High Life : A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : Having a Beef With Meat : More Teens Are Becoming Vegetarians Out of Concern for Animals, the Environment

Surrounded by meat at a Fourth of July picnic, Amy McClanahan was looking for something to eat.

Finally, after her boyfriend and his family barbecued what she described as “about 30 pounds of ribs” for a holiday feast, he fixed her a quesadilla.

As a vegetarian for the past two years, McClanahan, 17, a senior at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, has eliminated beef, chicken and fish from her diet, consuming only dairy and plant products.

Although awkward moments like the holiday gathering will probably always be part of the vegetarian lifestyle, no longer is it considered unusual for a teen-ager to forgo a Big Mac in favor of a tofu burger. For many teen-agers, the red-blooded, meat-and-potatoes type of eating is being replaced by juice shakes and veggies.

“Teen vegetarianism is definitely on the rise,” says Sally Clinton, director of the Vegetarian Education Network in Westchester, Pa. The number of subscribers to her quarterly teen newsletter, “How on Earth!,” which consists of contributions from teen-agers nationwide, ballooned from 200 to 1,500 in one year with no circulation promotion.

Clinton and Diane Keddy, a registered dietitian based in Santa Ana, say that concern for animals and the environment is behind the decision of these teen-agers to become vegetarians.

Health is not a strong influential factor simply because teen-agers tend to believe they’re immortal, Keddy says. “Teen-agers don’t care about their health,” she says, even though appearance is critical to them. “To get my own teen-agers to eat enough protein, I have to warn them that their hair will fall out.”

She warns that teen-agers who quit eating meat cold-turkey, without planning their menus to include enough protein, may do more harm than good. In addition to being a good source of protein, meat provides iron and zinc, two minerals that teen-agers have difficulty getting. Health problems associated with eating meat arise because too much is consumed at one sitting, she said.

“Just eating broccoli isn’t nutritionally balanced,” Keddy says. “People who want to be vegetarians . . . have to eat responsibly. A proper vegetarian diet . . . is high in fiber, low in fat, and it ties together many nutrients. It has all of the elements you want to prevent cancer and heart disease--as long as you do it right.”

Healthful vegetarian eating requires that meals be calculated in advance so that the plant products compensate for the lack of meat protein. In addition to hair loss, protein deficiency can cause dry skin, anemia, digestive problems and hormonal imbalances.

J. J. Rhoads, 17, a senior at El Modena High School in Orange, suffered protein deficiency when he first became a vegetarian two years ago. “I didn’t figure my proteins correctly for a while,” he said. “I ate too much fruit and bread. I felt sick for a while. But when you get the right protein, (vegetarianism) feels great.”

Rhoads is a vegan, meaning he eliminates all animal products, even cheese, eggs and milk, from his diet.

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Often, teen-age girls eliminate red meat and poultry as part of an eating disorder, such as anorexia, Keddy says. (In fact, for vegetarians to get adequate protein, they need to consume even more calories than meat-eaters. Keddy says that the healthiest people she has seen are vegetarian athletes, because they work off these extra calories.)

“A lot of girls cut out red meat because they think it makes them fat,” she said, “even though cattle are bred leaner these days. Then they cut out chicken because they think it’s fat. Parents need to be aware of the warning signs. If a parent serves chicken and their teen says, ‘I’m not eating chicken anymore,’ the parents need to explore with the teen-ager why not. If it’s because of the fat content, that’s a warning sign.”

The safest way to become a vegetarian is to have nutrition counseling by a registered dietitian. Most hospitals offer outpatient nutrition counseling, or a physician can give a referral.

Many beginning vegetarians, however, prefer to wing it on their own or with the help of friends.

“I just decided to take a plunge into it, and it worked,” said Miriam Korn, of Rossmoor, a junior at Los Alamitos High School. Korn, 15, was influenced by vegetarian friends and by an article she read on animal slaughter.

“I know I should consult a dietitian, but I haven’t. I’ve talked to a lot of people and so many have told me what to eat and what gives you protein and stuff like that, so I feel OK about it,” said Korn, who like McClanahan is an ovo-lacto vegetarian, with eggs and dairy products included in her diet.

The public shift in opinion toward vegetarianism has not gone unnoticed by Hannah Schiesel, 16, a Newport Harbor High senior who was raised a vegetarian from birth.

To the bemusement of fast-food employees, Schiesel has ordered hamburgers without the meat (“They never charge me over 20 cents,” she said).”

“When I was younger, it was awkward,” she said. “I wanted to eat meat to fit in. Kids would look at my avocado and sprouts sandwiches and say, ‘Yuck.’ Then I would look at the meat in their sandwiches and I’d say, ‘Yuck.’ Now that everyone is finding out /that (vegetarianism) is healthy, it’s becoming trendier. I know five people who have converted.”

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Teen-age vegetarians tend to get involved in the buying and preparation of their foods. Mother’s Market, with locations in Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa, is one popular health food store among teen-agers. Tod Higgins, 24, who works the vitamin aisle at the Costa Mesa store, said between 10 and 20 teen-agers a day are in buying health foods and vitamins.

Whether buying and preparing their food separately or planning meals in partnership with family and friends, becoming vegetarian is a challenging decision in a non-vegetarian culture.

Rhoads says changing his diet was “totally hard at first,” but now attributes his increased energy and health to vegetarianism.

“There are so many things you can make,” he said. “Tofu can substitute for just about anything. There are even tofu hot dogs. People think you’re limited in what you can eat, but you’re not.”

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For more information about teen-age vegetarianism, contact the Vegetarian Resource Group, (410) 366-VEGE. Information on “How on Earth!”:(717) 529-8638.