It is possible to meet all your body’s nutritional needs by eating only fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and legumes. Because there is no meat in the diet, vegetarian diets usually have less fats and cholesterol, although there will be some. It will, however, take some planning to ensure your teenager includes a variety of foods to get all of the vitamins and nutrients they need. By learning more about the vegetarian lifestyle, you will be able to guide your teen into making wise food choices.

Standard diets are based upon a food pyramid and it is possible to find a vegetarian food pyramid as well. If you’re concerned your teen may be missing vital nutrients, you may want to speak with a registered dietician to learn how your teen can compensate by eating other foods rich in those nutrients.

If your teen decides to become a vegetarian after having eaten meat all their life, they may find it’s not as easy as they thought. To be able to enjoy many of the same flavors, your teen can try meatless products made from soy. Protein is needed to keep bones, muscles, and organs healthy. Your teen can eat legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and soy products.

Everyone knows calcium is needed to build teeth and bones. Calcium can be found in dark green, leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, broccoli, turnip, or collard greens.

In order to make red blood cells and help prevent anemia, it is important to have vitamin B-12 which is usually found in meat, milk, cheese and eggs. Some fortified soy products and enriched cereals provide this vitamin, but your teen may need to take a supplement to ensure they get enough of this vital vitamin.

Another component needed to make red blood cells is iron. Most people know liver is a good source; however, if your teen doesn’t like or isn’t eating meat they may not have enough iron in their system. Dark, leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale are good choices as are dried beans and peas, lentils, and dried fruit. Be sure your teen eats or drinks foods rich in vitamin C so they can properly absorb the iron. Citrus fruits or juice, tomatoes, broccoli, and strawberries may be chosen.

Minerals, as well as vitamins, are needed to maintain good health. Zinc is important for cell division and for the body to form proteins. Your teen may want to eat whole grain breads, nuts, wheat germ, or soy products to ensure they get enough zinc.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the idea that your teenager may not get enough vitamins and minerals to maintain good health.  Vegetarian diets can be lacking some nutrients, but by eating a wide variety of foods and taking a multi-vitamin supplement, they should be fine. If you do become concerned, make an appointment with your teen’s doctor or a registered dietician to give you additional information on how to keep your vegetarian teen healthy.

Some people believe it’s healthier to be vegetarian. But being vegetarian doesn’t mean you have to eat only vegetables.  There is also the choice of flexitarian and pescatarian.  The Pescatarian is the self-proclaimed vegetarian who abstains completely from meat but eats fish.  While the Flexitarian is the term coined to describe those who eat mostly vegetarian but occasionally eat meat.

The word Flexitarian was originally coined in a magazine review of a new restaurant who described their offerings as ‘flexitarian’; a menu that was leaning towards vegetarianism but with a hint of animal protein. Although this term is recognized in the dictionary, it isn’t recognized by most vegetarian groups.  The idea that a person can be called a vegetarian who eats meat sometimes appears to be paradoxical.

There is a substantial percentage of the current population that would like to lean towards vegetarianism but is willing to eat small amounts of meat, fish or poultry.  Using this definition everyone SHOULD be a flexitarian since the recommended serving of meat is 2-5 ounces 2-4 times per week.  The recommended daily allowance of protein is 40-60 grams per day depending upon gender and body size. This protein comes from dairy, fish, eggs, meat and nuts.

When Flexitarians make the decision to eat meat it is often for social or nutritional reasons. For example a Flexitarian may eat only a vegetarian diet at home but eat meat at friends and families homes.

Possible Problems with Meat

If you are a Flexitarian for health reasons and you eat meat,  you may want to consider eating organic meat. Factory farms treat animals poorly, crowding them very close together which can cause illness. The animals are given antibiotics to treat and prevent their diseases and are injected with growth hormones to fatten them up quickly. These antibiotics and hormones remain in the animal and eventually they end up in your body.

There is no definite evidence that the chemicals in meat are harmful to humans, but if you don’t want to give up meat entirely, you might consider more natural meats. That way you won’t have to worry if evidence comes out later that the meat your consuming is harmful. By then  it may be too late for people that consumed it for years!

The same problem holds true for animal products, such as eggs, milk, butter or cheese.  Since it is better to be safe than sorry,  you might want to give organic meat and natural animal products a try.

Part-time vegetarians have definately had a huge effect on the food industry.  An increase in offering soy milk and veggie burgers are up in grocery stores, Wild Oats or Whole Foods are also springing up to meet the needs of  consumers. The impact of this movement has also affected the print media as publishers of previously pure vegetarian foods are starting to include recipes with some meat products.

Choosing to turn to a healthier vegan diet isn’t always possible for people to achieve, so the occasional serving of meat can give you a healthier diet during the remainder of the week.  It would seem that Flexitarians are gaining a foothold in the dietary landscape.