Any tips for becoming a vegetarian?

Question

Im 14 and Im thinking about becoming a vegetarian. Is it ok for me to become a vegetarian even though Im a teen? Any tips for becoming one?

Answer 1

eat vegetables and try to not over indulge in pasta and bread

Answer 2

i tried that when i was young and 'cool' it didnt last long...

good luck for you though ha

Answer 3

yes it  is ok to become  one...im a teen and have been a vegetarian for a year. what i have to do every day is take  a vitamin so that my body is getting  what it needs  and i also eat veggie burgers to satisfy my craving for meat.

Hope it helps

Answer 4

it's totally okay.  i'm 15 and i became a vegetarian when i was 12.  just make sure you eat enough protein and take vitamins.

Answer 5

it's totally fine to be a teen vegetarian. it's all a matter of you well you balance your diet.

mock meat, mock meat, mock meat! it's a great way to get your protein (it has about just as much as animal meat does), and it's an easy to way to have dinner with your family without having to eat just the side dishes.

Answer 6

Yes, it is ok as long as you follow your dietary needs.  I became a vegetarian at that age, and I am healthy.  Most persons need supplements, however I rarely take them.  Your body might be different, so I would discuss that with a doctor, and your parents.

The first thing you should do, is figure which type of vegetarian you want to be. There are several types of VEGETARIANS:

Lacto-ovo- vegetarian

When most people think of vegetarians, they think of lacto-ovo-vegetarians. People who do not eat beef, pork, poultry, fish, shellfish or animal flesh of any kind, but do eat eggs and dairy products are lacto-ovo vegetarians (“lacto” comes from the Latin for milk, and “ovo” for egg).

Lacto-vegetarian is used to describe a vegetarian who does not eat eggs, but does eat dairy products.

Ovo-vegetarian refers to people who do not eat meat or dairy products but do eat eggs.

Vegan

Vegans do not eat meat of any kind and also do not eat eggs, dairy products, or processed foods containing these or other animal-derived ingredients such as gelatin. Many vegans also refrain from eating foods that are made using animal products that may not contain animal products in the finished process, such as sugar and some wines.

Here is a list of some possible options that you can get from the supermarket.  These products are vegan and vegetarian:

http://www.peta2.com/STUFF/s-eat.asp

http://www.peta2.com/STUFF/s-accvegan.as...

Now since your a teen, you'll need plenty of protein, and that can be derived from a total plant based diet:

If a food contains enough essential amino acids, it's called a complete protein. Meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, milk and soy products are complete proteins. If the protein in a food doesn't have all the essential acids, it's an incomplete protein. Fruits, grains and vegetables are incomplete proteins.

There are different kinds of vegetarian diets. Vegans are the strictest kind of vegetarian -- they eat only plant  products. Lacto-vegetarians allow dairy products, and lacto-ovo-vegetarians allow eggs as well as dairy products. .

Sources of Protein:

Type of food Quantity providing 10g protein (g)

Soya flour 24

Peanuts 39

Pumpkin seeds 41

Almonds 47

Brazil Nuts 50

Sunflower seeds 51

Sesame seeds 55

Hazel Nuts 71

Wholemeal bread 95

Whole lentils dried & boiled 114

Chickpeas dried & boiled 119

Kidney beans dried & boiled 119

Wholemeal spaghetti boiled 213

Brown rice boiled 385

The vegetarian can be a healthy option, as it reduces fat intake and lowers cholestrol.  However, you have to ensure that you eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, to get all the vitamins and minerals from your foods. To do this, you have to exercise regularly, and use the vegetarian diet pyramid:

http://www.oldwayspt.org/vegetarian_pyra...

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/healthnut...

RECEPIES:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Everyday-C...

http://vegetarian.betterrecipes.com/

http://www.cok.net/lit/recipes/

Now that you have done your checklist:

1/ Figure out what kind of vegetarian you want to be.

2/ Research on the dietary requirements I need for my age so that I can be healthy with a vegetarian diet.

3/ Find a healthy way of obtaining meals throughout the day, with my newly formed requirements.

4/ Exercise regularly, so that the excess sugar does not cause weight gain.

5/ Ensure that you consume health carb. options, instead of unhealthy ones, such as brown (whole wheat) instead of white (processed) breads, pasta and cereals.

All that should be found in your research, good luck and if you need anymore help you can im or email me.

Answer 7

Of course it's okay!  

The big thing to keep in mind is that your body is still developing--you've got high nutritional needs, not just for calories, but for proteins, vitamins, and other nutrients that are essential to your proper development.  You'll want to eat a large variety of foods, and there are a lot of places you can go to get good ideas for recipes and the sort of vegetable and grain mixes that can provide everything your body needs.

Start slowly, and don't get really picky right away.  Once you're on a pure vegetarian diet, it can actually be disruptive to your digestive system to eat meat, so be picky after about a year.  For now, don't worry too much if there's a little meat in your meals, or if you end up at a friend's house for dinner and they don't know what to serve you.  

Also, listen to your body.  If you start getting tired, feeling fatigued, or anything--it could be a deficiency in your new diet.  That doesn't mean you don't get to keep being a vegetarian, it just means that there's some nutrients you're missing out on in your new diet.  Keep in mind that you often crave foods that will provide exactly the kind of nutrients you need--a craving for red meat is common, for example, for someone who has lost a lot of blood.  They're low on iron, and red meat is an amazing source of iron.

You've also GOT to make sure your parents are behind you on this.  You'll need certain foods that probably aren't in your kitchen already, and unless you've got a job or a great allowance, you can't stock all your food yourself.  If they will support you--pick up specialty foods (not necessary expensive foods, just different protein sources mostly), help you with the cooking, be willing to make meals that can easily be vegetarian or non-vegetarian (like spaghetti and meatballs, but separate out some of the sauce before adding meat to it)--that will make all of the difference.

Be ready to have to do a little research, and be prepared to fight for a decent meal sometimes.  I went to a summer camp that though a plain white bread and american pre-sliced cheese sandwich was a "good meal" for a vegetarian.  I was fed the same lunch and dinner meal every single day.  Then there were camps that would provide a good vegetarian option, but it was open to everyone--and by the time I would make it through the line, everyone had already taken it, and there wasn't any left for me.