Teens and vegetarianism

The nutritional movement is sweeping across Canada, and teenage girls are leading the way. Most often, they're drawn to vegetarianism because of animal rights issues. They object to the way agribusiness enterprises treat animals in farm factories. They don't want to eat anything that involves killing an animal.

Be alert to an interest in vegetarianism that may mask an eating disorder. If your teen shows a persistent preoccupation with her weight and shape and is unwilling to eat foods like nuts, seeds, and legumes (chickpeas, beans, lentils) because they are higher in fat, consider whether she may be developing an eating disorder. If her vegetarianism is philosophical or political, she will not exclude high-protein, high-fat nutritious foods like nuts and seeds. Vegetarian foods usually offer more fibre and less fat and are also more economical than meats. Compared with meat-eaters, vegetarians are more likely to have healthy weights, and they have a reduced risk of heart disease, Type II diabetes, osteoporosis, hypertension, and some types of cancer. But if your "vegetarian" is eating erratically and nibbling only on lettuce leaves and carrot sticks, she's not a vegetarian -- she may be developing an aversion to food.

Types of vegetarianism
Your teen will likely experiment with various forms of vegetarianism before committing to one. The following are common types of vegetarianism:

Partial or semi-vegetarian Consumes limited amounts of meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, and eggs.

Lacto-ovo vegetarian Consumes dairy products and eggs, but no other animal products.

Lacto vegetarian Consumes dairy products, but no eggs or other animal products.

Ovo vegetarian Consumes eggs, but no dairy products or other animal products.

Vegan Consumes no animal products of any kind, including the eggs from poultry, the milk from mammals, and the gelatine from bone marrow.

Nutrition check for lacto-ovo vegetarians
If your daughter is a lacto-ovo vegetarian, she usually won't have a problem getting enough protein. However, she must take care to obtain adequate calories, iron, and zinc.

Calories Vegetarian diets tend to he high in fibre, so a teen might feel full before she has enough calories to mee her energy needs. The adolescent years are important ones for their physical and mental growth and development, so choose lots of energy-dense foods such as nuts, cheese, peanut butter, dried fruits, and tahini (a paste made from ground sesame seeds).

Iron Vegetarians can get sufficient iron in their diet if it includes iron-rich foods like seeds and nuts, legumes, egg yolks, iron-enriched breakfast cereals, tofu, dried fruit like raisins, dark green vegetables like broccoli, enriched pasta, brown rice, wheat germ, and blackstrap molasses. To increase your intake of iron from these sources, eat them with foods rich in vitamin C: citrus fruits, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, green peppers, tomatoes, or cantaloupe. Pace your beverages. Avoid drinking cola, coffee, tea, or hot chocolate at mealtime, because the caffeine in them decreases your body's ability to absorb the iron from other foods.

Zinc Good sources of zinc for the vegetarian teen include sprouts, legumes, roasted nuts, eggs, and dairy products.

Check out Homemakers magazine's 5 favourite vegetarian cookbooks!