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(CNN) — Niki Gianni was 11 or 12 when she found a video on YouTube called “Meet Your Meat.” Saddened and disgusted by the footage from a slaughterhouse, the Chicago girl announced she was no longer going to eat meat. Her parents were less than thrilled. “When she first said she wanted to be a vegetarian, we were just looking at each other and we said, ‘We can’t be switching meals for you. You are not going to get your protein.’ We were not educated in the health benefits,” said Gianni’s mother, Julie Gianni. While many parents worry whether their vegetarian or vegan children will receive adequate nutrition for their growing bodies, the American Dietetic Association says such diets, as long as they are well-planned, are appropriate for all phases of life, including childhood and adolescence. “Appropriately planned” vegetarian or vegan diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases, the dietetic association says. “You can really feel the difference when you are eating something from the ground and something from a factory,” said Niki Gianni, an animal activist who became a vegan shortly after embracing the vegetarian lifestyle. Now an 18-year-old college freshman, Niki Gianni said her eating habits expanded her palate and turned her away from processed foods. Her food choices also influenced her family: Her mother is now a vegan and her father and sister are vegetarian. The number of vegetarians in the United States is expected to increase over the next decade, according to the dietetic association. A vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease, and a vegetarian also appears to have lower overall cancer rates, lower blood pressure and lower rates of hypertension than non vegetarian. Vegetarianism is more than just not eating meat, said Roberta Anding, a registered dietitian at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital and a spokesperson for the dietetic association. “It’s really embracing more of that vegetarian based lifestyle and having enough variety in your diet that you can be well-nourished,” Anding said. “You can be unbelievably well-nourished on a vegetarian diet if you choose your foods wisely and appropriately.” Lilian Cheung, director of health promotion and communication at Harvard School of Public Health’s Department of Nutrition, agreed. Teens who abstain from eating animal-based foods but who take in refined and sugary foods such as French fries and sodas are not doing themselves any favors, she said. Eating a variety of vegetables and fruits of all colors and eating the purest form possible is vital in these diets, Cheung said. Beans, legumes, nuts, tofu and seeds all are excellent protein sources, said Cheung, who said veganism and vegetarianism are becoming more mainstream among young people. “I think the reason why veganism is getting more and more popular is there are more celebrities like President Clinton,” embracing the lifestyle, said Cheung, editorial director of the department’s nutrition website, The Nutrition Source. Julie and Niki Gianni said they have encountered a lot of people who had misconceptions about vegans and vegetarians, including that they are weak or that they are not getting the vitamins and minerals they need. “(People) asked, ‘How are you going to get your protein?’ They just look at you like you are abusing your children,” Julie Gianni said. In the beginning, the Giannis didn’t quite know what to serve their daughter. Niki Gianni ate a lot of vegetarian burger patties and chicken nuggets. “I think this happens to a lot of vegetarians: I doubled up on eating eggs and dairy because my parents weren’t sure what to feed their 12-year-old who didn’t eat meat,” she said. Now, Julie Gianni makes her own goulash and noodles and frequently cooks with seitan, a high-protein meat substitute made from wheat. Niki Gianni said she has yet to find a vegetable she won’t eat. She loves portobello mushroom and artichoke sandwiches, and dines in the vegan cafeteria at college. Niki Gianni and her family have done copious research about their lifestyles, becoming educated about meeting their nutritional needs through an array of fresh foods. Such vigilance and education is vital, experts said, because adolescence is characterized by the second and final period of rapid growth and development. Those growing bodies need nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D, B12 and iron. Teens or children who are vegetarian and who then also decide to give up dairy products need to find an alternate source of calcium, Anding said. While calcium can be found in almonds and in green leafy vegetables, the amount is small.This site is hosted by (click on the graphic for more information)
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