Released: December 20, 2007

Tips for parents: Does Your Teen Want to be a Vegetarian?

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Parents often encourage their teenagers to be independent and to make their own decisions – but sometimes those decisions don’t fall in line with the rest of the family – such as the choice to try a vegetarian diet.

A teen’s decision to become a vegetarian need not upset family meals, said Sandy Procter, Kansas State University Research and Extension nutrition specialist.

“Try not to over-react,” said Procter, who encouraged parents to “talk with your teen about his interpretation of a vegetarian diet.”

A semi vegetarian diet includes grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, milk and eggs. Such a diet will exclude red meat, but may include small amounts of fish or fowl, said Procter, who is a registered dietitian and state coordinator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program. A total vegetarian – or vegan – diet excludes all animal products

Teens who choose a vegetarian diet will need to think beyond a vegetarian pizza or grilled cheese sandwich, she said.

The teen years are a time of rapid growth and development and not the time to exclude protein – or any other nutrient – for optimum health, said Procter, who speaks from experience: A few years ago, her family’s older son decided that he wanted to become a vegetarian.

Procter said that as a parent, she chose not to make food an issue and to view the change as an opportunity to help her son learn more about food groups and the nutrients that each provide.

While some family favorites, such as macaroni and cheese, need no adjustment, Procter said she adapted family recipes, rather than preparing separate entrées. Her tips include:

* Set aside a portion of a soup or casserole mixture before adding meat.

* Try new recipes for traditional favorites, such as “white chili” prepared with chicken or turkey and white beans, if some animal-origin foods are acceptable to the family member.

* Share a pizza. In Procter’s case, the family chose half meat and half veggie toppings.

* Look for recipes that include lentils and dried beans as non-meat protein sources.

* Shop for seasonal fruits and vegetables that add color and health-promoting nutrients to family meals.

Whether a passing fancy or the beginning of a lifetime commitment, Procter said that teens and others in the family usually can benefit from eating a greater variety of foods and learning more about the selections they choose from each food group.

More information on food, nutrition and health is available at county and district K-State Research and Extension offices and on the Extension Web site: www.oznet.ksu.edu/humannutrition.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Nancy Peterson
nancyp@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News