Health Issues Vegetarian Teen with OCD??

[Veggiemama]

Hi,

My 14y/o niece has OCD and has decided to go vegetarian. Her mom is not very supportive but it's more about the fact that she has OCD and not really about the being Vegetaian part. She was diagnosed in 2nd grade and doctors have been warning her mom (my sister in law) since she was 9 that she will, most likely, develop an eating disorder by the time she's 15.

My SIL's main concern is the restricting of certain foods. Because of this reason I am trying to help ease her into the transition slowly rather than going full veg right away. Last weekend she had candy and ended up reading the label and seeing there was gelatin in it. That produced a major melt down involving hysterics and lots of tears.

I am extremely supportive of her wanting to go veg but I'm also very concerned as is my SIL. It's hard for me because I want to fight for my niece to have a say in her lifestyle choices but I also understand the fear it creates for my SIL. If my niece begins religiously reading labels, which we all know is necessary when being veg, she WILL become obsessive about each and every thing she puts into her body. I'm just worried that she's choosing to be veg because she feels as though she will be able to "secretly" obsess about SOMETHING under the rouse that it's being vegetarian.

Has anyone else had any experience with this? Do you have any advice? How do I do my best to support her in this journey while also doing everything I can to prevent the obsessive thoughts from taking over?

My sister is allowing her to remain vegetarian as of right now but the minute she starts to see her obsessing she will literally MAKE her eat meat. She has handled her OCD since the second grade without any type of medication and she's done a GREAT job of keeping it under control. I love that my niece has made such a compassionate choice and while I DO believe she IS doing it because of the love and compassion she has in heart for animals I'm sure the control over food also has a lot to do with it as well and I'm very worried about the effects it could have.

I want to support my niece and her choices and also help my SIL with her fears. I am trying to act as a buffer regarding this whole situation because my niece looks to me for a lot of advice but it's hard for me to encourage her when I know my sister is so fearful of what this could mean for her mental health.

Help?!?!

 

[AeryFairy]

Does your niece have a doctor/psychologist? Maybe she and you SIL could talk it through with someone like that, in order to get some advice on the matter. I don't have a massive knowledge of OCD, so I'm not sure what other advice to give you, except that at the end of the day, your niece is still a minor and it's her parents' job to decide how to raise her. Even if, sadly, that includes an omni diet.

 

[Freesia]

You could tell the niece about some of the meals you make and things you buy and cook. I dont find that being a vegetarian means restrictions at all. It even means opening up a whole new world of food.

 

[KLS52]

For someone with a problem, I can totally understand being concerned about the restricting part. The real test will be in whether or not your niece is willing to replace the foods she cannot eat on a vegetarian diet with wholesome/nutritious substitutes. Removing certain foods from her diet isn't going to work if she doesn't replace them with lots of whole grains, beans/legumes, fruits, vegetables and other non-animal protein sources. I imagine that will be the key as to whether or not she's using it as a way to promote the OCD.