Jessica is a competitive runner. She watches what she eats and tries to keep her weight down to help her speed. One night at dinner, when her mother passes the chicken, Jessica says, No thanks, Ive decided to become a vegetarian. Her mother isnt quite sure how to respond and wonders whether Jessica is only trying to legitimize the exclusion of additional foods from her diet.

Since Paul started middle school, he has been withdrawing from his family in different ways. His family is largely meat and potato eaters; thus, his parents are not pleased when Paul decides to become a vegetarian. His father believes Paul is rejecting their familys way of eating. Pauls mother is concerned about the adequacy of his diet, since he is excluding many foods without adding nutritionally equivalent substitutes. She also misses Paul at family meals; he says theres not much point in joining the family because they eat foods he cant eat and seeing meat on the table bothers him.

These real-life scenarios of vegetarian teenagers are shared by author and researcher Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, RD, in her new book Im, Like, SO Fat!: Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Choices About Eating and Exercise in a Weight-Obsessed World. After conducting one of the largest and most comprehensive studies on eating patterns and weight-related issues in adolescents (www.epi.umn.edu/research/eat), Neumark-Sztainer knows how American teenagers eat. Called Project EAT (Eating Among Teens), the University of Minnesota study was designed to track eating patterns, physical activity, dieting behaviors, and weight concerns of 4,746 adolescents and 900 parents.

Vegetarianism has become a booming nutrition trend over the past few years. Now more than ever, vegetarian families are bringing this once-alternative dietary choice to the attention of mainstream America. Evidence of the progress is everywhere: McDonalds now offers an array of meatless salads; school lunch programs now offer vegetarian entrees; and meat alternatives, such as tofu, are sold in most supermarkets.

Taking a stand for animal rights by choosing not to eat meat fits well with teenagers wanting to be part of a cause. As they try to sort through their own philosophies on avoiding meat, poultry, or fish, teens may use their newfound food beliefs as a platform to further separate themselves from concerned family members. Many of these teens are looking out for the animals health but ironically can easily neglect their own health in the process.

How Many Teens Are Vegetarian?

In 2000, The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG), a nonprofit group working to educate people about vegetarianism and related issues, conducted a Roper poll on 1,240 youths to track the number of young vegetarians in the United States (www.vrg.org/journal/vj2001jan/2001janteen.htm). They found that 2% of youth aged 6 to 17 never eat meat, fish, or poultry.

More recently, Project EAT found a 4% increase from the Roper poll results, showing that a total of 6% of the teens surveyed said they were vegetarians. The study also found that the first step many teens take on their way to becoming vegetarians is to eliminate red meat from their diet.

Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, coauthor of the American Dietetic Associations position paper on vegetarianism and nutrition advisor for the VRG, gives feedback on why teens are choosing to become vegetarian. In my experience, teens become vegetarian because of concerns about animals, the environment, health reasons, and a desire to emulate a peer or a celebrity, she comments. I do not feel that more teens are becoming vegetarian because of body image or weight issues than are becoming vegetarian for environmental or animal issues.

Concerned Parents

So what do parents need to know if they want to raise children on a meatless diet or if a child suddenly announces that he or she is now a vegetarian? To start, parents must be aware of the nutritional needs teenage vegetarians have and how to creatively inspire their teenagers to eat a variety of foods. Finding healthy foods their children genuinely enjoy can go a long way toward ensuring that their childrens nutritional needs are being met. Nutrients that are usually supplied by meat, dairy, and egg products must be worked back into a teens diet to meet the recommended dietary allowance for protein, calcium, iron, and vitamin B12.

How concerned are mothers who are already vegetarian? A mother of three and a vegetarian for more than 17 years, Naomi Arens says she would not mind if her children chose a vegetarian diet. She has decided to let her children choose for themselves whether they will avoid meat. As a mom, my main concern is that my [childrens] diets are not always the most healthful or balanced. To eliminate a major food group might make it more difficult, says Arens. My kids like lots of vegetarian foods, such as tofu, so they would probably do fine. She admits that in a fast-food world, though, eating vegetarian takes more time and planning, which she believes could be difficult for busy families making the switch.

Mangels and her husband are both vegan. We werent going to do anything different for the kids, she says. We tend to be a little loose in social situations and tell our daughters when something is likely to contain eggs and allow them to decide whether to eat it. What her children do eat are beansveggie baked beans, bean burritos, and beans and riceand hot dogs and hamburgers made with tofu or other meat substitutes for protein. Fortified juices, soy milk, and supplements provide calcium; one daughter also gets calcium from collards, kale, and broccoli, which the other daughter doesnt like.

Family Communication Is Key

Communication between parents and teens and the example the parents set matter tremendously. The key to understanding why your child is bent toward this new way of eating is effective communication. Teens watch and listen to their parents, in addition to other influencers such as friends, media, and the Internet. Parents need to stay alert and be aware of their own food-related and body image issues and the messages they are sending to their children. Project EAT found that teens whose parents reported eating more fruits, vegetables, and dairy foods were also more likely to eat more of these foods.

Compromise is the best way for a nonvegetarian family to adapt to a vegetarian teen. Parents should develop a plan to include the teen in food preparation or grocery shopping. Dont change everythingyour new vegetarian still needs to come to family meals and take the responsibility for the time it takes to eat and plan vegetarian meals.

According to Project EAT, the most common reason in choosing to not eat meat was to maintain or lose weight. Vegans were not as interested in weight control issues. Lee Kaufman says she did not decide to become a vegetarian as an 18 year old for body image reasons. Rather, her decision was founded entirely in her ethical beliefs. Kaufman quips, If it didnt come from a cow, I would love a steak right now!

Neumark-Sztainer believes that vegetarianism leading to an eating disorder is the exception rather than the rule. She says that those who are already on their way to developing disordered eating behaviors may adopt vegetarianism as an additional strategy for restricting food intake. Ilyse Simon, RD, a private practitioner specializing in disordered eating, agrees, commenting that some of the young girls she counsels who are anorexic have become vegetarians because they kept restricting their food intake.

What Teens Are Up Against

It is estimated that teenagers may be the fastest-growing group of vegetarians and often require special resources and support when their families arent supportive of their dietary choice.

Lack of proper nutrition can cause teenage vegetarians to become protein malnourished since the meat is removed from the meal mix. And many teens do not realize that just because a vegetarian diet is lower in fat intake, it doesnt mean it is lower in calories, especially when sugary desserts and snack foods are chosen.

Another danger is a lack of emotional support, either from parents or peers who may not understand the decision. Even when a teen wants to be a vegetarian, it can still be difficult. Kevin Cummings, a vegetarian since the age of 12 and now in his late 20s, remembers how hard it was in middle and high schoolspecifically, dealing with ridicule about his vegetarian diet. Sasha Clark, a 16-year-old vegan since birth, says, The worst part of being vegan used to be the teasing that I got, and some people pitied me because I couldnt eat what they ate. But now that Im older, I try to use these moments as educational opportunities. Clark was interviewed by VegFamily on her story of living as a vegan teen. Today, though, she says, I am happy to say that the best part of being vegan is knowing that my diet is contributing not only to my health but also to the well-being of animals and to the good of the environment.

Creative Vegetarian Snacking

When a vegetarian teen is in the house, its time to get creative with the snack list. Have the house stocked with trail mix, popcorn, pizza, bean tacos, bagels, and dried fruits to keep the ultimate teen snacker eating well throughout the day with at least four to five mini-meals. Eating out is easier than ever before for vegetarian teens with the presence of Mexican food chains and many local Chinese, Japanese, and Mediterranean restaurants.

The philosophy of vegetarianism mixed with the unpredictable teenage mind will demand creative nutrition education and communication. The goal must be to foster a vegetarian lifestyle in adolescence that the teen can build on throughout young adulthood. Ultimately, their growth into healthy and informed adult vegetarians will someday influence their nutritional choices for their own children.