More and more teenagers are choosing not to eat meat, poultry or fish. They are becoming vegetarians. A vegetarian diet can be enjoyed by people of all ages. But that’s not the case with non vegetarian food as you grow old you need to cut down on your intake of non vegetarian food.

There are many types of vegetarian diets. The two most common are lacto-ovo, which includes eggs and milk products, but not meat, and vegan which doesn’t include any form of animal products.

A healthy, varied vegetarian diet includes fruits, vegetables, plenty of leafy greens, whole grain products, nuts, seeds and legumes. Being a teen vegetarian will make you healthy and rewarding.

The years between 13 and 19 are times of especially rapid growth and change. The teenagers should take utmost care and have healthy food and avoid junk

Health benefits for vegetarians:

• Decreased risk of heart disease as you grow older
• Decreased risk of cancer
• Lower chance of adult onset diabetes
• Lower likelihood of being overweight
• Decreased chances of high blood pressure

Important nutrients for vegetarian teenagers

• Calcium: Calcium is used to build bones, especially during adolescence, when bone density is determined. It is important to include three or more good sources of calcium in your diet.
• Protein: It’s needed to build and repair all body tissues, including muscles, bones and skin. Vegetarians get protein from four main sources: dairy and eggs; beans, peas, lentils and soy meats; nuts and seeds; grains and cereals.
• Iron: To increase the amount of iron absorbed from a meal, eat a food containing vitamin C as part of the meal. Citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes and broccoli are all good sources of vitamin C.
• Vitamin B-12: This vitamin is found in soy milk, orange juice and cereal. it is an important nutrient for the vegetarians.
• Zinc: Zinc can be found in whole grain foods, sunflower seeds, nuts and legumes, which are high in healthy monounsaturated fats.
• Omega3fats: These special fats will protect you from heart disease and possibly aid in weight control. Sources of such fats are walnuts, ground flaxseed, canola and flaxseed oils.

Eating vegetarian food doesn’t automatically mean healthy eating. Remember there are just as many vegetarian junk foods as there are for meat-eaters: potato chips, French fries, cookies, ice cream, and more. It’s important to identify the priority foods and maintain a healthy diet.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, September 27th, 2008 at 12:00 pm and is filed under vitamins. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.