Vegetarianism is a way of eating based mainly on vegetables, eliminating meat and derivatives.
There are different variants such as ovo-dairy that, in addition to vegetable sources, include the consumption of eggs and dairy products, but exclude the rest of foods of animal origin, or vegans, in which there is no consumption of food from animal origin, everything is vegetable.
There are also flexitarians, those who mainly eat a vegetarian diet, but occasionally include food of animal origin.
In itself, vegetarianism or veganism, if it is not well established, is not healthier than an omnivorous diet.
If you are a vegetarian or vegan and you eat margarita pizza and nachos with guacamole, you would not be opting for a good option, the same as in an omnivorous diet based on sausages or ultra-processed meat.
Depending on how the menus are prepared, the eating styles can be healthy or not.
The only absolute truth is that a plant-based diet is kinder to the environment and animals.
In adolescence is where more changes in the way of eating are experienced and more and more young people, with environmental awareness and commitment, take advantage of this way of eating.
A diet in which mainly vegetables, fruits and legumes are chosen can go largely unnoticed, as something that is covering up a severe restriction, which is why it is quite common for people who suffer from an eating disorder (TCA) to make a turn towards a more vegetable diet.
By this I do not mean that vegetarianism can cause eating disorders, but rather that some people may choose this type of diet to restrict foods of animal origin, or more caloric, and what at first can be seen as healthy is hiding restrictive and dangerous behavior.
How do I know if my son is adapting his diet or developing an eating disorder?
At first it can go unnoticed, or even be valued positively, because there is a greater consumption of fruit and vegetables, a greater predominance of legumes and nuts and they are interested in foods that they did not want to eat before, or they discarded them directly, but there are signs to which What to pay attention to:
Excessive concern about food, not only about not eating the food of animal origin that you have discarded, but about calories, number of meals per day...
Desire to control everything that has to do with food: quantities, purchase, method of preparation, dressings...
Although foods such as pasta, rice, potatoes or bread are included in their diet, they avoid or stop taking them for fear of gaining weight.
And they also restrict, in a second time, plant foods that they consider caloric such as bananas, avocados... They can even stop using olive oil or reduce it to a minimum.
Avoid culinary techniques beyond grilling or boiling.
In the most extreme cases, they go for a frugivorous diet, based only on fruits, fruits and seeds, or a raw food diet, based on raw foods or foods that have not undergone heat treatment above 40ºC.
Social isolation, since there are not so many
veggie
options in restaurants, and with the maxim of controlling everything that is put in their mouths, they avoid going out and prefer to stay at home.
Much more attention to his body and its physical changes.
They weigh themselves or measure themselves insistently, they spend a lot of time in front of the mirror.
Use apps to control intake, steps, water consumption...
The conversations are almost exclusively centered around food and the body, there is a lack of interest in the rest of the topics.
Is vegetarianism or veganism a trigger for eating disorders?
The reality is that no.
Despite the fact that studies tell us that there is a higher prevalence of anorexia in patients with a vegetarian diet, it cannot be determined if the disease developed as a result of this new diet, or if it was prior to it and through this diet model. they have put it into practice.
When treating these patients, it is appropriate to respect their eating pattern;
however, in some behavioral disorder treatment units it is not allowed to eat a vegetarian or vegan diet, as this is considered a restriction in itself.
As I have commented, nothing to do when there is no eating disorder involved.
In any case, it would always be recommended that a vegetarian diet be guided from the beginning by a nutritionist specialized in it, to avoid possible deficits and advise on the food transition process.
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