Is it safe to become a vegetarian during the teenage years?

Question

I'm 14 and i can't stand the way people can slaughter the poor animals so i wan't to become a vegetarian so I'm not a part of the cruel act. Is it safe to do that though since I'm 14 and probably still growing.

Answer 1

absolutly safe many people have been vegetarians and vegans there entire lives.

You would only have to be cautious if you were a vegan and getting calcium because studies have shown vegan teens are noticeably shorter than vegetarian teens because they dont take in any dairy products.

Whats not safe is eating meat with all its cruelty and saturated fats (the really bad kind) and heatlh risks your making your body more health and more natural by going vegetarian.

Answer 2

Yes.  The American Dietetic Association approves of well-planned vegetarian diets for *all* life stages.

You do need to see to your nutritional requirements.  Making a big change like this is a great opportunity to learn about nutrition.  I highly recommend "The New Becoming Vegetarian" by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina.  They are both registered dietitians and the book is just about the bible of vegetarian nutrition.  It would be great to go over it with your folks so they can help you plan menus that will give you all the nutrients you need, and so they know that they don't need to worry about you.  They even have a chapter dedicated to the needs of growing vegetarians.

Several organizations (like peta) have vegetarian starter kits that you can order online too.

Answer 3

i became vegetarian at 13, vegan at 14

at first i did vegetarian the wrong way. i ate nothing but pasta and bread. then i started eating more vegetables and less flour and i felt better. my friend who went vegan a year ago has grown 2 inches, so you don't stop growing.

vegetarian is good for your health, for the animals, and for the enviornment , why wouldn't you want to go vegetarian?

Answer 4

You don't need meat to grow.  Google the Vegetarian food pyramid

Answer 5

It is 100% safe. If you eat the right foods, being a vegetarian will make you HEALTHIER than your meat eating friends! A vegetarian lifestyle is good for your body, the animals, and the enviornment.

Once you go veg, you'll never want to go back :)

Answer 6

Vegetarian diets are perfectly safe at any life stage--provided that you get the proper nutrition and caloric intake (no using it as a front for anorexia).  That said, at your age, I would presume that you still live with your parents and they purchase and prepare your meals.  In order to be healthy as a vegetarian, you would need to have their support.  Think about meals they make and how they can be adjusted with minimal cost and effort.  Keep in mind that unless your family converts, you will be requesting that your mom or dad make two meals.  Some are simple--burgers--substitute a gardenburger patty; others more difficult--gumbo, well, open a can of vegetarian soup...

Answer 7

hey,

personally i think its great that ur be coming a vegetarian. i used to be a vetetarian when i was 13 but now 15 and i had to stop cause i play hockey and i want to get into the nhl and i workout alot and i wasnt getting enough protien to build muscle, so i had to quit, but i think you will be ok. i have some cousins that are vegetarian and there about my age too so you'll be fine.

i hope that helps and good luck as a vegetarian i support decision 100% (cause its important to have some poeple that support you )     :)

Answer 8

um yeah and if your already thinner or small then when you get older you wont have as bad weight troubles as a lot of girls do while developing, i know i didnt, i started when i was 13.

Answer 9

Yep, totally! I went veg at 13 and didn't have any sort of problem.

Answer 10

wait until your 18 or you will never grow

Answer 11

It's safer than a diet with a ton of meat!  www.meat.org.

Answer 12

Heya

I was 15 when i started to be a vegetarian. To be honest the feeling that i have no animal flesh inside me and that i havnt contributed to the suffering of animals weighs up much more than health to me. =] x*x

Answer 13

Yes, absolutely!

I went veg at 8, I'm 19 now and I'm fine. I don't have any nutritional deficiencies, and I grew up like any normal child.

Answer 14

Most definitely! If you're worried about your health, do some research and make sure to eat a healthy diet. If your parents insist, show them the letter at the back of "Living Among Meat Eaters" and let them buy you some supplements (do research on your own so that they get things that are actually USEFUL). If all else fails, buy a book of veg*an recipes and do your own cooking. Just stick with it, and without eating meat you'll probably be even healthier due to the decreased risk of meat-related diseases!

By the way, about the nutritionist thing, you should probably make sure that whoever you go to (if you choose to) is accepting of vegetarianism before asking their advice. Some doctors are under-informed and close minded, but many will give you great, useful advice!

Answer 15

Fortunately for most vegetarians their diets tend to be healthy, obviously low in saturated animal fats, and high in natural plant matter.

Unfortunately due to the fact that most vegetarian diets are healthy, finding one to enable you to lose weight will be hard to find.

Vegetarians should look at the foods that they eat, to find out which foods are high in calories, this will tend to be nuts, cheeses and various oils that food will be either cooked in or added as a side dressing.

There are now plenty of good books for vegetarian cuisine, look at trying new and different foods in order to extract the various minerals and vitamins that your body will require. Most vegetarians, especially those looking at reducing their calorie intake will be deficient in the trace elements that the body will require in order to function at its full potential.

I would strongly suggest supplements in the form of vitamins and minerals, look at boosting the ones that you are lacking through your diet, i.e. iron. Combine this with regular aerobic exercise and body conditioning to both increase and promote active weight loss.

Answer 16

I've been a vegetarian for most of my life and I'm fine... go for it!

Answer 17

It's safe, but you have more special needs than most people. You should talk to your doctor about your decision and get his/her input. They might be able to refer you to a nutritionist that specializes in vegetarian needs and/or teens.

Good luck to you!

Answer 18

Yes, it is not only safe, it is preferable!  I became a vegetarian on my 13th birthday, and I grew to be a 5'10" female!  You will be helping the animals, the environment, and you will be getting an early start on preventing heart disease, cancers, diabetes, etc.  Good luck!  :)

Here is a good site with tons of support and resources:  vegetarianteen.com

Answer 19

i became a vegetarian during my teenage years, and i did it the healthy way, but it still nearly messed me up for good. what you really need to do is talk to your parents first, then get on a daily multivitamin. my problem was that although i was combining the right nutrients, i didn't eat enough. when you remove meat from your diet (considering meat is one of the highest caloric contributers to an individual's diet) you need to eat more, so that your body doesn't go into starvation mode. and sometimes you won't even feel hungry, but remember to eat at regular intervals and eat plenty of carbs to keep your energy up (but eat good carbs, and as a vegetarian, you need to check your labels to find out what you can and can't eat. i was shocked to find out that i could eat A1 steaksauce, which goes great with steak, but i couldn't eat baked beans, because the beans have pork in them. and the best thing to do as a vegetarian is eat vegetables, not chips and snacks) and then you can gradually settle into old eating habits, like the three squares a day.

just remember that you have to pair certain food groups with other food groups in order for your body to absorb the essential amino acids like a normal meat eater. the food groups to pair are as follows: grains and dairy, grains and legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), and legumes and seeds.

Answer 20

Are you going to stop eating fish and any other seafood?  If not then you probably want to eliminate meat because of dietary reasons.  Most vegetarians stop eating meat because they think it will help them lose weight but it's quite the opposite where meat has fat burning amino acids.

Answer 21

I've heard great stories of people being vegan from birth, so vegetarianism in your teens is perfectly healthy =)

Perhaps you should do some research through Google about why vegeterianism is healthier than meat eating? The evidence for why it's healthy is overwhelmimg, while evidence for the contrary is pretty much nonexistent.

Answer 22

Of course it is!

I'm 14 too and i've been vegetarian for about half a year now.

And I totally agree. congrats!

but being a vegetarian doesn't always mean you have to eat vegetables all the time. since you're giving up on meat, try eating more nuts and dairy products like yogurt and cheese. But be careful, some types of yogurt have GELATIN and some have KOSHER GELATIN. read the labels before you buy.

Also, eating some salads are good too.

It's completely fine to become a vegetarian now, even though a lot of people don't think its safe to become one while you're growing. But to be on the safe side, do some research so you understand it before you become one