Is it bad to be a Vegetarian at age 18?

Question

I got lectured by a mother on the fact that i was a vegetarian at the age of 18 because she said that with not eating red meat i was missing out on three essential enzymes that i need for growing and keeping me from getting sick . Please let me know what i should do someone.

Answer 1

It is absolutely not bad - it's a wonderful and healthy choice, and I applaude you for not being afraid to try it.
The biggest mistake that many young people make when first becoming a vegetarian is not supplementing the protien and B vitamins they need when they take meat out of their diet. You can't live off of bread and starches. You need to eat a lot of green, leafy vegetables, nuts and beans. One serving of broccoli, for example has enough protein in it to supplement any meat you would have needed. Meat, (and all the hormones in it) especially red meat, is a huge contributer to digestive problems and colon disease. I suggest you do some research on the subject and share your findings with your mother in an attempt to enlighten her as to the pro's and cons of eating meat. That's what I had to do to finally shut my mom up haha! Now she rarely eats meat herself!

Answer 2

Unfortunately the mother is mis-informed.

Its quite common for people to turn vegetarian in thier teens, even early teens or before as shown by many questions in this forum.

Personally, i've been veggie since 14, 27 years ago. If there really are "essential" things in meat then i'm either getting them from veggies or they are not really essential because i am quite fit and healthy.

A good balance of veggies, fruit, nuts and dairy is all you need for a healthy and long life.

Check out the vegetarian society for some informed information.

new veggie general info
http://www.vegsoc.org/newveg/index.html

New veggie Q&A
http://www.vegsoc.org/info/goingveg.html

Food facts: ( what you need & where you get it from )
http://www.vegsoc.org/info/foodfacts.html

Health and nutrition
http://www.vegsoc.org/health/

They are all great reading - not preachy and very clear and concise

I would like to comment on some other answers because of the myths being spread:

MR13 and MJ talk about supplements. What eactly is missing is you stop eating meat ? There is no need to take any supplements.

Doctors - you go and see them when you are sick, not thinking of adopting a vegetarian diet

"me m" seems just as mis-informed as the mother. Its a shame people state something like that but don't say on what they base thier answer. Mines based on 27 years as a veggie, what about "me m". How long did they try the vegetarian diet to figure out we need non-veggie foods ?

As for the protien, again, from where did this expereince come from ? There is no protein issue with a vegetarian diet, see :http://www.vegsoc.org/info/protein.html We need protein, but we don't need to "supplement" a balanced diet.

Iron ? see http://www.vegsoc.org/info/iron.html

I would finally repeat that there is no need for any supplements. If you get a balance of veggie foods you will be just fine without popping any pills.

Answer 3

Did she happen to name these three essential enzymes?

Nope, it's not bad, many become vegetarians a lot earlier as well. But no, there's no "three essential enzymes" you're missing out on as a vegetarian. Do some research on nutrition and vegetarianism and sit down with your mother and ask you to give you a bit more of a clearer idea on what she's talking about and try to quell her worries.

Answer 4

Is your mom worried about the amino acids, not enzymes? It is quite possible to get all the nutrients you need from a well-balanced vegan diet. You will not miss out on protein; even vegans get more protein than they need. The only problem a vegan might encounter is B12, as it's found mostly in animal foods, but you need a very small amount, your body stores it, and there are vegan products (like nutritional yeast and soy milk) fortified with B12.

Check out www.vrg.org for nutritional information.

Answer 5

you're nice to bypass vegetarian now! i ended meat chilly turkey ON my 14th Birthday. in no way regarded back. i'm 32 years previous now and have not eaten something that had eyeballs or father and mom in view that! i'm vegetarian, no longer vegan, yet I progressed super! better than that, I even have an extremely severe IQ (comprehensive a private college 4 year degree in only 2.5 years on the Dean's checklist!) and feature a superbly smart 7 year previous son too! he's proficient, and he has in no way as quickly as eaten crimson meat or crimson meat, chicken basically! (I felt he mandatory that protein while he rather grow to be arising from beginning to age 5!)

Answer 6

I became a vegetarian when I was 10 - I'm now 53 and very healthy. I have a 24 year old son who at 6 ft tall, is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and a stunt man. He's a flexitarian, but was raised as a relaxed vegetarian. So, yes, I think you'll be fine. :)

Answer 7

When i think ive heard them all someone one comes in with new one that gives me a good chuckle.

Essential enzymes found only in red meat? thats a good one.

can we get some specific names on those essential enzymes and some cited credible sources?

theres nothing in meat that cannot be found in plant based sources.

Also in general, cooking destroys enzymes. i dont think your eating that red meat raw, as you seem to be still among the living :/

I think that becoming a vegetarian at any age is a great step in the right direction and i wish i had done it when i was 1.

you just have to learn what nutrients the body requires and where to get them from.

theres iron and protein in legumes, beans, nuts, seeds, peas...

theres iron, calcium and calcium ascorbate in leafy greens...

Answer 8

NO!!! =D

I became a vegetarian last year when I was 14...and at first my parents were worried about my protein. But, we read, "A Teenager's Guide To Going Vegetarian," (Search on Amazon!), it's a very good book! If she's worried, you can take vitamins, or get protein from nuts, soymilk, milk, cheese, beans, fruit, veggies, tofu, and more. Good luck with your choice, it's a great decision! =D

http://www.vegetarianteen.com/

Answer 9

It's not a big deal if you research the proper vitamins and minerals that you will lack and find foods or supplements to replace them. My sister became a vegetarian at 14 and has been for about twenty years now. It has done her no harm but she checks vegetarian cooking sites a lot to make sure her diet is balanced.

Answer 10

well your 18 your and older enough to make your own decions and you stoped growing about 5 years ago so don't need to worry about that, but most vegetarians need lots of iron so try and eat as much food that equal to the right amount of iron in meat if not you can get really sick ,weak and tired iron tabelts are also a good way to aborbs that much iron good luck your doing good things for animals :)