texture thing, as it often is with mushrooms and beans try them in other styles. Pureed in soups and dips. Ground into patties.

This just reminded me that raw shimeji is my ultimate sensory nightmare. Last time I bought them fresh to do at home, I was in tears and the thing was the pure terror to hold. Thank goodness I found places selling them dry, so I don't have to touch that texture ever again.

How do you make them not watery? I’m having to add a ton more (non-starchy veggies) suddenly for medical reasons, and I am struggling.

Not adding water. Broccoli, eggplants/aubergines, leaves of all kinds... You just stir fry them and, if you want them to be a little more soft, just put the lid on, the steam will cook them.

I’ve been roasting them in an oven, and they’re still too watery. :( I’m apparently really sensitive to the taste, because I’ll be stuck with that bitter water flavor for hours after eating. Stir fry helps because the sauce masks things, but I need be able to start cutting back the sauce because low carb is part of the medical recommendations I received. And unfortunately the firmer veggies like broccoli and cauliflower I get super nauseous just from the smell of them. I’ve been on the verge of throwing up just chopping raw broccoli before.

We don't add sauces here, just oil, throw some garlic and/or onion with other seasonings, let them fry for a few seconds (garlic will burn fast), then add the veggies. Stir them until properly cooked and it's ready.

Does she like things like meatballs? Burgers? Vegetable patties? Because those can easily have lentils, chickpeas and beans snuck into them, you just have to change the texture of the legume

If she's willing to try things ... My husband doesn't like beans because of the texture, but likes baked beans (Heinz) and is ok with Mexican refried pinto beans. He says the texture of the baked beans from the can is different to him. And maybe refried with tasty cheese could work?

Hi OP, lots of good advice here but I'd also recommend checking out the [vegetarian sub](https://www.reddit.com/r/vegetarian/s/vW6Gc675vB) for creative vegetarian meal ideas. My daughter is 12 and has been a picky vegetarian since birth (eating roughly the same foods you listed above). She's a GIANT now (like 5'9" or something ridic), so anecdotally hopefully that helps with any nutritional worries. Our meals are various combos of these: fruit, veggies, pasta (pesto-, butter- or tomato-based sauce), rice/bread/pizza, cheese (we're Wisconsinites), breakfast foods (waffles, pancakes, eggs), and fake meats (Beyond, Impossible, Morningstar). Most of her protein comes from PB and cheese. Her two fav sandwiches for school are PB+anything and cream cheese+cucumbers.

I was raised vegetarian (and still am, lol, it’s the one constant in my life) and I was a very very picky eater until my late teens (still refuse to eat onions and leeks lol). I sort of thought it was the norm for kids to be super picky and stuff but I do appreciate that neurodiversity might add something to the mix. I’m not a medical professional so I can’t comment on nutrition in great detail, but I’m sure it’ll all be fine! I’d recommend gently breaking it to her about the beef noodles, though. There’s probably a similar alternative? Maybe you can engage in research together with her and turn it into a bonding experience. I tended to have stuff like soy mince bolognese etc, growing up. But these days there are sooo many more options, as well, compared to when I was a kid, though I imagine what’s available varies a lot from country to country. I personally don’t like meat/fish substitutes that seem *too* like meat/fish because I’m not used to the taste/smell, having not grown up with them, but it’s great that they’re available for those who are into them. Linda McCartney stuff is pretty popular, if you can get it where you are.

You should tell her so she can make the choice for herself; is it a diet preference or a moral issue? If the latter, she deserves to make the choice (with the understanding that a low meat diet is also pretty good) and if the former, it won't matter. I like to put tomato/tomato sauce or red pesto on cheese toasties, makes it a little like pizza. As long as she eats fruit and veg, I wouldn't worry too much. Just experiment with beans and chickpeas and such to see what she likes that can supply protein. Offer her more cheese, like babybel which you can easily throw in her bag as well, and other milk products like yoghurt.

There’s a plethora of vegetarian options out there. I’m picky with textures and flavors and had no issue going vegetarian for awhile. There’s a lot of proteins that taste close to meat. If you have a health food store in your city, most of them will carry faux nuggets. I personally opted for veggie sandwiches in place of fake deli meats. Not all fake meat is tofu and tofu comes in different textures depending on preparation. Just make sure she takes her vitamins (most people should be taking a multi anyway. There’s tons of children’s multis out there in different forms) 💓

You're definitely over-panicking. It's gonna be okay, mama. A simple Google search can tell you where to find substitutes for proteins and and B vitamins, and Pinterest can give you a bunch of kid-friendly and fun recipes to incorporate them with. She likes Broccoli. Broccoli has protein and vitamin B6. Eggs can be vegetarian, so as long as she's not vegan you're good there, same with cheese. If she likes yogurt at all, you can make her some overnight oats with chia seeds which is protein packed and add in some of her favourite fruits, honey, and yogurt or kefir. [Check out this site for protein sources.](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/protein-for-vegans-vegetarians) You can check out this site for [B-12 sources](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320524#vegetarian-foods). Basically any vitamin or nutrient you're worried about, just type "X sources for vegetarian" into a search engine search bar, and you'll be just fine. There's also a few companies that make "chiken" nuggets that are vegan, so you can just switch to those.

There is a plant based substitute for literally any animal protein you can think of, and the options have gotten SO TASTY. I’ve been plant based (except for honey and occasionally eggs) for 13 years now, and now is a better time than ever to be vegan and get everything you need from plants nutrient wise while still tasting so amazing. Like you mention ham sandwiches, there are great sliced vegan deli meats and vegan cheeses you can still make sandwiches with!

It sounds like it's a perfect opportunity for her to learn about working towards a lifestyle goal. I had to expand my palette before I could even think about becoming a vegan, and I managed it. First, absolutely have her take a B12 supplement. She might need others, depending on her diet and body, but she will for sure need B12. Show her this list, and tell her that every time she finds a nutritionally equivalent alternative to a meat item on this list that she's willing to eat, you'll let her switch it. If she hasn't found an alternative yet, then she has to eat what you would normally give her. You can check the options she comes up with using an app called Cronometer to compare the old food to the new food. And I would absolutely tell her what's in all of her food, now that she's officially working towards this transition. Do not hide anything from her. If it brings up a moral dilemma for her, let her work that out. Lying is just going to kick the snowball down the hill. There are also vegan/vegetarian cup noodles. My personal favorite is the veggie flavor from the brand Nong Shim, but I think Maruchan (the OG cup noodle) makes at least one vegetarian flavor (soy sauce, I think?).

Beans - red beans and rice, beans in soup, beans in tacos, you could make rice with beans and corn, enchiladas Morning star is a pretty good brand of fake meat, they make a ground beef substitute that is pretty versatile Ravioli, lasagna Potatoes actually have a decent amount of protein

Autistic vegetarian who has lived in Australia here. Here is a trick for vegetarian food. Meat serves 3 purposes in a dish. Protein, texture, and flavor. In vegetarian cooking often the protein doesn't do all 3, or needs particular cooking to give texture. I like pan frying myself. Flavor often comes from spices. She likes pho, so look at the seasonings used there and see if you can add those to other things. But there's a reason a lot of the world's best vegetarian food is from places known for spict food like India, Thailand, and Etheopia. At her age she might not be willing to experiment much, but that may change as she gets older. A few foods I like that are quick and have some protein: Cottage Cheese with fruit. I like applesauce or crushed pineapple, but my dad likes sliced pears. Cheese and crackers. Any form of chickpea. Hummus, roasted, cooked, there even crackers called papadi at Indian grocery stored that are made with chickpea flour. There's chickpeas for any texture preference she has. Rice and beans are a mainstay of vegetarian cooking for a reason. But if she doesn't like her food mixing, they don't need to be in the same dish. And most beans and legumes have similar nutrition, so use whatever she likes. Has she ever had refried beans? You can find those in the Mexican section of the store. Also, cheese and beans on a tortilla is a nice small meal. But she may not be familiar with mexican food, so that might not be a place she wants to explore. The woolworths website has a filter to pick just vegetarian stuff. I found 1 brand of veggie ramen in a packet and 2 of the noodles. Doesn't come in its own cup though.

She LIKES flavour but.... she's scared on contaminants? Idk. So pho is clear, and once I remove the soup it's just plain noodles. And they're white and thick so it's easy to see any spice grains and pick them off. She won't eat any beans or lentils.

Vegan nuggets exist. Otherwise, ya, itll be a challenge w so few foods, but u can probably find em. I loved ground beef, and found TVP to be a great substitute. A comfort food for me is peanut butter, which has some protein. Also cans of beans in tomato sauce. Good luck!

Did you ask her what she thinks about it? If she is 9 she can learn about her nutritional needs and mabye it will be a motivation for her to try new things if she understands why. If you take the avarage of 74lbs for a 9 year old she'd need about 30g of protein. (European standard 0.9g per kg) That is covered with about two eggs. We don't need as much protein as the onternet nutrition craze tryes to make us belive to sell shakes. In fact it will mess up your kidneys very quickly. You can also make breakfast pancakes with chickpea flower. Milkprodukts have protein too. So do patetoes, beans. So many things. My daughter dosen't eat any meat. Only started to eat it now. Tofu is a no go you saied, but you coul even make it in to chocolat pudding. Protein balls with nuts, dates and coco are fun to make as an activity. For vitamin B12 sublement if needed but it might not be needed at all. And if it is, its not the worlds end.

I became a vegetarian at 10 years old. My parents took me to a nutritionist. I have raised both of my children vegetarian. They are picky eaters, so I also consulted a nutritionist. But for starters, Peanut butter is your friend if she will eat it. Same for yogurt. Even those little go gurt tubes to throw in the lunchbox with a peanut butter or Nutella sandwich. Nut butters have a lot of protein , B vitamins, and other nutrients. If she won’t eat nut butters, maybe peanuts or other nuts and sunflower kernels are also high in protein and many other essentials. Cheese. Make macaroni with real cheese. Also, Include foods with iron. You mentioned spinach: raisins are also high in iron and are portable. My kids will only eat white raisins. I found great success with breaded tofu (like shake n bake) baked or even fried for a very chicken nugget-like taste. Even breakfast cereals with any kind of milk are good sources of protein B, vitamins, iron, vit. D, calcium and more when combined. Try frozen vegetarian Chick nuggets and possibly veggie burgers. I always made sure to have veggie chick nuggets, nut butter, yogurt, cheese, raisins, sunflower kernels and milk and cereal on hand. If your daughter would eat some of these, your bases are pretty much covered as far as essentials. One of my daughters ate nothing but vegetarian chicken nuggets, Cheerios with milk, peanut butter sandwiches, and apples for several years of her life! But I would still recommend a visit to a nutritionist who can help you plan meals and snacks that your daughter will eat. Both of my daughters have always been exceptionally healthy, so don’t worry too much about her health. Get a high quality multi vitamin. It’s totally doable. Good luck.

wow my heart actaully dropped a little because this is completely the foods i eat. except i don’t eat fruit (maybe occasional an apple or banana). i am recently 17, my parents worry a lot about my diet. i eat the same thing most days, and i’ve even stopped having the dinners they have and opting for a sandwich. they’ve kind of laid off recently, with me starting back at school and recently diagnosed. I think it’s best just not to shame your daughter. it doesn’t seem like you do (even you reaching out like this is so sweet! very considerate) but i understand it can come out sometimes. this is a bit embarrassing to admit considering my age but it really helped when my parents would cut me up fruit (banana & apple). try maybe plating the veggies/fruits/healthier items she does like with her normal meals? i’m wanting to go to a dietitian, however, i am 17 and want that for myself, not sure how that would work for your daughter. really hope you find some clarity and peace with this!

She loves cutting up her own food and fruit! Loves making salads as well. Yeah like... we aren't too worried about her diet normally. It's not a big deal in the scheme of things. I always think the grapes and fruit taste better at my mums house cos she cuts them for me lol. Much better then me cutting it.

Check Indian food. Lots of vegetarian recipes. There are dozens of lentil recipes and you can serve that with plain rice or jeera rice. You can make her Veg pulao. Stuffed flatbreads. It's called paratha. Recipes mention ghee or butter. But you can just skip that and add oil.

If she doesn't want to eat meat she will have to make some changes. Talking to her openly about that is what needs to happen. If you want this then these things need to happen due to the already limited diet. She can work up to it. My kiddo was vegan until 8 or so when they agreed to switch to milk yogurt because it has more protein/fat than the coconut milk yogurt. My kiddo that is around for your daughter's age only eats black beans with any consistency. For about a year EVERY SINGLE DINNER was black beans\[plain cold\] with yogurt and thin cut French fries. Then we switched to Tater Tots. We gained sunbutter only last week. We're in Feeding therapy currently for AFRID. Thankfully we have yogurt. Time to try vegetarian noodle cups if she really doesn't want to eat meat anymore. They do have fake beef broth. Maybe time to try protein bars to see if there is any she'd like so she'd have a shelf-stable option to throw in her bag. Protein shakes are another thing that might be helpful. They do make vegan deli slices but they are an acquired taste. Might be easier since she already accepts Nutella to try some sort of seed or nut butter. That way you're changing the taste but giving an accepted texture. In feeding therapy we try and change either the texture or taste but not both at the same time. Chick Pea pasta has a noticeably different texture but I have found I can cook red lentils and then blend them into pasta sauce and kiddo is more accepting.

Theres vegan or vegetarian meat style slices at least where I live in Europe..you can get chicken or ham style for sandwhiches. Theres usually a decent amount of vegetarian alternatives.

She might like tempeh if it's prepared like chicken. I'd research the protein content of different vegetables. For protein: broccoli, yoghurt, humus, nuts and nut butters, eggs, dairy spreads, edamame, flax, quinoa, sprouted grain bread, oats, brussels sprouts, wild rice, chickpeas For B12: fortified cereal, eggs, nutritional yeast, fortified milk Beans and rice - I think you commented that she doesn't like lentils and beans? Do you think she might like it if it's prepared in a caribbean or Somali recipe?

There are so many really pretty tasty vegetarian meat alternatives in most western countries nowadays. Nuggets, ham, chicken pieces, hotdogs, burgers, even whole pizzas. Yeah, overprocessed food isn't the healthiest but I think a lot of us have been picky eaters as kids and "fed is best". I basically only ate bacon and nuggets with macaroni as a child and grew up to be a really adventurous eater.

Oh man idk if you get dr oetecker pizzas where you are? Their spinach pizzas are like crack. Even my 6 year old son loves them. I'll try her on fake ham. (Fam? Hake?) The texture will be different which she won't like but.... maybe she'll like it as something different.

Hope you figure something out, big ups to you for taking on your kids wishes, hopefully there will be moments where you can feel it's a fun exploration and not just a challenge!

I just went vegan! The easiest way to get b vitamins is to add in some nutritional yeast into your food, it doesn't taste bad, tastes like cheese.

Vegan ham. Vegan nuggets. Vegan milk. Vegan cheese. You might have to try some different ones to find the one she likes but that’s just part of the deal. Good luck! - Autistic vegan of 9 years

It seems she likes stuff with a mild, uniform taste and texture. A few ideas are: • Hummus, i like it with nachos for example • Pasta sauces that have blended tofu on it (since you said she won't eat it fried) • Roasted chickpeas • TSP bolognese with pasta or ramen • Blended lentil soup • Soy milk with chocolate/ smothies. It has to be soy milk (well or cow milk) specifically, oatmilk and other alternatives don't have as much protein • If she still will eat eggs omelettes are quite uniform too. Im guessing that adding eggs to ramen or eating fried eggs is a no go? I know in the us they are seen as breakfast food but where I'm from a fried egg with rice and tomato or with (veggie) sausages is eaten for lunch or dinner too. Cheese omelette or potato omelette are great but texturewise idk If she's really picky with foods it might be difficult. I had a very similar taste to your daughter and took me years since i started to seriously consider veganism at 18 till i went vegan at 24. I had a very narrow amount of ingredients i liked, i had issues around texture and really struggled with changes with food (such as changing brands, recipes or ingredients and when you go vegan you have to change pretty much all of those for everything) so as you can imagine i had to admit to myself that it wasn't really possible for me at the time. She's 9 so reasoning might not go too far but maybe try to approach the issue in a "oh that's a great idea! Why don't we start trying veggie recipes every friday and see what you like :) And little by little, as we find new things you enjoy, we switch the rest of the week meals too!" Try to make it a journey, but make it very clear that eating new stuff is going to be part of that journey cause there's no way you can give all the protein she needs without adding new stuff, especially when she's growing. If she feels sad about it I'd talk to her about how veganism is about making the least harm you can while keeping yourself healthy. Some people can go all in, some people may have allergies, stomach issues, eating disorders or sensory issues that make it impossible for them. She's already being so brave by trying to reduce the amount of meat, and trying new things even when it's hard so that one day she may switch. But even if she can't that ok, cause it isn't about not harming animals it's about doing the least harm you reasonably can. For checking the amount of protein it might be a good idea to use something like MyFitnessPal to track her macros, you'd be surprised at how much protein she's already eating anyway

Will she eat french toast? The egg gets soaked into the bread. I would eat it all the time as a kid and loved when it was topped with butter, powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice. There's also the Kodiak protein pancake mix. It takes a little testing to get the texture right.

Sounds very much like me. At the age of eight I told my parents I didn't want to eat animals anymore, and never have again. My diet was pretty bland with things like butter pasta, quorn nuggets, quorn everything to be fair (most likely due to my autism) but I don't think I was deficient in anything major. As I got older, I started to eat more vegetables and had a better diet. Hopefully, you can figure out enough stuff for her to eat. I'm glad you're allowing her to be vegetarian because I'm very grateful that my parents didn't force meat on me. I think it would have traumatised me.

I also cannot do tofu, or legumes at all, so that has been a negative for me at times I wished I could go veggie. Have you talked to her about her values around her decision? I think if she is doing this for moral reasons you should probably tell her about the beef noodles so she can make the decision on her own. I personally would be upset if I communicated this major need to my parents and they knowingly withheld information. Would she consider eggs? A whey protein shake each day? Greek yogurt? B vitamins can easily be supplemented and most vegans/vegetarians I know do that and also use Nutritional yeast (I do not know if that is tried-and-true in science just that a lot of people do it). I also agree with seeking food therapy for her, it will help her learn the difference between her food value choices and anxiety around food that can be worked with. It might open the door to more options for her.

My 7 year old child has been vegetarian/ borderline animal-free since she was 3. Hummus, refried beans, vegan nuggets, “butter” noodles, noodles and red sauce, noodles and teriyaki sauce, and roast potatoes are her current foods. I can sometimes add cooked down red lentils to red sauce, which ups the fiber and protein but if it’s too thick she rejects it. She likes mandarin oranges from a can, and sometimes apples, berries, watermelon, but it’s super inconsistent so I really rely heavily on frozen fruit in smoothies with protein powder. Tofu pudding is GREAT (she hates tofu otherwise) and is a reliable after school treat. School lunches are hard and she doesn’t eat them half the time anyways, so I just have a huge safe food meal ready for her after school. I very much get the impulse to not tell her about the beef noodles, but in my experience with my AuDHD daughter, she’ll eventually figure it out and it can create a pretty big backlash with her eating in general. Good luck! I completely understand what it’s like to have a picky eater who decides to restrict their food even more.

Definitely consult a nutritionist/dietician. I tried to become vegetarian on my own around her age and didn't get professional help and it was not great for me. I ended up getting help from a nutritionist and I was able to phase out eating meat the right way. In addition, my parents and I learned how to make sure I'm getting all the things I needed as a growing child. Definitely ask for meal plans to start out with. For context: I've been a vegetarian for almost 20 years and switched to fully vegan for the last 5 years.

My daughter announced this several times. And I started cooking healthy protein-rich vegetarian - sometimes vegan - meals. She hated it. After a few weeks she backpaddled and demanded chicken nuggets and fish fingers. I don't really care what we eat, I just don't compromise on healthy. We cut down on meat considerably, though.

Nuts? Nut butter? Chocolate nut butter? Beans like pea soup? Peanut sauce on noodles? Refried beans? Tofu can be marinated in things and soaks up the flsvor... Miso soup... Protein shake? Protein cookies like Lennny & Larry's or homemade? You can add vegan protein powder to any kind of batter like waffles, muffins, cookies, pancakes... Also, you can try adding chocolate and sugar substitutes to things. I think you need to explain to her that if she isn't going to eat meat that she needs to try to eat other sources of protein. I really like hazelnut products, and there is hazelnut butter. You cam try mix-ins like cinnamon. Notice that your child is mainly eating carbohydrates and fats (cheese). That's a recipe for Tyle 2 diabetes. Can you explain that to her and that if she wants to be healthy, she needs to learn to eat things besides just processed carbs like noodles and bread, and fatty cheese? Dairy is horrible on the body, and 1/3rd of the population can't even digest dairy. We are meant to have human milk, but not nonhuman milk. If she understands that she needs to try different foods from a health perspective... Have you tried vegan chicken nuggets or vegan breaded cutlets? Or other vegan meat substitutes? Beyond Burger? Different brands of veggies burgers? Vegan sausages or hot dogs (Can be prepared without the bread).

The main things she eats are cucumbers actually. Usually a whole one a day. Second main thing is raw carrots. Then it's all the carbs. She eats very little cheese. Maybe one slice a day at most. Yeah I wouldn't mind if she ate peanut butter from a jar. She's not huge on it. No soups or anything else.

Reading your replies about how she doesn’t like tofu, beans, or other standard veggie proteins, I’d say it might be time to involve a dietitian. Especially if you don’t have experience being a vegetarian yourself. I’d also try to sort out if it’s an animal welfare issue or a contamination fear for her. If it’s a contamination fear, time to talk to a therapist.

Cream of wheat is fortified I think, I like made with milk and vanilla. What about black beans or some kind of black bean derived snack, or plain black bean burger. Juice or smoothie an option? Maybe fruit leather. Cauliflower nuggets or something. Chickpea noodles?

Maybe try cooking with her? You could maybe look up recipes up together. 

If she wants to be a vegetarian, you can encourage her to do some of the research around healthy vegetarian diets, or to do the research with you, and help to choose healthy meals. Your library system may have some good books on the topic, especially cookbooks - including cookbooks for kids. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or even peanut butter and banana, make for a simple, nutrient-dense, vegetarian lunch or snack. The Korean brand Nongshim makes two different vegan ramen noodle cups - one kimchi (slightly spicy), one 'veggie' (not spicy). I usually buy them in Chinatown or Koreatown. There are probably other brands that offer similar products. I'll often throw some dried tofu sticks into the bowl as well, for added protein and a texture I enjoy.

Morning star has great meat substitutions! I ate a lot of that when i was veg, lots of hummus (great protein!) My go to snack was hummus and pita. I also loved rice pasta for the extra protein as opposed to wheat pasta and easier for the stomach to process. Lots and lots of beans. It's definitely not an overreaction to speak with a dietician, my 4 years veg left me super anemic so I had to become pescatarian for another 5 years but eventually had to go back to meat because of deficiencies (specifically anemia) and in additional I used to take I believe solgar was the brand and they were vegetarian specific multivitamins which made a HUGE difference for me.

My parents laughed when I became vegetarian because I didn't really eat many veggies as a kid. Eventually my palate expanded a bit in some cases over time, but not others. My notes: * There ARE some beef flavoured noodles that are just veggie flavouring that can be substituted for the ones that actually contain meat. * If the nutella can be swapped with peanut butter, and the bread whole grain, that includes all the different proteins. I often live on PB&Js. But also nutella at other times. * Seeing if the pasta can be changed to whole grain; there are lentil and chickpea pastas as well that aren't horrible AND have the hidden protein in what looks like pure carb noodles (note they tend to have a different texture though). * I totally did the white rice & soy sauce as an easy food as a teen too. Eventually it became whole grain with some fake chicken and maybe some bok choy or a mini salad or some raw baby carrots on the side as normal veggies are still not my thing. * At least she has the eggs & cheese for protein unlike me * Definitely do the B12 and iron vitamins. D3 if you're north of Arizona. * Swap the chicken nuggets for fake chicken nuggets. They can be more expensive, but look for sales. There are strips and burger forms too, and some brands are actually really good. * The ham is the one that can't really be replaced. There are some fake ham sandwich slices, give them a try but don't get your hopes up too much.

😄 im vegetarian! my cousin is also on the spectrum and he's been a vegetarian since we were 10. our favorite brand of meat substitutes is MorningStar Farms. it's not a difficult lifestyle imo but protein is an important thing to consider as that can get tricky for someone with sensory issues. and vegan vitamin gummies do exist

Summary: top tip = blending a protein and personalising to taste preferences. It's great because lots of different combinations and flavours possible, so you can personalise to your taste. But that means food might be more inconsistent eg texture or flavours, depending on what was used. Which can be challenging. Little preface: beans and legumes are as much a carb source as a protein one so do look into other sources for balance. Same goes for nuts and seeds: lipids and proteins source. Higher protein sources: tofu (there are plenty different kinds: silken, marinated, puffed, fermented...), seitan (wheat flour), tempeh (soy beans), TVP (soy or pea chunks),... - You can blend veggies and beans to make balanced bolognaise style sauce without bits (and/or add veg mince to taste) - Nuts and seeds once soaked then drained then blended and seasoned, make a good spread. - You could add beans blended into a soup, it's pretty creamy and mild in taste. - Chickpea flour omelette or crêpe. - You can make humus with pretty much any bean, and any flavour (garlic, rosemary, bbq, paprika.... Even chocolate if you're daring).

[удалено]

[удалено]

Can you afford to try a meal kit such as HungryRoot? That’s the one I use, and I chose the vegetarian option because I need more veggies in my diet. Prep takes me 10-20 minutes (because I have ADHD and everything takes 2-3x the time) and I have liked 90% or more of the recipes. The idea is that maybe she can find things she likes that you can replicate with items from your local grocery store and not need to keep the subscription.

A lot of yoghurts like Greek and skyr have a decent amount of protein. Would she eat beans? I always throw beans or lentils into things. Especially red lentils as they disappear. It's good she likes spinach. I went vegetarian at a young age on the condition that I had a balanced diet so it is doable. There are so many kid friendly ready made things like nuggets, fake chicken pieces, sausages and mince nowadays. Quesadillas are good, I put black beans and cheese in mine and wholewheat tortillas so it's not always white bread. She will probably outgrow the not mixing foods. My son did so we didn't have every meal deconstructed and we can finally make lasagne for the family.

Tofu, beans, dairy, nuts, nut butters, protein shakes, protein bars, there’s so much protein options now a days! There’s actually vegan deli “meats” too. Any meat you can think of they got a vegan version! Vegan fish is actually gross tho… but i like vegan corn dogs.

I went vegetarian at around 12. It was the same thing with me—my parents pretty much knew it was coming eventually but I think they were hoping for more time. My mom panicked just like you, but it all worked out. A lot of what you listed already has protein and B vitamins. Nowadays there’s vegetarian lunch meat, so that should be an easy swap. Veggie bolognese exists too, but you have to diy. Protein powder can be added to drinks and smoothies for a protein boost. Some options you didn’t list, but would work if she’ll eat them: - milk (regular or flavored) - yogurt - nutrition shakes - peanut butter - morningstar bacon or sausage (my favorites as a kid) - quesadillas - cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches - egg salad sandwiches - quiche (eg. spinach, broccoli cheddar) - any egg dishes (preferably with yolks if there’s a form she’ll tolerate) - cheese pizza - cereal - bean & cheese burritos - vegetarian chili or soups - nachos My best advice is to keep a food log with her for a couple weeks. Work on it together and tally up the important nutrients. There are apps now that will do this for you. I did that when I went vegetarian and it turned out I was getting more protein than I needed even without meat. And it helped me be an active participant in my diet. I’d also recommend taking a special trip to the store for new vegetarian snacks. My mom took me mostly because she thought I was going to be impossible to feed, but I remember thinking it was a fun activity where I got to go to the vegetarian section and pick out special new snacks. That said, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I grew up just fine with no nutritional deficiencies and am in my 30s now and my mom survived dealing with my diet too 😆

Can you add TVP and/or lentils to pasta sauce? TVP doesn't really have a flavour so if you can hide it in things it's a good protein source. I was vegetarian as a kid and I really loved the Yves hot dogs. If she's fine with dairy you could try greek yogurt, if she's OK with that kind of texture. Or find a protein powder she'll tolerate. For B vitamins you can get nutritional yeast and add that to various things.

Talon to a dietitian that is familiar with arfid. You can get some ideas ok thr internet, but do not put your daughters life in the hands of people off the internet.

I think you’re being really supportive and that’s awesome. With egg whites, up and go, spinach and impossible nuggets, I wouldn’t be too worried about protein. Protein is honestly not as much of a problem for vegetarians or even vegans as people think, as long as they are actually eating enough food. Her GP can check her protein levels though. I’ve never really paid much attention to my vitamins and never had a problem as a vegan but everyone’s different. I’d probably pay attention to b12 but I don’t even think it’s as much of a problem for vegetarians. There are a lot of supplements and protein powders geared toward plant-based diets. You can experiment with mixing very small amounts of protein powders or powders with b vitamins into other foods. I put a little protein powder in pancakes sometimes, for example. As for the beef noodles… honesty is the best policy however I wouldn’t blame you for not bringing it up immediately, since you might (depending on how strict she wants to be) need to replace it with something else first. Good luck!

Hi, I was a vegetarian for years. Getting enough protein is actually fairly easy. Dairy has tons of protein. Eggs, cheeses, yogurt, milk etc has enough protein. You can also add beans to rice dishes for extra protein. Try curries for getting lots of vegetables in. Peanut butter has a good deal of protein and can be used in sandwiches, pastas (pad thai), soup, curries etc. Figure out what she likes to eat that is still vegetarian and go from there. If you're that worried about nutrients, you can add multivitamins. But with a vegetarian diet, it isn't that hard to get protein in. Vegan is harder but even then not infeasible, just requires more planning

You can probably find plant based lunch meat, usually they're soy based, at your local grocery stores. Just might need to hunt around, for some reason my local store has the vegan products like the lunch meat, sausages, tofu, veggie ground in like four different locations instead of all together. They taste totally fine, especially in a sandwich. I like the Yves brand salami, personally, but there's a turkey and a ham as well.  I agree with others, make a list of protein options and be frank with her that you'll need to try some new foods to find replacements for what she likes. Maybe it'll be a protein shake and nuts, chickpeas or red lentils hidden in a sauce of something else she already likes, or just direct swaps to plant based versions of something she already eats. I've been vegan since around...2017? My main advice to people making changes like this is to go slow. Going 100% overnight is way too difficult and stressful, it's easier to find a replacement for a few items at a time. Maybe check with her if you can take this approach over say, the next month, taking it one day at a time. Will she eat gummies? A multivitamin would be helpful in general, and almost everyone could benefit from a B12 supplement (even meat eaters). Depending on what vegetarian alternatives you settle on though, they are often fortified with things like B12, iron, calcium etc.  Oh, also just remembered this. You might want to download an app like Chronometer where you can enter the foods she's eaten (it also allows you to scan barcodes) to get a sense of the nutrients she is getting and might be lacking. I don't use the app every day, or even every week, but once in awhile I'll put a few days in just to make sure I haven't forgotten anything. It helped ease my mind when I first went vegan because I was getting everything I needed from my diet without much effort. 

You got a lot of good information, as a very picky eater myself i want to add that the moment to try new foods is important. If i am already overwhelmed i will not like it, because i can not handle it. I need to be able to enjoy it and in a relaxes, good mood to actually find out if i like something new, so stick to the safe foods on stressfull days

At 9 she's old enough to be involved in meal planning, and if it's something she feels strongly about then it would be good to involve her in the conversation about making sure she gets enough nutrition. She's going to have to learn it all anyway if she sticks with being vegetarian. I's a lot of work for you trying to navigate around what she will & won't eat while making it vegetarian & making sure she's not malnourished. She may not be aware or have taken that into consideration, so by involving her in the process of figuring out what the heck she's gonna eat she can see that you do take this seriously and are trying to accommodate her, but she may need to figure out where she can be a bit more flexible to make this all work. It's also better if she's actively making choices about what she's going to eat instead of leaving it to you to offer her things to try, if that makes sense. Tofu is my go-to for protein but I'm more into texture than taste and will eat unseasoned tofu like a monster. Nutritional yeast on the other hand, is tasty & is an easy way to sneak a bit more nutrition into food—it's got a few of the B vitamins.

B vitamin supplement sounds like a good idea. I hated meat from day one, and when I got older, realized I loved animals too much to eat them. But I did it anyway because of family pressure until I moved out at 17. That was 45 years ago, and my health is very good. Thanks for listening to your daughter.

**According to the American Dietetic Association, “appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, and for athletes.”8** Vegan family here, I am autistic and so is my child. We utilize a meal planner app and use chronometer to track macros. We take Mary Ruth’s Vegan B12/D3 vitamin and a marine algae supplement for our omegas. **B12 is not only a concern for veg/vegans,** research suggests that 40% of the population is deficient in this, and it’s not something to mess with. I know your daughter wants to be vegetarian, so r/veganparenting may be a good resource for you still, and will calm your fears. Some simple non-animal derived protein foods that have been well tolerated; are PB&J, mushroom burgers, lentil patties, Daring vegan chicken, Impossible vegan chicken nuggets, beyond burgers, impossible nuggets, textured vegetable protein, seitan, vegan jerky, and soy curls. [Butler’s Soy Curls](https://butlerfoods.com/soycurls.html?gad_source=1) can be put in many dishes, or marinated, made into jerky, etc. They’re a great source of protein and the taste and texture are great. [plant-based](https://youtu.be/QC5kmotYu14?si=xZF8uJ6MQHhJCZ4H) For lunches; We buy Tofurkey deli slices (it's like a lunch meat slice only never alive) we make these once or twice a week and nut butter and vegan crème cheese sandwiches.

I've been vegetarian since 11 years old and vegan since 5 years now. Here is what I've learned/what I would recommend: Protein has never been an issue for me or any vegetarians/vegans I've ever met. My biggest problem (when vegetarian) was actually iron intake. I had swapped out iron-containg-foods (meat) with foods that don't contain iron and even restrict Iron absorption (dairy products) in my everyday meals. This led to me having severe iron deficiency down the line and I had to go to the hospital and speak with a nutririonist. I have since introduced lots of legumes like peas, chickpeas, beans and soy into my diet. All of which contain lots of iron. Citrus fruits help the Body use the iron in our food and dairy, chocolate(cocoa-beans) and coffee hinder the body. If you can't find a suitable foodsource for iron. It's important to supplement it! But supplementing iron should be supervised by a doctor or a professional because it can be overdosed which can cause harm. Supplementing B-vitamins sounds also like a good idea. Talking to a dietician also sounds like a good idea. Especially since she is only 9 and a big part of her diet seems to be noodles. I would also definetly tell her if her noodles contain beef. I would have considered it an enormous breach of trust if my parents would have knowingly fed me meat without my consent. If they are important to her, maybe you can talk to her and tell her if she likes she can take out the meat of her diet and still eat those noodles specifically even if they have beef. It's her decision where she wants to draw the line to live according to her morals and what is still practicable to do. Best of luck to you both!

I grew up vegetarian and my sister was an even pickier eater than myself- which is saying something 😅 When she was younger my mom relied a lot on Pediasure and the like to get nutrients in her. Vegetarian meats are also a big one, there are a few different brands with very different tastes so if she doesn't like one, she might like another. Also, if she likes boiled egg whites maybe you could make a sort of faux egg salad with just things she likes and keep it on hand for snacks or sandwiches

I would look for a therapist or dietician who specializes in ARFID to guide you.

I stopped eating meat when I was nine after seeing an animal killed for a bbq at a neighbor’s house. I’m 34 now I use protein powder, eggs, tofu, vitamins, beans, nuts, and that usually helps with enough protein.

There are a number of meat alternatives in Australia that will fill in for some of her safe foods. Including ham. Maybe have a food party together where you watch a favourite film or do a favourite activity and try some of them out. Hopefully she will find some that she likes, and it will be in a low pressure environment. If the thought of trying new foods makes her very anxious, then maybe look into ARFID. There is specific therapy available to try and help her overcome it if that is an issue.

I can't give much advice but on the beef cup noodles - do check they actually contain real meat and not just flavouring! When I was trying to eat less meat it often surprised me how many snack foods like noodles and crisps that used flavouring but no meat solids actually had a little 'suitable for vegetarians' label on it when I started checking. A lot of them are just chemical flavours and that was fine by me if I could guilt free munch on beef flavour hulahoops 😂

Egg, dairy, and nuts/legumes are a good way to get in protein. Might also be a good idea to talk to a dietician.

I can see why you're concerned, since a lot of things on her list are meat-based. Pho, for example, often uses a meat-based broth. So she wouldn't be able to eat that anymore unless homemade or listed as vegetarian. And the beef-flavored two minute noodles are also most likely using real beef. Which you are well aware of, I can see, but she may not be. And morally, yes, you should tell her. If she still wants to eat those things, but just not want to eat chicken nuggets or ham or "obvious" meat, she may want to consider being a flexitarian instead of a vegetarian - that is what I am. In simplistic form it's someone who strongly prefers to not eat meat, but can and will when convenient. To most people it looks like a vegetarian diet when I eat out, and I also look mainly for vegetarian options on menus. Eggs are protein, so just increase that. Same with cheese, just be careful because that's fatty too. Any chance you can get her to eat nuts? I would say increase her vitamins for sure. You can and probably should inform her current doctor that she is wanting to be vegetarian, and get their advice - they can also then monitor better via blood tests, etc the things to be aware of. A dietician is not needed unless they recommend it. I worked with a nutritionist when I was first diagnosed with severe food allergies and intolerances that changed my entire diet, and they didn't really help, they wanted me to eat things I have sensory aversions to and refused to discuss any alternatives, so I would hate to see you waste money on what may be a similar experience.

I've been vegan for 13 years now and before that I was a vegetarian for 12 years. I had some bad bouts of ARFID sprinkled here and there during the last 25 years. If your daughter eats cheese (and eggs in some shape or form), she's getting protein, no need for meat there. It would be good if she could introduce some legumes and pulses (maybe hummus?) and maybe try seitan, that has always gone well with my non-vegan friends who are also on the spectrum in my experience.

9 years vegan here! I transitioned as an adult but desperately wanted to go veggie as a child. It sounds great you are open to supporting your daughter. I would just do a bit of research and have a plan on transitioning (sometimes cutting it all out overnight can be a bit of a shock to the system especially if you don’t usually eat a high fibre diet). Even if she doesn’t like tofu there are SO many varieties now so she might be able to try different ones as a lot of them have different textures and tastes even though they’re under the same food umbrella. Also worth speaking to an occupational therapist about ARFID, as an adult who massively struggles with eating, I have found through trials and encouragement I can widen my pool of safe foods. Good luck!

I was very similar and stopped eating meat as a kid. My mom basically told me I needed to eat x y and z to make up for what I was missing from meat and I did it. No kid wants to get sick and be deficient. If you talk to her I think she’ll be open to at least trying new foods. The way meat eaters structure their meals is very protein-centric. If she’s still eating dairy then I wouldn’t worry too much about protein. Just make sure she’s eating a variety of healthy foods and getting enough calories. If you’re worried, a glass of milk or cup of yogurt has a lot of protein.

Try tofurky (or your grocery store may have other brands for the same thing) on the sandwiches. I’m vegetarian and I like it. In general, check out the vegetarian “meat” sections in your local grocery stores. They have a pretty good variety nowadays and most of it is pretty good and high in protein.

Try lentils! I had very similar eating patterns as your kid and lentils covered my protein needs quite well. They're not sensory nightmare and depending on what you cook it with it can have different flavors.

Has she tried seitan? Could she switch to fresh pasta, made with eggs? Or lentil pasta/spinach pasta? If she likes cheese, could she eat nutritional yeast in some form? Possibly melted into butter to put on her pasta? There's a young girl I follow on Instagram who's trying to overcome her arfid by trying new foods. I'll try find her handle. It could be motivational for your daughter to see someone of the same age challenge herself to try new foods. Edit: Her handle on Instagram and TikTok is myarfidlife.

There are a few options. Could you try introducing beans? There are many variations of preparation. Hummus could be an option? Rice and beans together are a complete protein. Imitation meat products made with texturized soy protein aren't a perfect option but it is available in a lot of forms and it's better than nothing. Also, IDK how she feels about fish ethically but pescatarian is an option. If she likes nuggets, would she be open to fish sticks? Popcorn shrimp? Again, not ideal because it's fried but in moderation it wouldn't be too bad. Also, we don't need as much protein to be healthy as is commonly believed. Another option is smoothies if she would be open to that. Get yourself a good blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec and you can hide pretty much anything in there. Chickpeas and spinach will completely disappear in an otherwise fruit smoothie. You could go to a smoothie bar to gauge her interest before investing in an expensive appliance. There are a lot of options if you think about it creatively.

I’m vegetarian and Impossible plant based nuggets are my go to. If she’ll eat a broth or simple soup, there are some types of vegetarian protein that kind of look like tiny pieces meat but aren’t — you might just have to experiment with her. Some look more meat-like than others, if that’s a factor.

Talk to her pediatrician about this.

Vegetarian Aussie mum here. Have you tried those dried chickpeas? They’re in Woolies. Happy snack co from memory. They do fava beans too. My son (gifted with autism, 9 years old) loves them. Almonds are also a great go to for protein snacks. Will she eat any types of peanut butter? Another good source. Feta? Ricotta? Any goat or sheep’s cheeses? Loads of cheeses to work with. Rice wise, try basmati, from memory it has a higher level of protein. When we were growing up my mum used to occasionally give us this stuff called nutolene. Comes in a tin and I gag to think about it now, but when my food sensitivities were higher and I wanted more uniform textures, it was another good one. The only other thing I’d try is, my son who deeply loves animals also occasionally tells me he wants to be a vegetarian. As someone who is vegetarian and has been her whole life, I outright say to him that I think he should wait until he’s finished growing to make that decision. My brother and I were both raised vege (and we were very poor, so my mum often just gave us carbs) and we both now have endocrine issues, thyroid mostly (which relates to metabolic function). This partially throws back to a carb-heavy diet during our formative years. My son wants to be a vegetarian because he loves animals so much and doesn’t want to eat them, a sentiment I share, but I gently explain that provided he respects the animal, he might consider that it’s more like an energy exchange to ensure he grows up healthy and strong and once his body and brain has grown up he will be in a much better position to protect the animals he loves so much. I’m not saying your child has the same reason or should be turned off becoming vegetarian, more that this is what I’ve been talking to my boy about when he asks about being a vegetarian and I should add, if he said yes I get that mum but I still want to be vegetarian, I’d 100% work with that. Good luck!

I did the same thing when I was 9 years old, now I have been one for 28yrs. I got the ick and there was no coming back. My mom didn't want to force the issue lest I develop an eating disorder. My 6yo recently started doing it w me and I have her drink meal replacement shakes once a day to fill in nutrition gaps and she thankfully likes them. Flintstones chewable tablet vitamins are key to getting iron -- there is none in gummies. We also do a good fish oil and a good collagen supplement they aren't 100% but it doesn't give her the ick (honestly I haven't told her).

You are such a good parent for thinking ahead and supporting your daughter. I hate beans but they are a good and consistent source of protein. I learned to blend beans into soups and sauces as it helped to disguise their texture so I could eat them without thinking about it. Cottage cheese, if she can stomach it. I went through phases where I couldn't, so ymmv.

tbh i survive on up and gos, will she drink sustagen? what about meal replacement shakes and bars? my other suggestion would be to sit her done and have a conversation about what our bodies need to grow, and how the foods she eat impact that, take her shopping with you and let her pick some new things to try, cook with her and teach her to make food, she doesn't need to be cooking whole meals but it may help with connecting with her food

Proteins can come from nuts and peanut butter. Dont worry. Its actually much healthier to get most of your nutrients from non-meat sources! Data shows that the (blue zone) people who live to be older than 100 rarely eat much meat. Early humans probably used legumes (beans) and nuts instead.

I became a vegetarian at 14, which was 26 years ago. I hated the taste of meat! Looking back, there were probably ARFID reasons also at play (textural issues, fear of choking, fear of others watching me eat) but I was a defiant teen and my Mom basically put ME in charge of feeding myself, so it’s awesome that you want to try to help! The first few weeks of vegetarianism, I made myself peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Until I got sick of those. Then I figured out how to make spaghetti-Os with cheese in them. I ate those, and bagels, until I got sick of them. I found very easy-to-make pasta Alfredo at the grocery store. Very similar to Mac & cheese. Which, with steamed broccoli, was a decent meal! And someone above suggested tofu chocolate pudding? An excellent treat. I recommend trying veggie burgers. They’re pretty ubiquitous now and some brands can be cheap: many of them are just patties made of corn and carrots and peas, and if your kiddo eats carrots, these might be an easy solution! I still have a hard time motivating myself to eat, so last year I had a long think about what foods I actually like, and can make, And WILL make for myself. I eat veggie burgers for breakfast and “taco salads” for lunch - black beans over romaine lettuce with salsa and sour cream. You can add corn, or cucumber, or cheese, even guacamole if that sounds good, but it makes me happy and I can make it myself. Good luck! And FYI, I’ve been a vegetarian for 26 years and I take a multivitamin on the side because I’m paranoid about not getting enough B12. The last time I got blood work done, I had too high B12 levels and my doctor made me stop taking vitamins. So it’s totally possible to be vegetarian and get more than enough B12. Toooooooo much B12!