Comparison of food intake of vegetarian and non-vegetarian adolescents (1024.12)

Food   intake  of  vegetarians  in the US has been evaluated, however, data on  foods  consumed by  vegetarian   adolescents  is limited. The aim of this research was to  compare  the  food   intake  of  adolescent   vegetarians  and  non - vegetarians . A cross-sectional study was conducted among  adolescents  ages 12 to 18 years (312 females, 241 males, mean [SD] age =15.0 [1.7] years) from 10 schools in southern California and Michigan. Dietary  intake  was determined by a web-based 150-item  food  frequency questionnaire.  Vegetarian  was defined a priori as combined  intake  of meats and fish < 1 serving/week. Differences were analyzed using ANCOVA adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, BMI z-scores, and exercise.  Vegetarians  accounted for 18.6% of the study sample.  Compared  with  non - vegetarians ,  vegetarians  consume significantly less servings of eggs, dairy, soda/sweetened drinks, pastries, and coffee/tea (all p’s < 0.01) but eat significantly more meat alternatives, fruits, soy beverages, cereals, legumes, and nuts (all p’s < 0.01).  Intake  of vegetables, bread/grains/pasta, pastries, and chips were similar for both groups. In this  adolescent  population,  vegetarians  consume more plant-based  foods  and less sugar-sweetened and caffeinated beverages than their  non - vegetarian  counterparts. Displacement of dietary animal products results in greater consumption of meat analogs and soy products, but not eggs and dairy among the  vegetarians .