Meat industry, pro-vegetarian group compete for young people's loyalties

[Guest guest]

In the end, though, some worry that - Jessi Lehman may not know it, but she's

the sort of girl who's stirring a battle between the beef industry and

pro-vegetarian groups - with each attempting to sway young people to its side of

the table.

 

The teen from State College, Pennsylvania, grew up surrounded by farm country

and in a family of meat-eaters. Yet at age 16, she's been a vegetarian for more

than six years, and says a growing number of her friends are following suit.

 

" In America, we eat so much more than we need, " says Jessi, who talks about

" sustainable agriculture " and " slaughterhouse conditions " as easily as most

teens talk about their favorite music or TV show.

 

There are signs that young people are increasingly interested in eating

vegetarian. Surveys show that more schools and universities now offer non-meat

alternatives as main courses. The Vegetarian Resource Group cites its veggie

nutrition information for teens as the " top page " on its Web site.

 

full story:

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/5208356.htm

 

 

 

Posted on Tue, Feb. 18, 2003Meat industry, pro-vegetarian group compete for

young people's loyalties

MARTHA IRVINE

Associated Press

 

In the end, though, some worry that - Jessi Lehman may not know it, but she's

the sort of girl who's stirring a battle between the beef industry and

pro-vegetarian groups - with each attempting to sway young people to its side of

the table.

 

The teen from State College, Pa., grew up surrounded by farm country and in a

family of meat-eaters. Yet at age 16, she's been a vegetarian for more than six

years, and says a growing number of her friends are following suit.

 

" In America, we eat so much more than we need, " says Jessi, who talks about

" sustainable agriculture " and " slaughterhouse conditions " as easily as most

teens talk about their favorite music or TV show.

 

There are signs that young people are increasingly interested in eating

vegetarian. Surveys show that more schools and universities now offer non-meat

alternatives as main courses. The Vegetarian Resource Group cites its veggie

nutrition information for teens as the " top page " on its Web site.

 

And a recent survey of 12- to 19-year-olds done by Teenage Research Unlimited

found that 20 percent of all respondents - and 28 percent of girls - said

vegetarianism is " in. "

 

While that's one in five teens overall, a spokesman at Teenage Research - a

suburban Chicago firm that tracks youth trends - notes the percentage is not

particularly high when compared to other trends such as using the Internet (92

percent) and downloading music (84 percent).

 

Still, the interest in going meatless is substantial enough that the National

Cattlemen's Beef Association, a trade group for cattle ranchers, is taking

action.

 

In December, the group posted a Web site titled " Cool-2B-Real " and aimed at

girls, ages 8 to 12. The site encourages girls to be confident and active with

message boards, computer games, self-esteem tests and advice - and recipes

featuring various forms of beef.

 

" We are out to promote that all foods fit into a healthy diet, " says Mary K.

Young, executive director of nutrition for the National Cattlemen, who remembers

a time when eschewing meat was considered " fringe. "

 

Young concedes that a vegetarian diet can be healthy. But too often, she says,

it isn't. And overall - whether girls are vegetarian or not - she says federal

statistics show that, after age 11, many girls' diets lack important nutrients

found in beef and other food.

 

The data shows that 60 percent of girls ages 12 to 19 are not consuming

recommended levels of iron; nearly half don't get enough zinc; and a third don't

eat foods that contain adequate levels of vitamin B-12.

 

Sylvia Rimm, a child psychologist who served as an adviser for the Cattlemen's

site, says there also are concerns that some girls use unhealthy eating tactics

to lose weight.

 

" We need more industries out there to come out and say 'Look, be real! Don't

build your self-confidence based on peer pressure and your appearance,' " says

Rimm, author of the " See Jane Win " series of books.

 

On the other side, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is stepping up

its pro-vegetarian campaign. PETA officials say that, next month in New York

City, they'll circulate a bus covered in an ad featuring an obese child eating a

burger and the slogan " Feeding Kids Meat Is Child Abuse - Fight the Fat. "

 

The National Cattlemen call the ad, slated for circulation in other cities,

" irresponsible. "

 

But PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich believes there are better sources of

vitamins, iron and other minerals than meat. As PETA's director of vegan

outreach, he goes as far as to recommend a vegan diet for adults and children:

fruit, whole grains and vegetables, including legumes (beans, peas and lentils).

That means no meat or fish and no dairy products, such as milk and cheese - a

recommendation that goes against federal food pyramid guidelines.

 

It's a difference of opinion that even shows itself in the school cafeteria.

 

" A lot of kids will criticize me for it. Or when they're eating meat, they show

it to me and say 'Meeeeat, meeeeeat!' It's kind of annoying, " says Grace

Marston, an 11-year-old vegetarian from Silver Springs, Md.

 

Research on the subject is mixed, though many health experts, including

researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, recommend eating more

fish, beans and chicken as a source of protein than red meat.

 

in a nation with millions of overweight young people - the overall message to

eat healthy is getting lost in a polarized meat-vs.-vegetarian debate.

 

" What we need to do is teach kids, and their parents, how to eat healthier, "

says Samantha Heller, a senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Medical Center in

New York.

 

Whether they eat some lean, red meat or not, Heller says that means eating more

fruits and vegetables, whole grains and nuts - and less junk food.

 

ON THE NET

 

National Cattlemen's Cool-2B-Real site: http://www.cool-2b-real.com

 

PETA's Vegkids.com: http://www.peta.org/kids/vegkids/index.html

 

---

 

Martha Irvine can be reached at mirvine(at)ap.org

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Maynard,

were you the one who recommended the John Robbins book Food Revolution???? I got

it and cannot put it down! I thought I knew a lot about the health benefits of

a plant based diet, factory farming and the inhumane conditions under which farm

animals suffer but this book has filled in all the blanks. I am going to be

giving a copy to everyone I care about. I had heard of Diet for a New America

but never gave it a second thought because I mistakenly thought it was a diet

book. John Robbins puts everything together so well. Thank you for the

recommendation and if it wasn't you then go out and get this book and thank you

to whomever it was.

Stephanie

-

Maynard S. Clark

VegEats-News (AT) Groups (DOT) com

Tuesday, February 18, 2003 10:01 PM

Meat industry, pro-vegetarian group compete for young

people's loyalties

 

 

 

In the end, though, some worry that - Jessi Lehman may not know it, but she's

the sort of girl who's stirring a battle between the beef industry and

pro-vegetarian groups - with each attempting to sway young people to its side of

the table.

 

The teen from State College, Pennsylvania, grew up surrounded by farm country

and in a family of meat-eaters. Yet at age 16, she's been a vegetarian for more

than six years, and says a growing number of her friends are following suit.

 

" In America, we eat so much more than we need, " says Jessi, who talks about

" sustainable agriculture " and " slaughterhouse conditions " as easily as most

teens talk about their favorite music or TV show.

 

There are signs that young people are increasingly interested in eating

vegetarian. Surveys show that more schools and universities now offer non-meat

alternatives as main courses. The Vegetarian Resource Group cites its veggie

nutrition information for teens as the " top page " on its Web site.

 

full story:

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/5208356.htm

 

 

 

Posted on Tue, Feb. 18, 2003Meat industry, pro-vegetarian group compete for

young people's loyalties

MARTHA IRVINE

Associated Press

 

In the end, though, some worry that - Jessi Lehman may not know it, but she's

the sort of girl who's stirring a battle between the beef industry and

pro-vegetarian groups - with each attempting to sway young people to its side of

the table.

 

The teen from State College, Pa., grew up surrounded by farm country and in a

family of meat-eaters. Yet at age 16, she's been a vegetarian for more than six

years, and says a growing number of her friends are following suit.

 

" In America, we eat so much more than we need, " says Jessi, who talks about

" sustainable agriculture " and " slaughterhouse conditions " as easily as most

teens talk about their favorite music or TV show.

 

There are signs that young people are increasingly interested in eating

vegetarian. Surveys show that more schools and universities now offer non-meat

alternatives as main courses. The Vegetarian Resource Group cites its veggie

nutrition information for teens as the " top page " on its Web site.

 

And a recent survey of 12- to 19-year-olds done by Teenage Research Unlimited

found that 20 percent of all respondents - and 28 percent of girls - said

vegetarianism is " in. "

 

While that's one in five teens overall, a spokesman at Teenage Research - a

suburban Chicago firm that tracks youth trends - notes the percentage is not

particularly high when compared to other trends such as using the Internet (92

percent) and downloading music (84 percent).

 

Still, the interest in going meatless is substantial enough that the National

Cattlemen's Beef Association, a trade group for cattle ranchers, is taking

action.

 

In December, the group posted a Web site titled " Cool-2B-Real " and aimed at

girls, ages 8 to 12. The site encourages girls to be confident and active with

message boards, computer games, self-esteem tests and advice - and recipes

featuring various forms of beef.

 

" We are out to promote that all foods fit into a healthy diet, " says Mary K.

Young, executive director of nutrition for the National Cattlemen, who remembers

a time when eschewing meat was considered " fringe. "

 

Young concedes that a vegetarian diet can be healthy. But too often, she says,

it isn't. And overall - whether girls are vegetarian or not - she says federal

statistics show that, after age 11, many girls' diets lack important nutrients

found in beef and other food.

 

The data shows that 60 percent of girls ages 12 to 19 are not consuming

recommended levels of iron; nearly half don't get enough zinc; and a third don't

eat foods that contain adequate levels of vitamin B-12.

 

Sylvia Rimm, a child psychologist who served as an adviser for the Cattlemen's

site, says there also are concerns that some girls use unhealthy eating tactics

to lose weight.

 

" We need more industries out there to come out and say 'Look, be real! Don't

build your self-confidence based on peer pressure and your appearance,' " says

Rimm, author of the " See Jane Win " series of books.

 

On the other side, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is stepping up

its pro-vegetarian campaign. PETA officials say that, next month in New York

City, they'll circulate a bus covered in an ad featuring an obese child eating a

burger and the slogan " Feeding Kids Meat Is Child Abuse - Fight the Fat. "

 

The National Cattlemen call the ad, slated for circulation in other cities,

" irresponsible. "

 

But PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich believes there are better sources of

vitamins, iron and other minerals than meat. As PETA's director of vegan

outreach, he goes as far as to recommend a vegan diet for adults and children:

fruit, whole grains and vegetables, including legumes (beans, peas and lentils).

That means no meat or fish and no dairy products, such as milk and cheese - a

recommendation that goes against federal food pyramid guidelines.

 

It's a difference of opinion that even shows itself in the school cafeteria.

 

" A lot of kids will criticize me for it. Or when they're eating meat, they

show it to me and say 'Meeeeat, meeeeeat!' It's kind of annoying, " says Grace

Marston, an 11-year-old vegetarian from Silver Springs, Md.

 

Research on the subject is mixed, though many health experts, including

researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, recommend eating more

fish, beans and chicken as a source of protein than red meat.

 

in a nation with millions of overweight young people - the overall message to

eat healthy is getting lost in a polarized meat-vs.-vegetarian debate.

 

" What we need to do is teach kids, and their parents, how to eat healthier, "

says Samantha Heller, a senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Medical Center in

New York.

 

Whether they eat some lean, red meat or not, Heller says that means eating

more fruits and vegetables, whole grains and nuts - and less junk food.

 

ON THE NET

 

National Cattlemen's Cool-2B-Real site: http://www.cool-2b-real.com

 

PETA's Vegkids.com: http://www.peta.org/kids/vegkids/index.html

 

---

 

Martha Irvine can be reached at mirvine(at)ap.org