I want to be vegan sooo badly it hurts!?

Question

LOL I really want to become vegan. I just don't know how hard it will be to give up dairy and eggs.

Any tips from vet vegs? (veteran vegans)

p.s. i am 14, which makes it harder seeing as i don't buy my own food and i live with omnis!! i plan to raise my kids vegan, though.

Answer 1

Now, I'm not a vegan and I know this question was directed to vegans, but I can offer some insight.

Being a vegan is hard. REAL HARD.

Everywhere you go, you'll see dairy of some kind. Snicker's Bar has milk chocolate in it. Pizza hut uses cheese. etc. etc.

That being said, be prepared to dine in a lot.

Now as for your parents, respect their choice to eat meat and they should hopefully do the same about you. If they refuse to make vegan friendly meals, don't eat it.

Don't starve yourself either!! Just get an apple or a salad or the like. No parent I've ever seen force-fed their offspring.

If you're very determined to become vegan, have at it, but remember we vegetarian/vegans are a rare breed. Don't expect others to accomodate you.

Answer 2

One question, why would you, seeing as you don't seem to hate that kind of food?

Answer 3

Well, yeah, it is hard. It's hard eating vegan if you are a grown up. I like that idea from the other comment: ask your parents for a food allowance. It shouldn't be bad b/c it's money they are saving from not having to cook you meals. Try recipes from websites like whole foods and cook together with your mom and dad. Maybe you can convert them too!

Answer 4

Hi La Fila,

I am a Reference Librarian.  It will take me a few minutes to research your question.

As a 17year Vegan, I have some recommendations;

Even though you are already veg, this first title has some good suggestions about swaying your parents.

"A Teen's Guide to Going Vegetarian" by Judy Krismanic

"Fresh and fast vegan pleasures : more than 140 delicious, creative recipes to nourish aspiring and devoted vegans" by Amanda Grant

"The complete idiot's guide to vegan living" by Beverely Lynn Bennett and Ray Sammartano

"Vegan express : featuring 160 recipes for quick, delicious, and healthy meals" by Nava Atlas

"You won't believe it's vegan! : 200 recipes for simple and delicious animal-free cuisine" by Lacey Sher and Gail Doherty

"La dolce vegan! : vegan livin' made easy" by Sarah Kramer

Try to find some vegan dishes and foods that the rest of your family can enjoy to help make the shopping easier.  Tell your family it's good for the cholesterol.  I recommend the LightLife Brand, Fantastic Foods Brand, and Silk Brand - FABOO!  As for the eggs, try to create some dishes with tofu, or one of the egg substitutes.

Also, try to patronize vegetarian restaurants - they can be great resources!

Good Luck!

K

Answer 5

fyi, it's not healthy to raise kids as vegans.

Answer 6

vegan is good

Answer 7

One thing that will help....eat BEFORE you get hungry. My best friend is a vegetarian, and he told me that this is critical because once you get hungry, you crave all those foods you're trying to give up. Also, don't wait until the last minute to plan what you're going to eat (for pretty much the same reason)

Answer 8

Prepare to give up things that you wouldn't think would have meat in them (things like marshmallows and jello for example, have gelatin in them, made from ground animal bones).

Answer 9

First of all I want to congratulate you.  A vegan diet done right in very healthy, but you have to educate yourself into how to do it right. Hopefully you can get the support of your family. There is a book called "Becoming Vegan" by Brenda Davis that helped me learn about how to get all the nutrients I  need. Get your parents support and have them read the book so they will understand your needs.  

Here is a link to it:

http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Vegan-Com...

I suggest start drinking fortified soy, rice, hemp, or nut milk.  Try some different soy cheeses until you find one you like.  Also look online to find recipes for nut cheeses.  Instead of eggs look up some recipes for tofu scramble.  More and more foods are being made vegan, even ice cream, butter and cookies. You can do it!  

You should realize that animals ARE killed for dairy and eggs.  For example, the veal industry is a byproduct of the dairy industry.  All mammals make milk after having babies and cows are no exception. Cows are artificially impregnated and give birth so they will milk. The babies are often taken from their mothers and are slaughtered for veal, are raised for meat or live the fate of their milking mothers.  The dairy cows live incredibly miserable lives and are slaughtered as soon as their milk declines at only five years old (they naturally live to be 25-30).  Almost all cheese (unless labeled otherwise) is made with rennet.  Rennet is an enzyme that from a calves’ stomach, so most cheese isn't really vegetarian anyways.  Egg laying hens usually live miserable lives.  They are crammed into wire cages stuffed so tightly they can barely move.  There beaks are cut so they don't peck each other.  They are forced to become egg laying machines and are killed as soon as their production declines.  

Answer 10

i'm not a vegan but i am a vegetarian. It's quite hard in the beginning or maybe it's easy in the beginning and then get's hard. being that you're a developing teen and you get hormonal. and we love chocolate & sweets. which includes dairy products it's hard. But most of all it's expensive to be vegan..i'd recomment having kosher foods..(: and being a vegetarian..& you need to take alot of vitamin pills to make up for the nutrients a growing body lacks from not having milk,yogurt,eggs etc.

Answer 11

You get that from being a vegan.  It hurts sometimes.

Answer 12

Im 14 also and i have been a vegetarian for about 2 years now.

i tried being vegan for almost 2months... i started to feel really sick.

i say that you should slowly become vegan.... like, first take eggs out of your diet, then milk, then something else.... ya know?

It works way better than completely quiting.

and make sure that you are getting the vitamins you need.

if you are going to be a vegan you defiantly need to have extra stuff to keep you healthy.

+ I'm 100% sure that if you arn't doing it for the right reason, (i.e. you want to be cool like Matthew Lush, or some other vegan star) you are going to fail..

Answer 13

Try soymilk and stop eating eggs!  You can use something called Ener G egg replacer for baking and tofu in scrambles.  Ask your parents for a food allowance or when they make dinner ask them to serve your spaghetti or whatever BEFORE they add the cheese or meat to the sauce,  You can do it!  I did.

PS But let me say I have gone back to dairy after 5 years of veganism.  I just do it in moderation and buy cruelity free products to limit my impact and reduce my support of factory farming.

Answer 14

yay vegan. :D

okayyy the best website everrrrrr: http://www.peta2.com/STUFF/s-recipe.asp ... they have everything there.  My favorite is vegan banana bread :] there are so many alternatives to dairy.  Many stores have vegan eggs, soy milk, vegan cheese.  it's great.  ummm yah. always have tons of fruit and veggies.

that's all I can think of.. but if you look on the website up there ^^ i'm sure you can find something... also if you sign up to their website you get free stickers lol :]

hope this helped!!!

vegan for 10 years

PS. don't listen to people when they say being vegan is really hard because it isn't at all! it is just replacing regular milk with soy milk, regular cheese with vegan cheese! don't worry, you will get used to it :]

Answer 15

well, i understand, i am pescartarian, and have been for almost 3 years.  Im not 16.  What the heck is a pescatarian? ita like a vegan but i'm allowed to eat seafood,ONLY.  The reason being is because my dad owns a seafood store and cooks moslty seafood, its just more conveinent, and the only meat i eat is egg because i also go by the 40 days and nights catholic belief where you can eat no meat but only seafood and eggs(anything that is not raised on land).  You should try that, or if you are a serious vegan, talk to your parents about it and tll them why, if they don't approve, wait a couple more years or just be rebellious if you cant eat the meat no more!!! goodluck!