Young kids have peculiar eating habits to say the least. One week its nothing but peanut 
butter and jelly and the next week its all apples and oranges. What if your child got into a food jag that eliminated meat? Perhaps you already are a vegetarian family and are wondering how many other little ones forgo fowl as well. According to a new survey by Centers for Disease Control (CDC) more children are vegetarian than previously anticipated.
About 1 in 200, or 367,000 kids, are vegetarians according the new CDC study. Researchers interviewed about 9,000 parents about their children’s eating habits in the first ever assessment of how many kids avoid eating meat.
The number may be even higher as the survey suggests vegetarianism can be 4 to 6 times higher in adolescents and older teenagers who make more of their own food choices. Although the reasons for becoming a vegetarian were not specifically explained, CDC researchers anecdotally suggest the rise in this eating pattern may be due to the increasing number of online videos showing explicit animal slaughtering.
The majority of vegetarians did indeed site animal welfare as a major reason for not eating meat. The term vegetarian can have many different meanings, however, and some vegetarian diets do include other animal foods such as dairy, eggs, and fish. For example:
- lacto-ovo vegetarian: eats eggs and dairy but no meat
- lacto vegetarian: eats dairy but no eggs or meat
- ovo vegetarian: eats eggs, no meat or dairy
- vegan: does not eat any animal products at all, only plant based foods
What this Means to You
Health expert opinions vary greatly on the topic of vegetarianism. It is certainly a personal choice and if your child has decided not no eat meat they can still have a healthy diet. When eliminating an entire food group, especially for a growing child, it is imperative to seek the help of a dietitian, nutritionist, or physician in order to ensure your child is getting all the nutrients they need.
Tags: vegetarian
This entry was posted
on Saturday, January 24th, 2009 at 8:22 am and is filed under Baby Nutrition.
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