my parents wont support me. I do not have a job due to the lack of available places to work, so I can't buy my own foods. My mother also, wont let me cook for myself most of the time.
I am not vegan yet, I was actually going to attempt it today and see how I did, I am a vegetarian and have been for a few months, but I can't stand animal-by products anymore. I get yelled at if I dont eat cheese or eggs.
What do I do?
Update:well my parents were NOT supportive of my vegetarianism for about 2 weeks. I didnt eat much in those 2 weeks either!
I am not attempting to "whine" on the internet in front of complete stangers either! I am trying to get advice so I can confront my aprents with good enough reasons to go vegan!
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well first of all, I am sorry people have not given you good advice so far! yeah society is not kind to us! as shown by the above answers!
okay here is what you do:-
1) stay vegetarian
2) find alternatives for egg's example egg re-placers, milk - soy or almond milk
3) tell your parents that you would like to try this. and in life you have to really try something before you know if it will work for you or not
4) You show maturity by working out your nutrition value and how a vegan diet can provide that
5) if your parents still do not help you, then you have to accept that you will have to wait.
6) Yes, i know it sucks, but you carry on being a vegetarian, and when you move out be a great vegan.
check out these sites:-
http://www.vegsoc.org/info/vegan-nutrition.html
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/
http://www.vegsoc.org/health/
if you ever have any questions, you can write to me.
Life time vegetarian and now vegan.
Wow, so far youve gotten a lot of really bad answers...
---edit Kimberly's is good, that wasnt there when I started typing :)
Well great job on being vegetarian at 14, its awesome to see a young person standing up for what they believe in. Regardless of some of the ignorant people im sure you have to put up with.
I can totally understand your desire to be vegan, and if I was in your family I would totally support you, and help you out. Unfortunetly it sounds like you dont have a fmaily that is willing to do that. So personally I think you should put it off for awhile.I know thats not what you want to hear. But if you are unable to purchase your own groceries and cook your own meals, I dont see how you can maintain a balenced diet. You cant live off salads and apples. Being Vegan is a lot more complicated then Being vegetarian. And while it is completely possible for you to be 14, vegan and healthy, you would probably need a parent that was really willing to be behind you 100% on it.
For now, try to ease them into it, by getting you soy milk, or other vegan products. And if there willing to listen show them how healthy a vegan diet could be, maybe they would be willing to try a vegan reciepe one day a week or something?Good Luck!
Vegan is very healthy if you do it right. Sooooo many people don't balance the foods correctly or can't properly substitute things and THAT'S why it makes them unhealthy, but then of course they go blaming the whole diet saying it made them unhealthy when it was their own fault for not doing it right. I've been vegan since I was 14 and I've never been healthier. (so says my doctor anyways, but why trust a professionals opinion, right?)
If your parents will not support you DON'T do it. I'm not the type who follows my parent's rule "because they say so," but if you don't have a dependable source of income that can pay for your vegan foods, you're going to be doing the vegan thing the unhealthy way, which is not good at all. You'll probably end up with all sorts of protein deficiencies. Wait till you have a job and can steadily pay for the food you need, then go vegan the right way.
Good luck!
well i am also 14 and have become a vegan luckily my parents are semi-supportive(they buy the things i need but they are always complaining about them and they dont want to buy organic fruits and veggies because they are kinda expensive) but i just block that stuff out if i were in your situation i would soooo not eat milk eggs or cheese they cant make you after all lol just like the people before me said you just have to show them that being a vegan is way healthier than eating meat you can bring up the fact that if you consider yourself an evironmentalist or if you want to go green apart of that is not eating meat and if you do at least buy it free range tell them about the atrocities that are commited against these animals daily and that cruelty to cows chickens pigs and turkeys are just as bad as cruelty to dogs and cats you have to show them because their are alot of people that are ignorant to vegetarian and vegan lifestyles(many people dont even know what a vegan is i know i didnt before i became one and neither did my friends and family lol) so yea just do your research on it and prove to your parents that this is a very healthy choice for your body for the animals and for the environment sooner or later when they get the point they may even consider being a vegan themselves i mean im a vegan and now my mom is taking steps to become a vegetarian so just educate the people around you and especially your parents and i think they will give in
first off, your parents sound pretty harsh.
second off, i would try buying free range eggs. they are a little more expensive but they are healthy for you and the chickens were raised free range! also, they have a lot of things out there that are substitutes for the real product. such as soymilk and rice cheese. i have tried both and they are delicious. i also heard that soy ice cream is very good as well! i'm not sure how you would get your parents to buy it though. i guess that's up to you. also, there are a lot of places where you can get organic milk and cheese, such as a farmer's market. it's a lot safer buying products from a local farmer because they most likely don't abuse their animals.
Well, for starters, being vegetarian or vegan means that you have to be very careful about what food you eat in order to get sufficient nutrition. It's very, very easy to end up with a protein deficiency. Without being able to buy your own food or cook your own meals, you're going to have a rough time getting the proper nutrients.
If you can't convince your parents to be on your side with this, you should remain vegetarian for now. If you serve yourself at the table, just take the smallest portion you can get away with of the cheese and egg items; choose juice instead of milk for a drink. Basically, just try to minimize their presence. Make sure that you are getting enough of the proper nutrients from the rest of your food, though!
I went through this fight with my parents as a child, because I wanted to be a vegetarian in a house that served constant red meat. It took a lot of persistence, a lot of being yelled at, but what worked in the end was that I was doing my research and showing them that I really cared about it.
My recommendation is to show your parents that you know what you're talking about. Show them the reasons, and toss in some explanations about the bad health effects that can come from eating animal by-products in these situations. For example, drinking milk produced by normal means contains hormones that do effect your body. Early sexual maturity is one possible side effect--that might get milk off of your table!
Do some more research on the health benefits of vegetarianism. Make sure that you're using reputable web-sites (not just vegan fan sites). It will hold more weight with your parents this way, and be more accurate.
Show your parents what you would be eating instead, and that it does contain everything that you need to be healthy! If your parents are concerned about money, you can show how much less expensive it is to buy things like beans instead of meat.
Prove to your parents that you will be responsible in the kitchen. I didn't have to worry about this one too much--I had been cooking at my mother's side since I was a baby. They'll want to know that you can safely cook unsupervised, and that you will clean everything up afterwards. You might consider asking to make a dessert instead of a meal, or an appetizer item. It's something everyone can enjoy, but it isn't a full meal replacement.
You can also try to guide them towards small replacement items that are similar to eggs, cheese, and milk. Ask for a container of soy milk, for example, to give it a try. I went back to eating meat during college, but I prefer the taste of soy milk over regular milk. Keep in mind that different brands of soy milk have very different tastes, and many have flavors added to them.
Notably, if your issue is with animal cruelty in big farms, what is the problem with eating free range, unless you just dislike the taste? It's also possible to buy eggs and milk and other such animal products from farms that use kinder practices. Of course, without buying your own food, you aren't going to be able to get them, but it might be easier on you if you can convince your parents to pick those up instead.
I'm 14 too and had a hard time persuading my parents aswell.i had been vegetarian for about 6 years so they knew it wasn't a phase.i started to cut out eggs for a few weeks and then dairy, and then i went vegan.i feel better than ever and still healthy but i take supplements and vitamins just to make sure.hope this helps X
You know, I'm 14 too and I'm not a vegan nor a vegetarian but i have plenty of friends that are and at this age it isn't the best way to be eating. When you're still growing you need the proteins from animal made products, you need all that good stuff or else you'll get all sorts of problems. If you really want to pursue it then make like a video or a powerpoint to show your parents how cruel the animals are treated because I agree with you there, I'm in fact in a foundation called AnimalsAsia that helps stop the relentless killing of Asian Animals. ( aka: cats and dogs that are being sold to markets in small rusty cages.) so maybe if you do something extreme you'll get your way. :)
dont listen to the ppl who say to give up vegetarianism. you need to show your parents that its easy to be a vegan and to get nutrition out of what you can eat. for easy vitamins try enriched soymilk. i drink edensoy extra. its got vegan b12. nuts legumes and seeds for protien. do research so it doesnt seem like you are attempting to starve yourself. also, i have NEVER gotten the flu since i switched to vegetarianism. also, show your parents that veganism is good for you by refusing to eat marshmellows. and all that messed up stuff,by choosing the natural version.
At 14, your veganism will have to wait if your parents say no. this is not being "unsupportive" as you think, but just your parents exercising their parental rights and duties by making you do what they think is best.
Why do kids like you always think that just because your parents say no to something, it is being "unsupportive"? They were "supportive" enough to let you be a vegetarian. Isn't that enough? What,if they won't buy you a car because it is too expensive, it is not being supportive? Grow up! How about thanking them for everything they have given you so far instead whining about them in front of complete strangers on the Internet? You seem to be asking for support and understanding which you are unwilling to give yourself.