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What’s the concern with teens going vegetarian or vegan?

When a teen wants to go vegetarian or vegan, that can be a red flag. Anytime a teen wants to make a change in they way they’re eating, it’s a signal for us parents to slow down and get curious. And though being vegetarian doesn’t mean someone has an eating disorder, we do know that those with eating disorders were more likely to report having been vegetarian or vegan.

What’s a flexitarian?

About 10 years ago, my now 16 year old declared she wanted to be a vegetarian who ate hamburgers, bacon, ham and sausage. Naturally, Chad and I found Caroline’s declaration both hilarious and smart! Our amazing child was telling us she didn’t want to eat foods she didn’t like (she’d never loved chicken or beef unless it was a hamburger). And that she wanted to continue eating foods she loved. Without knowing the term for it, she declared herself a flexitarian which is how I advise parents and their tweens and teens to think about it today.

An important note: my use of the term flexitarian is more broad than the Merriam-Webster definition: “one whose normally meatless diet occasionally includes meat or fish.” I define flexitarian as someone who’s interested in eating more vegetarian and vegan meals while continuing to eat the foods they love.

7 Tips for when your teen says they’re going vegetarian or vegan:

1. Be curious if your teen expresses interest in changing the way they eat. There’s no denying plant based diets are good for our bodies and our planet. However, adolescents are prone to all or nothing thinking and that can lead to rigid behaviors around food. Ask some questions: Are they worried about their weight? Are they worried about health? These reasons are red-flags. We know that teens who diet are at increased risk of developing an eating disorder. If they answer yes to either of these, schedule to meet with an experienced, weight inclusive, non-diet registered dietitian for guidance. As we know, there’s so much pressure on people of all ages from diet-culture. What messages are they getting at school, from coaches, from friends and family? Again, be curious about why they want to stop eating meat, chicken, fish, dairy, eggs? What are they reading? What are they hearing in school? Who do they follow on social media?
2. Is it their love of the environment or animals or both? Encourage them to find some non-food ways to be more environmentally conscious and engage in social justice issues. 
3. Avoid praising or criticizing your teen who wants to go vegetarian or vegan. Eating a certain way is neither good nor bad. For instance, a person who chooses to be vegetarian or vegan or flexitarian or “to eat clean” or eat more whole foods is not better in anyway than a person who eats meat, pork, chicken and fish in their diet.
4. Offer to explore meal ideas together and then weave those meals into your current dinner rotation. Explore quick and easy ideas for vegetarian or vegan lunches they can easily make themselves. See below for links to some recipes and cookbooks.
5. Avoid cooking only meals you think your teen will eat. Because they’re still growing, it can be hard to meet their needs if they cut out foods they previously ate. (Yes, even after adolescents get their period, they still grow)! Make that pulled pork, or roast chicken or stir-fried beef and veggies. And sometimes make a vegetarian side – like baked beans to go with the pulled pork, or white beans and farro to go with the chicken. Serve the stir-fried beef and veggies over rice with a bowl of edamame. Your teen can eat the veggies, rice and edamame.
6. Avoid allowing your teen to make themselves different meals from what the rest of the family is eating. Assure them you’ll make meals that will have enough to fill them up. Or, have them make a side like a bean dish to go with the meal. Yes, we want teens to be helping with some of the meal prep at times and making some of their own meals. However, teens have a lot going on and still need us to provide much of the structure of planning and preparing most meals. At times, they seem like adults and at times like toddlers. Teens still need us to provide some structure around meals.
7. Encourage them to think of themselves as flexitarian. We know teens think rigidly at times which can leave them feeling like they MUST eat only X or Y. Being flexitarian allows them to feel free to eat a burger when that’s what sounds good to them. Or a grilled cheese or a bowl of ice cream or the bacon that smells SO good or the steamed pork buns they’ve always loved. I’ll say it again: teens are still growing and it can be hard to meet their needs if they cut out foods they previously ate and enjoyed. 

Vegetarian recipes and a few cookbooks

Check out these simple vegetarian recipes on our site:

• Zucchini Fritters
• Easy Weeknight Tofu Veggie Stir Fry
• A 15 Minute Recipe for Black Beans: 7 Different Ways
• Anna’s Easy Black Beans and Rice
• 2 Simple Vegetarian Meal Ideas in the post
• Easy Baked Beans
• Crisp Veggie Salad

Links to some of my favorite cookbooks and blogs that are either completely vegetarian or include some simple and tasty vegetarian recipes.

• Dinner by Melissa Clark
• Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
• Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi
• How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman
• The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
• World Vegetarian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey
• SmittenKitchen.com

What’s your favorite vegetarian or vegan recipe? Leave a reply below!

By: Elizabeth and Anna

This year, we decided we’d do a new Gift Guide with our 7 favorite food-related gifts. They’re a mix of gifts we like to give and gifts we like to receive – from homemade to local to brand name.

In the past 2 years, we’ve shared a variety of Gift Guides of our favorite books and kitchen items that we think make great gifts.

Here are the links to our previous gift guides:

• 14 Favorite Kitchen Essentials That Make Great Gifts
• Gift Guide: Books for Children and People Who Care for Them
• Gift Guide: 7 Nutrition and Amazing Body Books for Adults
• Our Favorite Cookbooks

And here are this year’s ideas – 7 Favorite Food-Related Gifts:

1. Gifts of Homemade Food ~ Elizabeth

When I was growing up, we went through a phase where we baked Apple Cakes to give to friends and family. The recipe was from the mother of one of my mother’s best friends from college. (I’ll share the recipe sometime!) This year I’m planning to make pumpkin bread and granola as well as a few kinds of cookies to deliver (or mail) to friends and family.

Are you looking for some simple recipes to bake and share this holiday season?

Click on these links:

• Pumpkin Spice Bread
• Homemade Granola
• Carmelitas
• Chocolate Chip (or M & M) Cookies
• Simple Sugar Cookies

2. Chapel Hill Toffee ~ Anna

I buy these boxes of locally made toffee to give as gifts this time of year.  I usually buy several boxes to have on hand for teachers, neighbors or friends and they are always a big hit.  There’s nothing better than a cup of coffee with one of these chocolate covered pieces of toffee.  Here’s a link to Chapel Hill Toffee or check out what candy is made locally for you!

3. East Fork Pottery ~ Elizabeth

I love East Fork Pottery in Asheville, NC. In addition to making beautiful pottery, they also have lots of pantry items that make great gifts. Growing up, my sister and I each always got a tin of smoked oysters in our stockings. Funnily enough, my husband’s brother also got smoked oysters in his stocking as a kid! So, I think tinned fish is a completely reasonable stocking or holiday gift! Or, do you have a friend or family member who loves candles? East Fork also has these fun fruit candles; as well as meat and cheese candles that make a unique gift. 

4. Cheese straws ~ Anna

At the Lutz house, one of favorite things to serve with wine before dinner is cheese straws. A southern tradition, this reminds me of “cheese coins” my grandmother used to make when I was younger.  I love sending these tins of cheese straws to friends this time of year. 

5. Beans ~ Elizabeth

BEANS! While I’m a devoted fan of canned beans, I also love the creamy texture of cooked dried beans. My favorites are from Rancho Gordo. Their dried beans are fresh (meaning they haven’t been on a store shelf for an extended period) so they don’t require a presoak! Their website says they’ve been overwhelmed and can’t guarantee orders by Christmas, so they suggest a gift card if you’re hoping to have a gift to someone by Christmas. 

 

6. Harry and David Pears ~ Elizabeth & Anna

We’re all about sweets and we also love fruits and veggies! Both our families love these Harry and David pears. They’re great eaten on their own, in a salad with candied walnuts and mixed greens, or sliced and served with cheese or chocolate fondue.

 

7. French Style Butter Keeper ~ Anna

There is a constant debate amongst my children and their Chapel Hill first cousins. Which is better:  “Tub of butter or stick of butter?” There are those who prefer the spread of a tub of “butter” from the store and those that prefer the taste of a stick of real butter. I would venture to say the latter are correct! Well, last year, Elizabeth suggested this French style butter keeper and now everyone’s happy.  You can have the taste of real butter in an easy to spread form. And, it looks so great on your table!  They come in several colors.

 

We’d love to hear about your favorite food related gifts!  Drop us a message on our socials or shoot us an email – hello@sunnysideupnutrition.com

*Sunny Side Up Nutrition is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and an item listed above is an affiliate link.  Thank you for supporting our efforts to promote positive relationships with food.