I am thinking of becoming a vegan?

Question

but last time i tried being a veggiterian and that didnt last long.... how do i motivate myself to becoming one and is this healthy i am 13 years old , i feel so bad for all the poor suffering animals :(

Answer 1

Ok watch some videos of slaughterhouses and you'll never eat it again! And read "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair

Answer 2

Well if you can't last being a vegetarian, there is probably no way you'll last being a vegan. Vegan's don't eat any animal products what so ever and vegetarians just don't eat meat. If anything, just motivate yourself to not eating meat, but make sure you substitute the lack of proteins.

Answer 3

just think about how gross it is to be eating a living thing's corpse. it's so disgusting. Their rotting decomposing flesh. There's nothing "fresh" about meat, it's a dead thing. It was once living and was killed so you could ingest it even though you're stomach is not made to digest meat like actual carnivore's stomachs are.

Also, drive by a slaughter house or something, it smells absolutely disgusting. Also, have you ever seen those trucks shipping animals around and the cows or pigs are peeking out at you?

sorry this is a little overboard...i had a hard time committing to vegetarianism though too.

also try googling things like "cute baby pigs" or cute baby cows or cute baby chickens, that'll definitely help.

Also, don't try meat substitutes until you've stuck to being a veg for a while. eat beans and nuts and seeds and pasta and tomato sauce, yum. also bean burritos and mexican pizzas minus the meat at taco bell haha

(that answer helped someone else who asked a similar question, i just copied it and pasted it)

You should be a vegetarian first then transition into veganism.  Being a vegetarian is SO easy, honestly.  Just peruse other questions about what to eat and stuff and you'll get an overload of ideas....

Answer 4

Ask your parents to help you instead. They are there with you, the "helpful people" in this forum aren't. If you get sick or suffer from some problem because you did not do it right, your parents will be there to help. Not a single one in this forum, me included, will be able to.

Besides, you are 13 years old, probably living at home. You are your parent's responsibility.

Answer 5

Every time you see or think about meat, just think of the poor animal that had to die. I bet that will motivate you!

Here are some web sites with some great vegan/vegetarian foods:



http://silksoymilk.com -chocolate and chai flavors are good

http://amys.com

http://organicfoodbar.com

http://gardenburger.com

http://yvesveggie.com

http://sunshineburger.com

http://rightfoods.com

http://veganstore.com -they have chocolate!

http://nakedjuice.com

http://www.cedarsfoods.com/

http://bolthouse.com

http://naturespath.com

http://turtlemountain.com -vegan ice cream and yogurt

http://goodkarmafoods.com - vegan ice cream

http://fruitabu.com

http://clifbar.com

http://www.pacificfoods.com -has good almond milk

http://www.eatintheraw.com/index.php

http://odwalla.com

Here are some good recipes:

Stir fry- You need cut up tofu, soy sauce, olive oil, steamed veggies, and cooked rice

Get a frying pan and coat it with olive oil. The put the tofu in the pan and brown each side of it. Next, add the veggies. Add a little soy sauce and put in the rice. Mix everything up and then let it sit on the stove, occasionally stirring it to make sure it doesn't burn. After about a minute and a half of that put it in a bowl and enjoy!

Hummus- chick peas, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, black pepper, and any other spices/seasonings you like

Puree the chick peas. Then add a little lemon juice, paprika, pepper, and other spices. Then stir. Serve with a pita, with cucumbers, or on a veggie wrap.

Favorite Classic Pancakes

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1 cup soy milk

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Mix in the soy milk and oil, and with a fork or wire whisk, combine just until the batter is smooth.

Pour cup batter onto a hot, oiled griddle. When bubbles form in the center of the pancake, flip. Cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from pan and keep warm while you make remaining pancakes. Serve warm with maple syrup or fruit syrup.

Here are some snack and dinner suggestions:

Snacks:

Celery with peanut butter

Apples with peanut butter

Pita with hummus

Raisins

Amy's Apple Toaster Pops

All natural popsicles

Natural Valley bars

Clif Bar

Fruit Leather

Silk Chocolate Soy Milk

Naked Juice

Apple chips

Dinners:

Tofu Stir Fry

Amy's Pizzas

Amy's entrees

Sandwiches made with Yves meatless deli slices

Tofu Scramble

Gardenburgers

Natural Oven's bagels

Dr. McDougall's Soups and Noodle Soups

Soy Cheese Quesedillas

Veggie Wraps

Lentils with Wild Rice and Veggies

Whole foods is a great store for vegetarians/vegans, so I recommend grocery shopping there. You also can get a lot of the things I listed above there.

No Yeast Pizza Dough

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 cups of unbleached flour

1/2 cups of soy milk

1/4 cup of olive oil

1 tblsp baking powder

Directions:

Mix the baking powder with the flour. Slowly add the soy milk and oil until you feel the consistency is right. Knead for about 10 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes and then use a roller to flatten it up.. Place in oven at 350F for 20 minutes, or until bottom part is light brown...Dont forget to oil the pizza pan, before placing dough.

Once cooked you can place some cooked or raw vegetables on it, sprinkle some tofu marinated in tomatoe sauce and then stick it back into the oven for 10 more minutes..

Simple yet Amazing Banana Muffins

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

4 large bananas

1/3 cup soy milk (or whatever kind)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup vegan margarine

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon (5 ml) baking soda

cinnamon

Directions:

Blend bananas. Add milk and vanilla.

Mix margarine and sugar and add to previous.

Combine wet ingredients with flour and baking soda.

Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup chocolate chips or nuts (optional).

Fill about half full 10-15 muffins or 24 mini muffins.

Bake at 350F (180C) for about 10-12 minutes, or for 45-60 minutes if making a loaf.

Serves: 10-15 muffins

Vegan Bagels

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 cup warm water

3 cups unbleached white flour

1 1/2 tblsp. vegan sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon yeast

Directions:

Place all ingredients in bread machine and set for normal white vegan bread. Let the machine knead once and then turn off the machine and set a timer for 20 minutes. When time is up remove dough and cut into eight equal peices. Roll each piece into a rope about 1 inch thick, wet ends and stick together. Put all bagels on a greased cookie sheet, cover and let rest for 15 minutes in a warm place. Fill a wok (or whatever you use) with about three inches of water. Place two tblsp of vegan sugar in this water and bring to a boil. After the bagels rise for the fifteen minutes add them to the boiling water for 1 minute turning them as they boil. Drain and place on the greased cookie sheet again ( sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds if you like). Bake at 550 for 15 minutes or until desired browning occures.

Serves: 8

Easy Macaroni and Cheeze

1 pound pasta (regular or gluten-free)

Blend together:

1 1/4 cups water

1 cup plain, fat-free soymilk (may use other non-dairy milk)

3/4 cup nutritional yeast

3 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

pinch cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons tahini

1 teaspoon mellow white miso (or additional salt)

black pepper to taste

Put the pasta on to boil, according to package directions. While it's cooking, blend all remaining ingredients together in a blender. When the pasta is al dente, drain it, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water, and return the pasta to pan. Add the sauce mixture and cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. Add a little of the pasta water if more moistness is needed.

If the sauce is not as flavorful as you'd like, add a little more mustard and onion powder.

Bean Chili

Very easy and yummy!

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 can black or pinto beans

1/2 of a onion

1/2 of a green pepper

2 cloves of garlic

1 packet vegan taco seasoning

1 vegetable bouillon cube OR 1 cup of vegetable broth

Directions:

Dice onion, green pepper, and garlic and fry in olive oil in a pan.

Heat beans in a separate pot.

Once onion and pepper are cooked, add beans to the pan.

Sprinkle over taco seasoning powder.

Add vegetable broth. (I use the little cubes that you dissolve in water and dissolve it in about a cup or so of water.)

Mix together and enjoy with crackers or bread or just by itself. It's yummy! I made this from scratch one day and it's so easy!

Serves: 2-3

"Chicken" Soft Tacos

A simple and satisfying meal.

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 cup textured soy protein chunks

1 cup vegetable broth

oregano, thyme, marjoram

2 ripe tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)

1-2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon lime juice (lemon works too)

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Suggested toppings: lettuce, green onion, olives, plain soy yogurt or vegan sour cream

Directions:

Bring vegetable broth to a boil, remove from heat and add soy protein chunks. Add a couple dashes of oregano, thyme and marjoram. Soak until the chunks are soft and liquid absorbed.

In a medium sized saucepan heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and jalapeno and saute until softened. Add textured soy protein, tomatoes, lime juice and spices. Simmer until the tomatoes have cooked down, about five minutes or so. Remove from heat and fold into soft wheat tortillas and top with suggested toppings or whatever toppings you enjoy!

*Please note I don't really measure my ingredients, so all measurements given are approximations, especially the spices. Please feel free to experiment and adjust to suit your own tastes. Happy cooking!

Serves: 2

Baked Fried Eggplant

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

2 medium to large eggplants - peeled and sliced into rounds

Fat free Italian salad dressing

Seasoned breadcrumbs

Vegetable cooking spray

Directions:

Serves: 4.

Preparation time: 20-30 min..

Dip eggplant slices into the fat free Italian dressing. Allow the excess dressing to drip off (too much dressing will wet the vegan breadcrumbs and make them a pain to work with). Coat the eggplant with the vegan breadcrumbs and place on a cookie sheet sprayed with vegetable spray. Lightly spray the eggplant with the vegetable spray. Bake at 400 degrees F until brown and crispy turning at least once (about 10 to 15 minutes).

Answer 6

At thirteen, this is definitely something you should talk about with your caregiver.  Whoever is responsible for your meals needs to know that you want to make a serious change to your diet, and that you have a good reason for doing so.  

As a young teen, I am guessing that you do not shop for your own food or make most of your own meals, which could be why you had a hard time going vegetarian the first time.  You may not buy your own food, but you may need to request vegetarian foods and be prepared to fix them yourself sometimes.  You also need to do your research and know what you need to eat to be healthy.  It may be a good idea to try being a vegetarian first, since not only you, but the person who feeds you might feel in over their head with such a radical change.

This is a good page that I recommend that most teens who want to go veg read, and share with their caregiver as well.  

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

Answer 7

First try to substitute the things you use to eat with veg@n stuff! After you realize that you can sub those things start making meals where your mixing things like veggies and fruits or tofu if you like! Make sure you have a balenced diet of not just mock stuff though! Veggies are good steamed with soy sause or dressing. Fruits are good in veg@n ice cream! Mix things up and it'll be a piece of cake, well veg@n cake!

Answer 8

Its not healthy

meat is supposed to be eaten