AR-News: (US) Rebuilding the pyramid - Protein alternatives allow teen vegetarians to eat a healthy diet easily

[Animalconcerns Info]

At 15 years old, Karta Purkh Kaur Khalsa has tasted meat only once in her
life.

Caitlin Cotter, 17, and Deana Lane, 15, both lost their taste for meat
about two years ago. 

 All three Knoxville teens are part of a growing segment of the
population: teenage vegetarians.

Early this year, market research group Teenage Research Unlimited reported
that 1-in-4 teenagers considers vegetarianism - once thought of as a
fringe diet - "cool." Teenage girls appear more likely than boys to go
vegetarian. The Baltimore-based Vegetarian Resource Group sponsored a poll
that found 2 percent of teens ate no meat, poultry or fish in 2000, and 6
percent of teen girls ate no beef or pork.

Most gave varying degrees of moral and ethical reasons for their
vegetarianism, over health reasons alone. Karta Purkh was raised
vegetarian as part of her family's practice of the Sikh religion. Caitlin
became vegetarian because of "environmentally destructive practices by the
food industry." Deana simply doesn't like the thought of eating animals.

"I always felt kind of guilty every time I took a bite of meat," she said.

Is vegetarianism a healthy choice for teens? The American Dietetic
Association, America's largest organization of nutrition professionals,
says it can be. "Appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, are
nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and
treatment of certain diseases," the ADA states on its Web site.

full story:
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/health_and_fitness/article/0,1406,KNS_310_2206660,00.html

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