[484] in Vegetarian_Support_Group
When Teens go VEG! (News story)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (elsiedee@MIT.EDU)
Fri Apr 7 01:42:01 1995
To: vsg@MIT.EDU
Date: Fri, 7 Apr 95 01:41:19
From: elsiedee@MIT.EDU
------- Forwarded Message
To: ar-news@cygnus.com
Subject: When Teens go VEG! (News story)
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1995 21:48:05 -0400
From: DHARMALCL@aol.com
WHEN TEENS GO THE VEGETARIAN ROUTE 3/23/95
By CAROL O'SULLIVAN
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
''Would you like fries with that?''
This may be the question American teens hear most often, but a growing number
of them are skipping the double burger altogether and opting for salads with
their fries.
All age groups are backing away from meat. But where adults often cut down on
meat because of health concerns, teens often are motivated by different
reasons, says Lorraine Asturino, president of the Pittsburgh Vegetarian
Society.
Sally Clinton, founder of the Vegetarian Education Network and
editor-publisher of ''How On Earth!'' a newsletter for and by teen-age
vegetarians, says concern for animals is the primary reason teens say they
give up meat.
''It's really an issue that moves them,'' she says.
Other ethical concerns, Clinton says, including environmental and global
issues, also mobilize teens.
By taking control of what they eat, Clinton says, a young person feels
empowered to make a difference in the world -- often for the first time.
Some teens come from families whose religious beliefs (Seventh-Day Adventist,
Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist) embrace vegetarian diets.
Health, however, is toward the bottom of the list of reasons why teens don't
eat meat, Clinton says. ''They aren't too concerned about heart disease at
that age.''
Amy Cottrill, 15, a sophomore at Carrick High School in Pittsburgh, says she
became a vegetarian five years ago, ''when I realized what I was eating was
animals.'' She has since become active in animal-rights groups, even forming
a club at school.
Jacob Zack, 16, has been a vegetarian for about six months and decided to
give up meat after a talk with Cottrill, a classmate. Looking at a pamphlet
with graphic photos of animals in a meat-processing facility convinced him to
take a stand, Zack says. So far he's been able to stick with it.
So what do teenage vegetarians eat? Things that begin with ''p'' seem to be
favorites: pizza, pasta, peanut butter and potatoes. Although Zack likes
pasta for dinner, he says he skips breakfast and lunch. ''I don't care about
my health,'' he says, admitting that he's lost 17 pounds since going
vegetarian. ''I just care about the animals.''
All too frequently, nutritionists say, teens (vegetarian or not) are more
interested in quickly filling their bellies than getting nutrients in their
bodies. School lunches can be particularly challenging.
Many young vegetarians pack their lunches rather than deal with inadequate
cafeteria choices. But Andrew Haridis, 15, a sophomore at the High School for
Creative and Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, says he buys his lunch because he
doesn't have time to make it. He prefers salads and yogurt but admits to the
occasional lunch of chips, chocolate cakes and soda pop.
''I don't generally go down the junk food path unless there's absolutely
nothing else,'' he says.
''Health food'' advocates and vegetarians have criticized school lunches for
years, partly because, Clinton says, the same government agency (the U.S.
Department of Agriculture) regulates the animal industry and the school lunch
program. Reform has been slow, but there has been some movement in the past
five years.
The biggest change occurred in 1990 with the introduction of the USDA Food
Guide Pyramid, as well as recommendations for schools to decrease fat in
lunches to no more than 30 percent. Now under consideration is a proposal to
begin ''nutrition-based menu planning'' (or NBMP) for schools, rather than
one based on food groups.
Ginny Diehl, director of food services in the Franklin Regional School
District in Pittsburgh, says thousands of food service directors across the
nation are evaluating NBMP.
Diehl balks at what she sees as the ''trendiness'' of teens -- girls in
particular -- who become vegetarian while turning their noses up at alternate
sources of protein, vitamins and minerals.
''Iceberg lettuce and carrots won't do it,'' says Diehl, ''and you'll find
most kids won't eat beans or tofu.''
Like many health professionals, Diehl says a nutritionally sound vegetarian
diet can be safe for teens as long as it doesn't eliminate essentials.
Adolescence is a time of rapid growth and change, says Dr. Reed Mangels,
nutrition consultant for the Maryland-based Vegetarian Resource Group. She
says teenage vegetarians should (and often do) pay attention to what they're
missing, but Mangels is quick to add that all of these nutrients -- with the
exception of vitamin B12 -- can be found in vegetable sources.
''The American diet is full of protein,'' Mangels says. Chances are good that
if ''always hungry'' teens are eating beans, breads, cereals, nuts, peanut
butter, eggs, milk and cheese -- all easy sources of protein -- they are
getting enough.
Between the ages of 15 and 18, boys need 59 grams of protein a day, she says.
But because they are consuming so many calories, they are bound to be getting
their daily requirement of protein, even without meat, Mangels believes.
Because girls' growth peaks are earlier (and approximately 80 percent of teen
vegetarians are female) they require just 44 grams of protein per day in the
15-18 age group. Girls, however, must watch their iron intake once they begin
menstruation. Foods rich in iron include broccoli, spinach, raisins,
strawberries, watermelon and chick peas.
Since vitamin C aids in the absorption of iron, Mangels recommends adding
tomato or citrus juices to meals.
Vegetarian girls also must be careful to get adequate amounts of calcium,
which helps build bones. Some juices and soy milks are fortified with calcium
for non-milk drinkers.
Anita Koehler, a clinical dietitian at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh,
concurs. ''Sometimes (teenage) vegetarians have a better diet than those who
are not.''
The most recent guidelines from the American Dietetics Association, updated
in 1994, say a ''well-planned'' vegetarian diet is healthy, Koehler says.
But they caution those following ''vegan or vegan-like'' diets (eating no
eggs or dairy products) to be especially careful that they are getting
calcium, iron, zinc and vitamins D and B12 elsewhere in their diets.
Jill Lipman, a 15-year-old freshman and a vegetarian for five years, says she
takes a multi-vitamin supplement. She never eats tofu, and her favorite meal
is one with pasta, steamed vegetables and pierogies. But does she ever crave
a Big Mac? ''I don't even remember what it tastes like,'' she says.
How On Earth!, published quarterly by the nonprofit group Vegetarian
Education Network, is available through subscription only. Write to How On
Earth! Box 339, Oxford PA 19363, or call (717) 529-8638.
MERCURY CENTER CODE: L952 ID: me04616v
Transmitted: 95-03-23 15:06:03 EST
