Delicious Vegetarian Salad
Becoming a vegetarian as a teenager can be challenging when you are living in your parents' home. Your parents may not become vegetarian with you and it will be very important for you to learn eat in an omnivore's world. There are several vegetarian diets that you might consider, some easier to stick to than others.
Semi-Vegetarian
Some teenagers decide on a semi-vegetarian diet, where they consume fish and/or poultry but no other meats. Some teens decide on this type of diet because they have health concerns surrounding pork and beef. Others have ethical concerns about eating beef and pork. Teens may also want to try out a vegetarian lifestyle without jumping in full-force. Eating a semi-vegetarian diet would allow you to eat most of the meals cooked in your parent's house without added expense. You would have some of the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle while still retaining a great deal of flexibility.
Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian
Ovo-lacto vegetarians do not consume meat, fish, or poultry of any kind, yet they still eat dairy products and eggs. An ovo-lacto diet is still relatively easy for most teens to stick with. Some teens may choose this diet for health reasons, while others choose it because they have moral issues with eating meat. As a teen, you would be able to eat the same breads, cakes, cookies, snacks, and so forth that the rest of you family eats. You would be able to have your morning breakfast cereal, pudding, yogurt, and other similar foods. You could eat scrambled eggs, omelets, crepes and the like. Though you would have much flexibility and likely have no problems eating most of the things that your parents cook, you might also decide to purchase tofu or soy meat substitutes to make up for some of the protein you are missing out on by not eating meat. This might require talking to your parents and asking them or getting a job of your own to offset the added food expense.
Ovo Vegetarian
Ovo vegetarians eat eggs but do not eat dairy products. Teens become ovo vegetarians for varying reasons, with some taking moral issue with big dairy farms, and others having concerns about antibiotics and hormones in diary products. As an ovo vegetarian, you would be able to eat eggs without cheese, but not a cheese omelet. In order to compensate for the loss of calcium that most teens consume through dairy, you would need to increase your consumption of calcium containing leafy greens, or substitute fortified soy milk, yogurt, or cheese. These food items would add an extra expense to your parents' food budget and you may have to negotiate with them about whose responsibility it is to foot the extra cost.
Lacto Vegetarian
Lacto Vegetarians eat dairy products but not eggs. Many teens who become lacto vegetarians take moral issue with the idea of eating the egg of an animal when you're not willing to eat the animal itself. As a lacto vegetarian you would not be able to eat eggs or egg containing products, such as cakes or egg breads. You would still be able to eat dairy products and could make up for your lack of consumption of eggs by consuming more soy protein or dairy. This vegetarian diet option would add the same cost to the food budget as the ovo-lacto option and is not as expensive as a typical ovo vegetarian diet.
Vegan Vegetarian
Teens who become vegan vegetarians do not consume any animal products or meats at all. Most also eliminate leather from their wardrobe and try not to purchase any products that might have required an animal to suffer. Some teens choose to become vegan for health reasons, but the majority have ethical concerns about consuming animal products. Without eggs and dairy in your diet, you will need to be extremely careful about consuming enough vegetable protein, calcium, and iron. You will also need to speak with your physician and take any supplements recommended for you. As a teen, your body is still growing and developing and you need to make sure that you are not missing out on any important nutrients. As a vegan vegetarian, you would be able to eat all produce that your parents purchase, but virtually everything else you consume will need to be specialty products such as soy "dairy," protein substitutes, and supplements. All of these items will greatly add to the family food budget, and you would be wise to find a source of income so that you can help your parents offset the cost of your diet.
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