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I've heard it a number of times either in a friend's kitchen or at the drop off line at school, it's always mentioned in somewhat hushed tones. "She's a vegetarian now, you know." Or, "No, he won't eat that anymore, he's a vegetarian all of a sudden."These comments are usually met with eye rolls and knowing nods of the head. For many households, the switch of a teenager's diet means two different meals to prepare, more shopping to do and yet another battle with the resident teen. Statistics show that many teens currently classify themselves as vegetarians. The reasons vary widely: health, religion, ethics, weight, fashion, environment. Whatever the case, the trend is growing.
Evidence that vegetarian eating is more and more abundant: veggie burgers, edamame and soy products are available at more grocery stores. Fast food restaurants are offering more vegetarian options.
I became a vegetarian when I was 15. By the time I was 19, I was a full fledged vegan. I read John Robbin's Diet for a New America and became inspired to abandon all animal products. However, when I had a child at age 22, the efforts of preparing vegan meals became too much and I fell off the wagon and stopped by a KFC. If my teenager were to suddenly give up ham and pepperoni, I think I would support him and maybe even join him.
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6-14-2006 @10:40AM Sarah said... I must say that while I'm not a parent, I have been a teen vegetarian and a parent's support in these choices can have an invaluable impact on the teen. I too, went vegetarian at the age of 15 and am now a 28 year old vegan (vegan for four years). I've never 'fallen off the wagon' and consider my food choices incredibly liberating and personal. I feel the same way now as I did as a teen.
My parents though, felt that I was just rebelling. Their solution was to have me buy and prepare my own food for the remainder of my stay in their house. That resulted (due to no nutritional guidance) in me becoming an incredibly unhealthy child and it also made me feel demoralized and unempowered. It's so important to support your child as they make their way into the world. Vegetarianism is an incredibly healthy lifestyle; I can't imagine fighting with my child over that when they could be choosing so many unhealthy habits instead.
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6-14-2006 @10:50AM shawn mccollum said... I think a great cookbook idea would be how to prepare a meal for the vegetarians and carnivores in your life. Alot of meals could be done where you prepare meals in steps to produce two different versions of the meal. My daughter hates all sauces except cheese sauce. When we make speagetti we cook up the noodles and brown the meat, take her portion out and then add the sauce to the meat to simmer. I'm sure some crafty chef could take the same idea to other meals.
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6-14-2006 @11:50AM amy said... i completely agree about the parents rolling their eyes. i was in college when i became a full vegetarian, but i started slowly cutting out one meat at a time while finding substitutes for them in my diet. Now, the new foods I eat are so natural to me, it's hard for me to actually explain the difference when I get constantly asked "What do you eat?" With each meat I stopped eating, I got eye rolls from my mom as if it threatened her and her way of life somehow. Luckily, since I lived at college, I could manage to cook on my own, but each time I dropped a different meat, I would make sure it was right after I had come home for a visit. It made it difficult and if I had had more support, the change for me may have been quicker.
It's sad that people have this idea of vegetarians as being unhealthy considering the alternatives. Why are people so scared by other people choicing not to eat meat?
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6-14-2006 @1:57PM Christopher said... I'm not a vegetarian myself (or a parent for that matter) but knowing a couple vegetarians of different lifestyles, I think its important that parents teach their kids proper eating habits regardless. One of the people I knew decided to drop meat from her diet, and never learned how to replace those proteins,ended up with extremely unhealthy eating habits, and malnourished because of it. (Not a good image of vegetarians in all)
The other on the other hand, was quite the chef, and even taught me a few things about cooking.
So while some people might roll their eyes at this choice, like the other comments here, I think its ultimately up to the parents to show their kids how to eat correctly, regardless of what they choose to eat.
And I'd love to see a cookbook like Shawn mentioned, so I could better prepare meals for when my vegetarian friends come over.. :D
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6-15-2006 @7:08PM Robyn said... I flirted (makes it sound dangerous, doesn't it?) with vegetarianism from about age 13-19. I guess I was actualy more flexitarian since there was always some of my mom's food that I could not give up. I think I mostly used vegetarianism as an excuse not to eat the foods I didn't like.
Anyway, my parents sort of thought I was silly but I think they're sort of flexitarian-ish too now, as long as there is enough protein to fill up my dad.
I don't think it is a parents' responsibility to cater to everyone's food likes and dislikes. In that sense I think kids should prepare their own food if they are going to be picky.
Another thing that worries me about vegetarianism is that it is in some ways just another form of dieting, i.e. losing weight. Someone else posted about the website encouraging teen girls to eat meat since so many of them go veggie--doesn't this indicate that they are doing it to lose weight? I know this doesn't include all vegetarians but I think it's a reason not to wholeheartedly support a teenager's vegetariansm.
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