Can teens be healthy as vegans?

Question

I've been a vegetarian for two years, and I'm trying to go vegan. My parents don't seem to think this is healthy for someone my age (14). Has anyone had experience with this?

Answer 1

14 seems too young to go vegan, I'm 15 and a vegetarian. I think you should be vegetarian for a couple more years so you can grow and go to vegan when you are old enough. though the teen years you grow a lot and need a lot of nutrients to grow. Its okay to go vegetarian because you can still get the much needed nutirents from milk and eggs. I tried vegan when i was 13 for 2 weeks and i ended up really sick. when i change to vegetarian i was back to normal and felt better. I plan to go vegan when I'm older. good luck

Answer 2

Vegetarian yes i am healthy vegan no

I and veggie since birth i am healthy in HS i play sport all 3 season football, swimming and track.

Vegan is hard because you have to watch and vegan is weird because you can eat anything that came from animals.


I am a veggie in terms of: I don't eat anything that has blood.

Plus i get my daily nutrients. I have no problem with broccoli you know why?

I steam cook them and pile on the nacho cheese
you only suppose to each the dark green leafs at top not the stems. That where the most iron is.

Final word:
Vegan is VERY unhealthy for anyone if you don't take pills
Synthetic is worse than natural
Fish is meat. Anything with blood.
Eggs isn't meat
Store brought Eggs are unfertilized eggs from chicken so there is no life inside.
Cow's milk is more healthier than Soy milk if you are a veggie.

You can mix things in like when making juice for 2 ppl.

add apple oranges beet(for color) banana any fruit you like and 1 broccoli head per person WITHOUT stem and TRUST me you won't taste the broccoli.

If you eat Right your life expectancy will increase.
Just remember work-out
Follow required intake of fats, carbs etc.

Answer 3

I know exactly what you're going through. When I was your age I went vegetarian for about a year, even though my parents were against it. I ended up giving it up because it became too much of a hassle to buy different food than them and cook a totalyl different meal for myself.

You're parents are concerned because they want you to grow in to a happy and HEALTHY young woman. At 14, you're still growing, and will continue to for about 4 more years. Vegans and vegetarians are known to not get enough iron and calcium which helps build strong bones. I would suggest going to Henry's or a health food store and getting some calcium and iron pills, they'll really help you :)

Also, is it a cost issue? A lot of organic fruits, veggies, and food are pretty expensive. Ask them if they're concerned about this too.

My suggestion is to become educated on vegan dieting. Look up some websites and find some recipes. Run them by your parents, and see if they want to cook them with you. This will make it more of a family thing rather than you doing your own thing.

Good luck!

Answer 4

You can be a healthy teen vegan; but it's still safer and healthier not to be. As a vegan you'll find it very hard, nie on impossible, to get all the proteins you need. You may get some, but you need many different types. These proteins are needed for for growth and development, and as you are at a time where you are growing and developing more there is the possibility it could leave you with health problems for the rest of your life.

There are also the many different types of vitamins and minerals that can only be got from meat; without those it is harder to have a balanced diet. Many sources claim you can get these things from plants, however, often they are not in the same form, and your body cannot use them, or they aren't as good quality, as if you got them from meat. You can take Supplements, but your body is adapted to get these things from meat, not tablets.

Answer 5

I'm a teen and a vegetarian turned vegan recently and I know how you feel. My parents bug me about it because they don't think I will get enough protein and nutrients, plus, more shoppping trips because I have to figure out what I can eat and can't. You should be fine as long as you eat a well rounded diet and take vitamin pills. Just make sure you get enough protein ( a good source is nuts and beans), calcium, which soy milk does have (I recommend the chocolate soy milk because it tastes way better than the normal which is gross), and everything else growing teens need. It is difficult though so don't just jump into it like I did because you will probably feel overwhelmed.

Answer 6

I'm a teen too and I'm also a vegetrian. I want to become a vegan also but i don't think i'm ready as yet and first i might have to contact a nutritionist, to ensure that i get all the proper nutrients from a vegan diet. You can live healthy by being a vegan, but i would suggest that you conslaut a nutritionist first. Good Luck.

Answer 7

You can if you are intelligent and mature enough to keep a responsible attitude about your diet. You must be vigilant in educating yourself about your health and be careful to give your body what it needs. If you simply drop any food group from your diet you will jeopardize your health in general. If it is meats that you drop you may harm your energy level, muscle mass, and strong bones. It will take appropriate meal planning to ensure that your body receives the right amounts of calcium, vit.s B12 and D, zinc, iron, and protein.
If you are really serious about doing this and doing it responsibly (correctly) you should check out my sources and, most importantly, have a talk with a registered dietitian first.
But it really doesn’t matter what you eat (as long as you are good to yourself.) Remember it isn’t what goes into the body that defiles it. It is what comes out of you that can pollute you. So guard your actions and your life well and walk with goodness.
But either way, whether you eat vegan or rare steak for breakfast I wish you Peace and Blessings Missy!

Answer 8

As for getting the protein from meat its all a myth...basically by the time you cook meat to a safe level youve changed the chemical make up of it anyway..thus reducing the digestible proteins...but most importantly if you look at icelandic cultures and other intense animal consuming countries you will see the high levels of oesteoprosis...due to the fact that meat protein is so acidic that your body uses incredible amounts of calcium to digest it and make it alkaline...leaving you with poor calicium and poorer bone density...ive been vegan since my teens and all i can say is get a varied diet, listen what your craving for and feed you body with the vegan alternative...ie all you need is a sprinkle of mixed seeds and nuts over your meals to get all your proteins...its a big con about the importance meat and protein...im a dancer and a cyclist...and im fine on it...also B12 eat your marmite and your plain sailing...
yay for compassionate living, environmental resposibilty, a healthier lifestyle and a happier you....

Answer 9

As long as you take vitimans... like the special vegitarian and vegan vitimans you'll be ok

You're brave... The only reason I can't go vegan... I love Chocolate too much... :(

Answer 10

It's something gud 4 sum1 still growing to go vegan.
I don't think there's anytin wrong with that.You'll remain healthy.
You av to do it step by step though.