• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Contact Us
  • Pay My Bill
  • Patient Portal
  • Show Search
KV Healthcare

KV Healthcare

Your Home for Health

  • Find a Provider
  • Clinics & Specialties
        • Primary Clinics

        • KVH Family Medicine – Cle Elum
        • KVH Family Medicine – Ellensburg
        • KVH Home-Based Primary Care
        • KVH Internal & Adult Medicine
        • KVH Pediatrics
        • KVH Women’s Health
        • KVH Rapid Access
        • Specialty Services

        • Anticoagulation Clinic
        • Addiction Medicine
        • Specialty Clinics

        • ENT & Allergy
        • Cardiology
        • Dermatology
        • General Surgery
        • Home Health
        • Hospice
        • Neurology
        • Orthopedics
        • Urgent Care
        • Vascular Surgery
        • Workplace Health
        • Wound Care
        • Therapy Services

        • Physical Therapy
        • Speech Therapy
        • Occupational Therapy
  • Hospital Services
        • Services

        • Cardiopulmonary
        • Emergency Department
        • Imaging
        • Laboratory
        • Nutrition
        • Pharmacy
        • Surgical
        • Family Birthing Place

        • About Family Birthing Place
        • What to Expect
        • Birth & Family Education
        • Lactation Services
        • 4th Trimester Resource Center
        • Pregnancy & Infant Loss
  • Patients & Visitors
        • Patient Tools

        • Request Medical Records
        • Checking In
        • Visiting
        • Quality of Care
        • Patient Portal
        • Patient Policies
        • Insurance & Billing

        • Accepted Insurance
        • Price Transparency
        • Financial Assistance
        • Pay My Bill
        • No Surprise Act - Balanced Billing
  • About KVH
        • About KVH

        • About KVH
        • Mission & Vision
        • Board of Commissioners
        • Administration
        • Quality of Care
        • DAISY Award Program
        •  

        • News & Blog
        • Events & Education
        • Contact Us
        • Locations
        • Work With Us / Careers
        • Foundation

        • About the Foundation
        • Board of Directors
        • Ways to Give
        • Donate Now
        • Foundation Events
  • Donate Now
Hide Search

eating

Vegetarian and Vegan Diets in Teens

Elise Herman , MD · November 13, 2023 ·

Contributor Dr. Elise Herman

Although still a minority, more people are exploring plant-based diets, including teens. If your teen has expressed interest in this, you may wonder if being a vegetarian or vegan is nutritionally sound and how to handle this change at home. In some families, a diet different than the rest of the household can be a source of conflict, but it need not be so.

Understanding the reason behind a change in diet is important. Some choose vegetarianism or veganism for health reasons (in adults, these diets are associated with lower risk of some diseases including heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, and some cancers). The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics along with the American Academy of Pediatrics have stated that vegan and vegetarian diets can be “nutritionally adequate during infancy, childhood and adolescence”, but emphasize the need to make sure kids are getting enough nutrition to maintain good health and grow properly. Other reasons for choosing to be vegetarian or vegan may have to do with the larger carbon footprint of animal-based foods and animal cruelty concerns. If your teen is doing this to lose weight, make sure there is not an underlying eating disorder, and touch base with your provider if this is a concern.

There are different types of plant-based diets. Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat no meat but do eat dairy and eggs. Lacto-vegetarians eat no meat or eggs but do consume dairy products. Pescatarians don’t eat meat but do eat fish (and usually dairy and eggs). Vegans eat no food products that come from animals including dairy, eggs and for some, honey.

Vegetarianism and veganism are not just about what is not eaten, but also about what is eaten to be fully healthy. It is important to be mindful of certain key nutrients that may be harder for vegetarians and vegans to get enough of:

  • Vitamin B12: important for brain and heart function; found in animal sources (meat, fish, dairy, eggs) and some plants (bananas, potatoes, etc.) but hard to get adequately from plants alone. Supplemental sources include fortified soy milk, cereals.
  • Calcium: creates strong bones and teeth; naturally found in dairy products. Vegans should eat lots of dark green veggies and look for foods fortified with calcium (juices, cereals, soy milk). Tofu is an excellent source of calcium.
  • Iron: essential for preventing anemia and keeping the immune system strong; found in meat and fish. Plant based sources include beans, peas, dark leafy veggies, and dried fruit. It is harder to absorb iron from plant-based foods, so one needs to eat more of these to avoid having low iron.
  • Protein: builds muscle and is found throughout the body. Protein is in meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. Vegans need to eat adequate plant-based protein sources like nuts, soy, whole grains, and legumes (lentils, peas, and peanuts).
  • Omega 3 fatty acids: very important for cognitive development and assuring adequate energy; most easily found in fish, but also canola oil, soy products and walnuts.

In general, those following a vegetarian or vegan diet should take a multivitamin that has B vitamins, calcium, vitamin D, zinc, and other nutrients. Look for foods that are fortified with vitamin B-12, calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, and vitamin D. Discussing healthy nutrition with your teen is important regardless of their preferences, but especially if they are interested in following a vegetarian or vegan diet. And since plant-based foods are important for all of us, this could be an opportunity for the whole family to learn more about healthy eating.

more about The contributor

Dr. Elise Herman

Blog Posts
Profile

Dr. Herman is passionate about community health outreach, school programs, and child/family health and wellness. She has more than 31 years of experience as a pediatrician in Ellensburg, Washington, the last 3 with KVH Pediatrics. In 2022 Dr. Herman mostly retired from practice and continues to contribute blog posts and remain a visible advocate for kids in the community.

Primary Sidebar

    Footer Top 2

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Footer Bottom 2

    • About KVH
    • KVH Legal Information
    • Price Transparency
    • Careers
    • Board of Commissioners
    • Contact Us
    • Foundation

    Footer Bottom 3

    • Our Locations
    • Hospital Services
    • Clinics & Specialty Services
    • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient Policies
    • Events & Education
    • Press Releases

    Footer Bottom 4

    Google Translate