Becoming Vegetarian? Be Sure to Become a “Smart” One
By Abigail Natenshon, MA, LCSW, GCFP

There is a rising trend for young people to turn to a vegetarian eating lifestyle these days. The reasons for wanting to stop eating meat, (and sometimes dairy and fish,) vary from wanting to be kind to animals, to just wanting to be “pure” in the interest of being healthy. For some, however, the decision is really about restricting foods for the purpose of losing weight and keeping it off. Sometimes weight loss is a prime motivation; sometimes it is secondary. Though the goals may vary from person to person, one thing remains clear. A person who opts to become vegetarian must keep in mind that the challenge of eating well and feeding the body properly becomes a priority if he or she wants to grow up healthfully and to thrive. The responsible vegetarian is a healthy, flexible and balanced eater, and is just as willing to take care of her own body as to stand up and show caring and responsibility for the animals that he or she may be protecting.

A great many people come to vegetarianism for the wrong reasons.... thus, undoing so much of what can be good and healthy about the lifestyle. The distinction lies in the individual's motivation, and in her commitment to maintaining the lifestyle responsibly. When young people turn to vegetarianism to enhance their own health or the well being of animals, the lifestyle can be beneficial. In many instances, vegetarianism can be a "flashing yellow light " warning that here might be a child who is beginning to use food in a restrictive and inflexible way in response to underlying and unresolved emotional issues. When vegetarianism is used as an excuse to diet, to lose weight, to take control of one's life in the area of food and eating in an effort to compensate for having lost a sense of control in other spheres of life, we may be looking at someone who is ready to take the slippery slide into the onset of a clinical eating disorder. When personal agendas involve losing weight, or seeking ways to demonstrate self-discipline and self-control to themselves and others, this can be a sign of trouble and an early sign of an eating disorder in the making.

Parents may notice signs that represent eating disorder “ red flags” for the child. Their child may

• Be preoccupied with the fear of becoming fat, or may “feel fat” even though she is not.
  
• Lose weight rapidly.
  
• Display idiosyncratic eating habits, such as limiting food choices, cutting food into small pieces, moving food around plate, chewing and spitting out food.
  
• Restrict food through dieting, skipping meals, becoming vegetarian.
  
• Display signs of anxiety such as compulsions, perfectionism, over-achieving.
  
• Display signs of depression such as social withdrawal, irritability, and difficulty concentrating.
  
• Display low self-esteem, seeking approval, and concerned about her physical appearance.
  
• Feel dizzy, faint, fatigued, or constantly cold.
  
• Need to feel in control of all aspects of life, even beyond food and weight management.
  
• Exercise compulsively
  
• Spend excessive amounts of time in the bathroom.
  
• Lose her menstrual period.
  

If vegetarianism is being used as a convenient and acceptable way to lose or control weight, to establish a sense of control over life, or independence and separateness from parents and family, the lifestyle is being abused and may indicate pathology. Chances are that these same children are picky, perfectionist and overly rigid and restrictive in other life spheres beyond eating, putting them at risk to develop the attitude, psyche and behaviors of eating disorders. Vegetarianism too often is a politically correct camouflage masking the emotional forces that may underlie the eating lifestyle choice...anxiety, depression, fears and powerlessness.

The most critical sign of a healthy vegetarianism is a person's concerted effort to feed the body all the food groups, including enough protein and fats. Eating should be varied, consciously planned out and prepared with care. Meals should be eaten on a regular basis, in no way depriving the individual of all the food groups, even if he or she decides to forfeit certain food items. The healthy vegetarian must be prepared to make a commitment to become learned enough to feed her own body healthfully, adequately, and consistently, even while preserving the lives of other living things; the commitment involves time and effort in food planning, cooking, and realistic self-care.

Osteopenia is not uncommon in people who eat too few calories, get too little calcium, or exercise to excess so that menstruation stops; also a B12 deficiency can occur in individuals who restrict foods with this vitamin, or who do not supplement their diet with a multi-vitamin.

Recognize that vegetarianism is a form of food restriction. In my professional experience with hundreds of young people over the years, it is a rare child who takes full responsibility for education about the nutritional needs of the body and for personal self-care. In addition, most of their parents are in the dark about what this preference might mean, and how to shop and cook for their child accordingly. With “meat” becoming the new four-letter word in our vernacular, and the “degree of chic” corresponding to the extent of meat/dairy/fat restriction amongst out teenagers, our kids need some parental vigilance in making such pivotal and potentially life-altering lifestyle decisions. Indeed, to maintain a balanced vegetarian diet with all of the food groups represented is not an easy task at any life stage. Children who do not understand the full impact of what healthy eating is and how to attain it would benefit from purposeful educational input from parents.

Parents need to educate themselves first in order to be best prepared to educate their child. Parents need to teach their child what healthy eating is, and that the body is a machine that needs to be constantly fueled for energy, growth, alertness, and well-being.

• Parents should look to the child’s motives for taking on the responsibility of a commitment to vegetarianism. Indeed, to maintain a balanced vegetarian diet with all of the food groups represented is not an easy task at any life stage. Kids who do not understand the full impact of what healthy eating is and how to attain it would benefit from purposeful educational input from parents. Parents need to know if the child's intention is primarily to lose weight. If so, he or she needs to question the child about how he or she is going about doing so, and pointing out that restriction, unbalanced eating and dieting of any kind leads to obesity later in life. The best way to lose weight is to eat more nutritiously, not less.
  
  
• Parents must provide good role modeling; this means eating balanced and fully nutritious meals and not skipping meals, complaining about your weight, dieting, or exercising excessively.
  
  
• Parents should point out unrealistic media portrayals of actresses and models, the latter being thinner than 95% of American women.
  
  
• Families should eat together. Communal dinners offer parents a bird’s eye view of how their child eats, as well as thinks.
  
  
• Parents need to teach kids to care for themselves responsibly.
  

Vegetarianism represents a healthy eating lifestyle when taken on in a thoughtful, respectful manner. Parents must be certain that their child has approached his or her decision responsibly and should discuss with the child how he or she expects to consume all the nourishment needed to grow body and mind.