Vegetarianism

My teenage daughter decided to become a vegetarian. Our family is not but I want to respect any decision she makes and I would like to help her because I am not if she understands all of this. I know that by being a vegetarian you miss out on certain nutrients and I was wondering what exactly I should pay attention to and if I should provide her with adequate supplements.

You should know that there are different types of vegetarianism; those where you eat only plant foods, those in which you eat eggs and diary but don’t eat meat, the type where you eat diary but no eggs and meat and the type where you eat eggs and no meat. The type that includes dairy products and eggs but excludes meat may be healthy for growing teenagers. This may not be such a bad decision if she manages to learn more about the foods she is eating, so you shouldn’t take all the responsibility on yourself but should also let her make certain decisions and even do some cooking and choosing on her own. Eating vegetables, fruits and whole grains rich in fiber will certainly reduce cholesterol levels and keep her healthy. You should make sure she gets enough of vitamin B12, D, calcium, protein, iron and zinc. You may wanna learn about foods where you could find these nutrients, so she wouldn’t have to take supplements.