Teenage vegetarians on the rise

The number of teenage vegetarians in the US is on the rise in a big way, reported Newsweek (Augusut 28, 1995) in an article titled, Children of the Corn.

A recent survey by Teenage Research Unlimited found that 35 percent of girls and 18 percent of boys thought being vegetarian was “in”. In another survey, 37 percent of teens said that they try to avoid red meat – 50 percent higher than people a generation older.

Concern for animals is the leading reasons teens and kids give up meat. Because animal rights groups have made children a prime target. Some teenagers think that eating meat is "totally gross".

Rock concerts

A group called Animalearn, for instance, made presentations on “alternative diets” to some 20,000 young people in 1994. Another group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), sends “Chris P Carrot”, a 7ft tall dancing mascot, to elementary schools to and hands out buttons reading: Eat Your Veggies, Not your Friends.

Naturally, parents are not too excited about having teenage vegetarian kids. Even Britain’s Prince Charles. When his son, Prince Harry, 10, announced in July 1995 that he would no longer eat meat, Charles promptly ordered the palace chefs to prepare slabs of bacon for his son’s breakfast.

Most parents are concerned about nutrition for their vegetarian kids. Their biggest fear is about protein, but Newsweek assures that is not a problem.

However, adequate nutrition is a serious consideration because teenage vegetarians, like others, still enjoy junk food.

Teenage vegetarians on junk foods might eat:

Breakfast: Blueberry pop tart; glass of orange juice.
Lunch: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich; french-fries; a can of coca cola.
Dinner: Garden burger with ketchup and mustard; vegetarian baked beans.
Snacks: Rice cakes, low fat frozen yoghurt; potato chips.

A healthy 13-year-old vegetarian might eat.

Breakfast: Orange; bowl of oatmeal porridge with soy milk; slice of toast with jam.
Lunch: Bowl o miso soup with to fu; pita bread sandwich with hummus, tomato and spinach; carrot juice; dried figs.
Dinner: Casserole of rice, beans, squash, onion and broccoli with safflower oil; cooked kale.
Snacks: Slice of watermelon; strawberries; handful of trail (nut) mix.