Teens and vegetarianism

Integrating vegetarian choices
Your family may already enjoy some vegetarian dishes, such as split-pea soup, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, pancakes, omelettes, meatless chili, and quiche. One way to accommodate a vegetarian in the family is to prepare more vegetarian meals.

• Make tacos with refried beans instead of ground beef.
• Add chickpeas instead of ham to rice dishes. Order vegetarian pizza instead of pepperoni pizza.
• Replace the nutrients your family would get from meat with the nutrients from legumes, seeds, nuts, eggs, and dairy products.

• When you make a stir-fry, remove some vegetables for your teen and mix them with tofu in a separate dish, before adding chicken for the rest of the family.
• When you're barbecuing burgers, toss on a veggie burger for your teen.
• When you bake potatoes, make your vegetarian teen's potato a main course. Pile on the cheese, sour cream, and green onions. She might even have "bacon bits," which don't contain a speck of real bacon but do contain TVP (textured vegetable protein).
• When you prepare a casserole, divide it into portions before adding the tuna or chicken. In your teen's casserole, add kidney beans or a couple of sliced tofu wieners.
• Offer all the possible variations of pasta or noodle dishes.

Transferring responsibility
If your thirteen-year-old has become a vegetarian, it's up to you to ensure that she receives adequate nutrition. But it's up to her to decide whether or not it's OK to eat marshmallows, which contain gelatine. Encourage an older teen to learn all she can about vegetarianism through a local vegetarian association (some have youth groups) or by taking vegetarian cooking classes. If she does a school project on vegetarianism, she'll also have to get down to the details.

If your teen has become a vegan or if you're concerned about her nutrition, consult a dietitian. Contact Dietitians of Canada for the name and number of a dietitian working in your area. Their usual rate is about $60 an hour. If your daughter's doctor refers you to a dietitian who works in a hospital or a community clinic, there is usually no charge.