Lifelong Habits Start Early
Food preferences and lifestyle habits of physical activity are established
early in life.1
Building a diet with fruits, vegetables, healthful grains, and
legumes from a young age will help children prefer those foods throughout
their lives. These foods are rich in antioxidants, phytochemicals, and fiber,
which help protect against disease and promote a healthful body weight.
When a vegetarian diet is established at an early age, not only can it provide
nutritional advantages, but it will also promote healthful eating habits
beyond adolescence, to the teen years and into adulthood. Vegetarian teens
have higher intakes of cancer-fighting antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals
through greater consumption of fruits, vegetables, and fiber than their
nonvegetarian counterparts.2