Seeking Health Help

What does it mean that she is not very healthy?

What about trying probiotics daily? The kind I recommend are by Enzymatic Therapy. Also, go to Pharmaca in Sonoma and ask for help. Don't get her to "exercise", but get her involved in something she loves to do that is physical...is that possible? What about at school? What about a friend that is athletic, can they get her involved in healthier activities?

Hi Mara,

I was like your daughter when I was young, I liked only vegs, and disliked all meat, practically turned into a vegetarian - back then, no one talked about vegetarian, and few people were. However, occasionally I had instinctive feeling that I was lacking nutrients if I eat only veg., so I kept myself on little meat all the time. After giving birth to my son, my stomach turned havoc on me, so bad that I was disappearing and unable to work. I started researching for a cure, and here is what I have found and they seem to help a lot for both me and my son: 1) There are some nutrients only available in meat, eggs, diary, not in simple vegetarian diet - you may have to really go extra miles to get such nutrients in vegetarian diet. 2) Stop diary for 2 weeks or more to see if her stomach is more consistent. More people have problems with diary products than we think. After that, try only goat milk based diary products, kefir and perhaps a little raw milk cheese - these are much easier to digest than other ones. Though in my case, I can't handle any of them. 3) Beans in veg. diet also give many people stomach problems; besides most beans have enzyme prohibitor (which prevents beans from sprouting), eating too much of these can cause one's own enzyme to not work effectively to break down food for digestion and obsorption; 4) Omega-3 organic eggs are excellent source of nutrients if she eats eggs. 5) Some raw vegs. are also difficult to digest - I know everyone seems to be thinking raw food is good, but after couple of years of experience with raw veg. juicing at home, I admitted at last, for me, well cooked vegs. are much easier on my stomach. 6) If possible, stay away from wheat and wheat product. Gluten in wheat is very hard to digest and can disrupt digestion for other food. WholeFoods has rice based bread, it has worked great for me and my son. 7) Other "healthy" grains such as the commercially advertised heavily Oats is a big problem for me for a long time that I did not know - thinking I was eating healthy, only when I stopped it I felt so much better with gas and bloating, etc.

My son used to have stomach "bugs" a lot too, always seems to be fluctuating like mine. When we made the above changes, he seems to be handling everything well and the stomach bugs are gone for good.

But each individual is different. She may do well on stuff others don't, or vice versa. So perhaps the best way to figure it out is this:

1) Keep a food diary, note down what's eaten, and how she felt.
2) Keep suspected food out of diet out for 2 weeks, and see if there is a change. If you are not sure, add that food back, and you should notice stomach issue within a week when you add it back.
3) Start eating simple food, and add one extra type of food into diet at time to check if the system is handling well.
4) Homemade smoothies. I have got Vita-Mix, and it's great to make smoothie - you can put whole veg and fruits in with all the fiber and everything, it comes out completely smoooth and helps digestion great deal.

Good luck,

W.

You need to take her to a pediatrician right away and ask for a referral for a nutritionist AND a therapist for further investigation. I am sorry to say it sounds like she has an eating disorder. With the right help. you should be able to nip it in the bud! Best to you ~

I agree with other mom's that many 7th grade kids aren't fond of exercising & don't choose the best foods out there. I would recommend checking into food allergies & lastly bulimia if it fits. I struggled with food allergies at her age, actually that's when it started for me. I was lethargic, depressed & craved sugar like crazy because my allergies had my body so out of whack. I would eat awful food because it's what I craved(and also was allergic to) but then would get sick and not want to eat anything at all. My parents just thought I was becoming a moody teenager that didn't want anything to do with them & was lazy (don't get me wrong, they were awesome parents but just didn't see something else was wrong). I think it would be a great idea to check into that. That was a very difficult time for me, I didn't understand why I didn't have the energy all my friends had, it really affected my self esteem. You're very smart to relate her health to her digestive health because they are so linked. If all else is well, you might try to incorporate a nutritional shake into the mix. I really like Spirutein(Whey not Soy) in Chocolate but there are other flavors. It has protein & iron she could use along with tons of good greens & vitamins but still tastes good. I put it in the blender with some organic milk & ice & sometimes some flax seed oil or seeds. A probiotic is a great idea too, if she won't take a refrigerated capsule, maybe try to work more yogurt into her diet. I praise you for being so proactive, it took me another 15 years of ill health & depression to figure out my issue. Good Luck!
K.

When my very close friend went through this with their only daughter we came up with what turned out to be a great plan. She was assigned the household job of "cook" a couple of times per week. She had to take into consideration her parents needs as well as her own while planning menus. Her mother took her to the store and tried to keep quiet while the young one learned how to shop for the necessary ingredients (quiet guidance is always best). Mom also showed her how to find recipes to please the family (online, book store, grocery store, magazine subscriptions, etc). This girl thrived under the responsibility and developed a healthier respect for food and her parents! In only a few weeks her habits improved.
You may want to sign her up for cooking classes. Perhaps go together?
Good Luck - Good Health to you both.

If she is having stomach issues check into celiac disease. Your doctor can do a simple blood taste to determine if wheat gluten is bothering her. This disease leads to all sorts of nutritional deficences and can stunt your growth.

Even at 12, kids need boundaries (probably even more so.) I had the same problem with the kid I nanny for. It was always a power struggle and he chose food to be his target for about 6 months. I told him that when he was the one cooking for the family then he could be in charge of dinner. For now he will eat what's on his plate, which was always a vegetable, a carb and a protein. I explained why you need to eat a balanced diet and that that was my expectation for him. Finally with a whole lot of battling he realized I was not going to give in. Now he eats just fine. He tries to compromise with a here and there, and I usually let him now, simply because he's so much better about eating in general. In the beginning though, there was no compromising - it was "eat what's on your plate - or go hungry." He held out for a long time, I even found candy in his bed that he had snuck - which he got in trouble for. But he did give in.
My point is - figure out exactly what you want her to do, tell her that's the rule, and stick to it.
Good luck :)

Hi, Mara:

I think that the best thing to do for your daughter (and yourself) is to purchase her some fun, hip, and informative books about vegetarianism. Being positive and supportive of her choice is important, and as her mom, it is important that doing so, you give her access to healthy, useful info. about the subject.

As a child, I was never a big meat eater, and became a vegetarian at age 17 (I probably would have been one sooner, but really liked chicken). Leading up to this transition, I also did not eat very well growing up (I was fed well by my mom, but on my own I would eat a lot of carbs). A lot of my diet choices were influenced by my increasingly distorted body image. So, although I was very political about my choice to become vegetarian and later vegan, it was also a result of my poor body image and distorted view of food. Had someone, like my mom, given me some helpful, hip books on vegetarianism, I probably would have been more likely to eat better.

A couple of books that might be enjoyed by your daughter are:

The Teen's Vegetarian Cookbook http://www.amazon.com/Teens-Vegetarian-Cookbook-Judy-Kriz...

A Teen's Guide to Going Vegetarian http://www.amazon.com/Teens-Guide-Going
Vegetarian/dp/0140365893

Overall, I think that the most valuable thing you can do for your daughter as she takes another step towards independent thinking is to support her in her vegetarianism by talking with her about why she's making this choice, offering her these and other books to read, and maybe even getting her involved in yoga, which is not ponly great exercise but also a vegetarian haven.

Good luck!

L.

Does she eat eggs and drink milk/eat yogurt at least? If not, does she take a B12 suppliment at least? Will she eat soy based protien? What about a variety of fruits and vegetables?

I recommend a website you can use to find out what her dietary needs are for her age and weight as well as a way to see which nutrients are in the foods she eats (or find foods that contain what she is lacking). Perhaps you can make it a project for her? nutritiondata.com is the site. I find it very useful.

As to exersize, if you don't feel good, it can be hard to do it. Fixing the diet helps with that, as does drinking plenty of water.

Try an incentive program for exercise. For every 30 minutes of active play or exersize she does, maybe she earns a certain amount of time for a favorite activity, or she earns points towards something she desires. Sort of a non-monitary based earning allowance specifically targeted toward exersize.

Of course, if you feel there is a continual problem, consult her pediatrician and perhaps consult with a nutritionalist.

I would talk to her pediatrician. Tell her Dr. your concerns. And what advice he/she has. Also I am 4"11 So I wouldn't worry so much about that unless it is a health factor. I think it is important for her to be able to be involved in her health so I would have her be included in the discussion with her Dr.

Hello M.,
It's been a while since you posted your question, but can't help but adding some advice...
Being Vegetarian is ok...as long as you supplement with high quality Multi-Vitamin and Protein.
Take a few minutes to learn about MealShakes for Kids, Soy Protein, Vita-Lea w/Iron and Cinch Shakes in a variety of Flavors! www.shaklee.net/natural_family_products
Good Luck!

There are alot of vegetarians who are healthy, what makes you say she isn't healthy? Is she going days without eating? Maybe at times it hurts her stomach after eating, its not much about how much she does or doesn't eat, look at what she is eating. You say she is a good eater thats a good sign, but she doesn't eat healthy right? Maybe you guys can sit down together and negotiate a healthy diet with foods she does like. Is she losing weight? If so make an appt with her doctor for a basic physical and to address the stomach issues.

Hi M.,
I am a nutritionist and do not recommend that your daughter choose to be a vegetarian at such a young age. Can you tell me exactly what she is eating and why she chose to be a vegetarian?
K.

Buy her some books on the right foods to eat as a vegetarian. What they need to replace the vitamins that are in meat, etc. You say she switches from eating alot to not eating very much which makes me wonder about bulimia or maybe anorexia. Maybe a talk with a doctor or a counsler would help.