article review- from "Teen vogue" April 2010 "Unhappy meal"

I recently purchased the April 2010 issue of Teen Vogue and as i was reading the magazine i came across a article that really caught my attention. The article was talking about Teen vegetarianism, and how it can lead to eating disorders. I know first hand that it is very hard to keep up a healthy diet while eating only non-meat products as i was a vegetarian for 2 years. I like most teens was under the impression that this would help me lose weight. However i often found myself very hungry and cranky. Which most of the time lead me straight to the cabinet in search for some "healthy, non-meat" snack. It is true that meat has a lot of fat in it and most of the fat we eat comes from meat, but meat also has a lot of other vitamins that are essential for a healthy life such as protein and iron. Women especially have a hard time staying healthy on a veggie diet because they need more calcium and iron then men. Most vegetarians have to take calcium and iron supplements to keep a healthy level in their blood stream. Sometimes veggie diets can be taken to the extreme and people feel its necessary to cut out all animal products including eggs,milk,cheese ect. This can cause many more health issues if not approached with great care. I would suggest you talk to your Doctor before deciding on an all veggie diet, and have regular blood tests to make sure iron levels are sufficient for your size and weight. If you are trying to lose weight you should know that in most cases vegetarianism only makes you gain weight. I know from experience.