It's heartening to hear that a vegetarian lifestyle is growing among German teenagers. The "meat-free" diet is becoming popular there, as kids realize that eating a vegetarian lifestyle is not a boring and bland as it appears.

Do your kids eat mostly a vegetarian diet? Although certain meats are generally a staple of many kids' diets these days, do they have to be? Except for fish (which can be high in healthy omega-3 oils), are many meats even necessary?

That subject is constantly argued about and it's a personal choice of course. But, as long as sufficient levels of vitamins and nutrients are consumed in a vegetarian diet, it's hard to surmise that there is harm in being a vegetarian.