TEENAGE VEGETARIAN

If you are a teenager or younger and thinking of becoming vegetarian, it may be easier for you than it is for adults. Younger people seem to be able to adapt much easier and faster than older people to a change in diet. As long as you eat a good variety of healthy food every day, you shouldn't experience any problems.

Making the right decision for you

As with older people, gradual reduction and elimination of animal food can be easier than becoming vegetarian overnight because it gives the body time to adjust to the changes. For many people, making the transition over a couple of weeks or months is a good way to go as it allows the body to get used to the change without too much of a shock to the system.

However, everyone is different and if you really feel it's right for you to eliminate meat quickly, just make sure you know how to eat well. Look at the first step page and the health, fitness and veg food pages on this site and other vegetarian web sites. Your parents may not have a clue what kind of food to give you or how to prepare food that is tasty as well as nutritious so it may be up to you to educate yourself about how to be a healthy vegetarian. The last thing you want is to get sick and for those sceptical friends or family member to say, "See we told you it's not healthy to be vegetarian/vegan."

Be Healthy

You want to be a very healthy, fit and strong vegetarian so make sure you are getting plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains every single day and that you are regularly eating cereals, legumes, tofu, tempeh, vege meats, seeds and nuts. That way you'll become a great role model for future vegetarians.

Be aware that if you were eating a bad diet before becoming vegetarian and then you just eliminated all animal food, you may become deficient in nutrients that your body needs. Meat eaters can generally get away with eating a bad diet for some years although it will catch up with them eventually in the form of obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes etc. Vegetarians or vegans eating a really bad diet of junk food and processed food can develop health problems too - different ones but no less dangerous, so eat healthy food every day and keep the junk food to a minimum.

Social Life

Becoming vegetarian shouldn't have any negative impact on your social life. You can still go everywhere your friends go to eat, as there are always vegetarian options at just about every restaurant, cafe and food shop. By becoming vegetarian you will be showing that you are an individual, can think for yourself and are confident enough in yourself to step out from the mainstream. That's pretty impressive. And don't take any nonsense from anyone. If anyone tries to tease or challenge you, let them know you are in good company being vegetarian. Remember some of the vegetarian musicians, actors and sports stars so you can let your friends know just how many great vegetarians there are.

Hopefully your parents/family will be supportive of your decision and helpful but the reality is that some families may not approve of you becoming vegetarian for various reasons. If they try to talk you out of it or oppose you, try the ideas below:

Some ideas to try with your family

First find out what the opposing family member is concerned about and then do some reading on that subject using the links below as a staring point. Try to have an open discussion with him / her / them by listening to why they have a problem with you wanting to be vegetarian and then ask if they can listen to your point of view. You may find that if you are willing to put in a bit of effort, by sharing information with them and offering to help with the food shopping or preparing meals that they may be more supportive of you becoming vegetarian.

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Are your family interested in health and concerned about your health?

Photos courtesy of Robert Cheeke, Vegan Bodybuilder.

• If their objection is related to health, photocopy some information about health and vegetarianism from the internet such as Nutrition MD to set their mind at ease. This will also give your parents a few ideas about the types of foods that they will need to buy for you. Present a list of famous vegetarians, especially athletes. Drop a few names they will know like Peter Brock, Greg Chappell, Martina Navratilova, Carl Lewis, Robert De Costella and show the parent some photos of vegetarian body builders or athletes. For a short summary of health, show the parents the health page on this site. Have a look at some of these sites

  • Vegetarian Athletes
  • Vegan Body Builders (photos above from this site)
  • Famous Vegetarians (general)
  • Famous Vegetarian Musicians
  • Famous Vegetarian Actors

 Do your family say they are concerned about Global Warming and the .................destruction of the environment and waste of water?

• If your family member is concerned about the environment, water wastage or global warming, present them with some of the information about the devastating effects of animal farming on the environment and educate them to the facts of factory farming its contribution to environmental devastation. Have a look at the environment page on this site or look on the internet at meat eating and global warming.

 Do your family say they love animals?

• If your family insist that they are animal lovers, but still like to eat meat, and say, "These animals are meant for us to eat and are killed humanely", present them with some information about how animals live and die when they are raised for meat. You will find some information on this site. Pictures and videos are the best way to jolt a person out of denial, but be warned, there are some horrendous images. If you've already made the definite decision to become vegetarian/vegan, you do not need to watch videos so just go to the site, get it ready to play, place your parents in front of the computer and then leave the room for your mum/dad to watch. If they are truly animal lovers, they will support your decision to become vegetarian and may want to become vegetarian themselves once they've seen some of these images: There are some informative videos on the video page and Animal TV

 What to eat

• If your parent's main concern is about what to give you to eat, show them the Veg Food Basics page on this site and look for vegetarian recipes on the internet. There are thousands of great sites but one with a great selection is Vegetarian Cooking Print out the ones that look delicious and give them to the parent who does the cooking. Why not buy your mum/dad some vegetarian recipe books for their birthday or Christmas? More great ideas about what to eat

  Learn how to cook yourself or at least help out in the kitchen

• Offer to prepare some food for the family. Start with some snacks and then move on to some simple recipes. Once you learn how to cook, it won't take long before you can make a tasty healthy meal for the whole family. Most parents will love the opportunity to have the night off from making the family meal.