Vegetarian Teens Need Diet Advice

At a young age, some children who make the connection between their hamburger and the barnyard animals in their books announce that they're no longer eating meat. More often, though, children decide to shun animal-based food as teens.

The vegetarian rate among U.S. children and teens is a steady 2 percent. But with teen heartthrobs like Josh Hartnett as vegetarians, that may change.

Vegetarians fall into four major categories: ovo vegetarians, who eat eggs, but no meat or dairy products; lacto-ovo vegetarians, who eat dairy and egg products, but no meat; lacto vegetarians, who eat dairy products, but no eggs or meat; and vegans, who eat only plant-based foods.

If your teen wants vegetarian options, you may worry that dropping meat, poultry, and fish will be unhealthy. You need not fret about a child's growth as long as you provide dairy and eggs, fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes, nutrition experts say. A lacto-ovo vegetarian diet is a healthy choice for most children and teens.

Making good choices

You should teach your teen to make wholesome food choices, says Reed Mangels, R.D., Ph.D., a nutrition adviser for the Vegetarian Resource Group.

Vegetarian teens need to take care to get enough of certain vitamins and minerals. Each day, they need 2.4 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin B12 (found in dairy products, eggs, and vitamin-fortified foods); 5 mcg of vitamin D (found in dairy products and fortified foods); 1,300 mg of calcium (found in dairy products, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, chickpeas, and fortified foods); 46 to 52 grams of protein (found in dairy products, eggs, tofu, nuts and dried beans); 11 to 15 mg of iron (found in dried beans, whole grains, green leafy vegetables and fortified foods); and 9 to 11 mg of zinc (found in wheat germ, nuts, legumes, and fortified cereals).

Because fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are so filling, young vegetarians may feel full with fewer calories. Dr. Mangels suggests you watch your teen's weight curve. Be wary if your teen seems to be using a vegetarian diet as a way to drastically cut back on how much food he or she eats. A teen with an eating disorder may follow a very restrictive diet.

Emphasize food variety, says Marilyn Tanner, R.D., a pediatric nutrition specialist in St. Louis and an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman. Talk to teens about selecting foods to provide energy. Shop or cook together to learn about a vegetarian diet.

"Exploring new foods and being exposed to them is good," she says. Vegetarianism "is a healthy way of life if done healthfully."

Menu magic

If you're worried about making separate vegetarian meals, try "sequential cooking."

For example, if you're making spaghetti with a tomato and meat sauce, cook the ground beef and the tomato sauce separately. Combine the two for some servings and not for others. Or, make an entree salad. Add egg and cheese slices for the vegetarian and chicken strips for the meat eaters.