Becoming vegetarian is the hardest thing i have ever done. Will soemone help me?

Question

I am trying to go veg for many reasons yet i keep having difficulties.

Being in alabama few people are vegetarian so i have no one to relate to or get help from. I keep lapsing after a week or so. All my friends mess with me and fling meat at me. My parents wont acknowledge i am trying to become a veg and they wont buy anything non meat. I really need help. I dislike lettuce and I'm only 15, male. Please be very discriptive and nice, because this is easliy the hardest thing i have ever done.

Answer 1

Hey xD I'm also 15 and I'm a vegetarian and sometimes it can be hard to convince your parents. I used to REALLY like meat pies but one day I declared I wasn't going to eat meat again. Then the next day my Mum cooked a meat pie for me and I completely ignored it. I live in Australia so I'm not sure if Sanitarium is an Australian company but they sell lots of supplements to make up for meat. Such as vegetarian sausages, vegetarian hot dogs, vegetarian burgers [which I LOVE], Vegetarian roast and other yummy things. I know that there's other companies such as Fry's which make vegetarian schnitzels and they're really yummy... taste just like chicken schnitzels if my memory works a few years back. :) You're friends need to learn to accept your decision. Try not to get worked up about it or it will encourage them to do it even more. They're usually pretty easy to find in the Refrigerated section in Woolworth's or Coles, again I think these are Australian supermarkets and I'm not sure what supermarkets there are in Alabama but try looking in the refrigerated section for these things. I have been a vegetarian for a long time and I've been eating these kinds of things. My iron levels have managed to stay pretty high. Good luck!!

Answer 2

it's only hard if you make it that way.

Answer 3

Mmm...being vegetarian in a mostly non-vegetarian world is so hard. Going out to eat with the family suddenly becomes tricky because some restaurants may only have salad options or veggie wraps for the non-meat-eater. I'm a vegan, so this problem is even more pronounced. And there's a lot of debate and teasing that goes on with family, friends and even strangers. I don't know what your reasons for going veg are, but mine are strong enough to sustain me through food temptations and teasing. There's a video called "Earthlings" you could look up on youtube or "Meet Your Meat", also. It doesn't seem right to me to support the farms that cruelly slaughter animals just so I can have a juicy burger between my teeth. So I calmly explain that to my friends/family and they back down...usually. Just hang in there and try to get mum and dad to understand your perspective. Worst comes to worst, you may have to buy some of your own food - but you're getting to an age when that kind of thing happens anyway (or at least, it did in my family because we now had jobs and could buy the foods we liked). Right, so keep your chin up and stick to your convictions. Good luck!  

Answer 4

You're definitely going to need some help from your parents, unless you're willing to get a job and buy your own food. You need them to buy  you some whole  grains (brown rice, whole wheat bread, etc.), plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, and some protein sources like beans, tofu, and veggieburgers.

It'd be good to pick up a good book on vegetarianism so you can educate yourself about nutrition. I recommend The New Becoming Vegetarian:

http://www.amazon.com/New-Becoming-Veget...

You might have to buckle down and learn to cook for yourself, so your parents don't have to cook your meals  separately from the rest of the family's. You'll be cooking for yourself for most of your life, so it's no big deal!

There's online forums for teens going veg, such as:

http://www.vegpeople.com/cgi-bin/gossame...

http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/forum...

You can get lots of support online like that. Locally, look for any vegetarian groups you can join?

Some easy sample meals for a new vegetarian are:

Pasta with scratch sauce. Tomato sauce + chopped veggies and tofu. Saute the stuff in a saucepan in a little oil until browned, then add tomato sauce. Add to pasta when done.

Stir fries: fry veggies & tofu in a wok or flat pan in a little oil, add to brown rice.

Fajitas: fry up some sliced veggie burger, onions, green peppers, or anything else you like, add salsa, wrap in whole-wheat fajita bread.

Smoothies. Dump some favorite fruits or vegetables into a blender, disintegrate them, drink up!

There's plenty more ideas on vegetarian recipe sites.