How can i go vegan and tell my mom?

Question

Hi, I'm a hippie who really cares about animals and the environment and have been an unhealthy vegetarian for 8 months and for a while now I have been wanting to go vegan because I learned having dairy products is just as bad as having meat. I'm 15 and want to know what foods i should eat and really just how to go vegan and get enough protein etc. so give me a list of foods i should get everyday and meal recipes etc. plus were I can buy it so its healthy, cheap, and organic(for environment). Plus tastes good!!!:)

Oh yeah my mom hates that I'm a vegetarian and the fact that i am unhealthy. I tried telling her that going vegan would be better for me, but she thought it was a more stupid idea than going vegetarian but she just doesn't really get how I really feel and it really hurts!!:( The truth is i tried going vegan without telling her and it got expensive and i don't think it was still healthy for me because my hair started falling out because lack of protein and other things. Someone please tell me how i can eat healthy vegan and convince my mom as a teenager I can go vegan and be healthy!!!! Thank you!!!

Answer 1

If you are unhealthy while being a vegetarian, you'll feel ten times more worse being a vegan. You need to eat the right stuff, start out slow! Dont go straight to vegan. And your mom shouldn't control what you choose to eat, thats not right. I've been veggie for 2 years and i will never let anyone criticize me about being a vegetarian.

Answer 2

- Soy products (soymilk, soy cheese, tofu, tempeh)

- Nuts and seeds (+ nut butters)

- Beans

- Sprouts (ie brussel sprouts)

If you were having issues getting enough protein as a vegetarian, you need to be really careful as a vegan. And yes, it will be quite expensive. Good luck.

Answer 3

Well it sounds like you need to go vegan or you will explode. But you're going to have to tell your mom someday. But maybe not right away. I told my mom after a few weeks (firstly I said that I wanted soy milk for some phony reason) while looking for dairy-free chocolate. Didn't go well, but she had to know some day.

When I saw the dietitian she had this advice about being a healthy vegan (i'm 14):

For iron/protein: Eat 1 cup or legumes or tofu and day and try to incorporate spinach, nuts and other leafy vegetables into your diet. Try combing proteins so they are complete proteins (i.e. have all the amino acids). E.g's of complete proteins are rice with lentils, peanut butter on bread and soy

For calcium/B12/omega3: Fortified soy milk and lots of it. Tons.

For VitaminC: Oranges and capsicum

I don't always eat 1 cup of legumes/tofu, but I eat a lot of spinach. And my last blood test showed that I had good levels of iron, protein and B12. So it's possible, but you need to do it properly. None of this living of hot chips business. For recipes try www.vegcooking.com, www.fatfreevegan.com, www.theppk.com

Good luck =D

Answer 4

You can definitely be a very healthy vegan if you make sure that you are eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, lentils, and beans. Make sure that you get vitamin B12 from a supplement or from a vegan-friendly multivitamin.  

Here are some good links for info on the vegan life:

http://www.veganwolf.com/animal_ingredie...

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/vegan-nutriti...

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/

http://www.foodsforlife.org.uk/nutrition...

http://www.vegancoach.com/

And a good link for recipes:

http://vegweb.com/

I recommend going to Amazon and getting some good vegan cookbooks such as Veganomicon or Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan. They have lots of good information as well as fantastic recipes!

Answer 5

beans are cheap and a good source of protein

Answer 6

You are fairly young and going vegan is a very good choice perhaps research a lot of food you can eat and convince your mom. Also it is extremely important to see a doctor. If you are unhealthy chances are you need suppliments of some sort or pointed in the right direction of where you can get the nutrients that you are missing.

good luck.

Answer 7

i would sit her down and talk to her about it

tell her how you feel, and your beliefs

and persist, because it took me almost 3 months to convince my mom to become a vegetarian

as for food, i go to trader joes

their pretty cheap

and eat alot of spinach (iron)

and tofu, and soy (protein)

and eat fruits and veggies

good luck =]