My mom is mad at me, but please decide who is correct?

Question

I am 17 years old and became a vegetarian for already a week. For my diet, I eat anything that is not meat or poultry. And I have also been drinking a lot of green tea everyday for the benefits of it. The things that motivated me to become a vegetarian is by seeing some of my teachers at school who are really old like in their late 60s and early 70s. They are healthy as being healthy can get. They told me they are vegetarians and they drink lot of herbal products like green tea. The food that I was eating before becoming a vegetarian would kill me by the time I reach 30. It contained lot of fatty acid, grease, cholesterol and many other not good nutrition. So right now I became a vegetarian and will take herbal products and want to remain vegetarian for the rest of my life but my mom is worried. She thinks i wont have any energy without eating meat and she also thinks that too much green tea will have a negative outcome. Am I right or she is right? (The tea has no caffeine in it)

Answer 1

youre right. you might want to take vitamin suppliments and eat soy products.

Answer 2

Well a sudden change in diet can affect a person but it really depends.  I don't think that switching from one diet to another will really have any long term effects on someone your age.  Just make sure you are taking some vitamins and supplements and you will be fine.

Answer 3

being a vegetarian is great as long as u have the right amount of protein, iron, calcium that u may get from meat

try searching pros and cons of being vegetarian online

then fill in the gaps with nutrition

also search for foods that are high in the vitamins and stuff that you need, then reassure her that you are getting what you need

she's just caring about u

i'm having the same problems with my parents

thinking that i need nutrition that i don't have

the problem is that i strongly care about animals and their rights, so i get angry @ them too

but they only do it bc they want u to have the best life possible

Answer 4

If you are not careful about a vegetarian diet, you can become malnourished. But you can also do the same with any diet, actually.

There are benefits of having an all vegi diet or a diet high in vegetables. Many greens are high in fiber, low in calories, and fat. By replacing vegetables with beef, you do cut down on cholesterol. High fiber low cholesterol diets help prevent heart diesase and colon cancer.

Not all fatty acids are bad. Your body DOES need essential fatty acids. Vegans have to be very careful they obtain these acids somehow.

Answer 5

Despite what you teachers say about the bad affects of meat they are wrong, and my 81 year old mother could still chase your tail around the block if you crossed her.

She eats a carefully balanced diet which includes meat, fish and poultry.

I would rather take the same chance as her, than spend the rest of my life popping pills just to balance my diet.

Answer 6

Mothers are always right.

Answer 7

Your mom might be overreacting a bit but she is your mom and is only looking our for your best interests. I am not a vegetarian and don't have any problem with those who are (however, don't get pushy with your opinions not related to your diet). I am also a mom with a daughter a bit older than you.

It's good that you are paying attention to what you eat whether it's meat or no meat. Fast food/greasy/fried etc is OK once in a while but not every day or even every week.

I have my doubts on the wonders of green tea tho - it's like one in a million 'fad foods' that come around all the time and make companies lots of money. There are better things for you like fresh fruit and veggies. Supplements are OK too, but too many either don't get used (come out the other end) or can harm you when used in excess.

Are you harping on your mom about the wonders of going vegetarian? That may be why she is mad at you - tone it down if you are.

Also, don't feel bad if you find this diet isn't working for you. Your teachers may be healthy vegetarians, but they may be doing other things right in their lives that have nothing to do with their diet that is keeping them youthful.

Answer 8

i think you should do what u believe is right but ur mom is right about not having energy because ur not eating meat u should other foods with a lot of protein to replace meat, but i think it's good you want to be healthy just dont take it to far :D

Answer 9

First of all, green tea is good for you, and you can't really drink too much of it. Secondly, she is right that it may be unhealthy to be vegetarian, depending on how you do it. You need protein in your diet. You can be vegetarian but make sure you are getting enough protein. Some vegetarian-friendly sources of protein are soy, lentils (beans), peanut butter, etc... Also, you can eat meat and still be healthy. It looks like before you were just choosing the wrong meats. If you choose lean meats like chicken, lean turkey, lean beef then you will be much healthier and you can still eat meat! Long story short... your mom may be right but if you are getting enough protein then go for it!

Answer 10

Fist, it is quite natural for your mother to get concerned. You are her child after all. (No matter how old you are, to her you will always be "my baby").

Second, you are both right to a degree. Some vegetarians think that that their diet is "automatically" healthy. That is simply not true. No diet is. A balanced, well though out diet, one which supplies all your body's unique nutritional requirements (unique because every individual is different) is healthiest whether vegetarian or otherwise. The previous "unhealthy" diet that you were on before was probably marked by excessive consumption  of fats/oils, protein, salt etc. while potentially lacking in other nutrients that your body needs. Your new vegetarian diet may be the same if you don't watch it.  The key is to learn more about proper nutrition and in your case, simply replace meat with plant foods as a source of some nutrients. Say, instead of beef/pork/chicken as a source of protein, you could replace it with beans/legumes for example.

As for the tea, I drink 10-12 cups of green tea day minimum and I am not even a vegetarian! As for other herbs and such, make sure you are not allergic to some of the chemicals and nutrients found in them. A lot by the way, have stimulants which can have a very adverse effect if taken to excess.

Good luck

Answer 11

Green tea has been shown to have many health benefits.  But as with anything, too much of a good thing isnt always good either.

Make sure you are getting enough protein in your diet and enough vitamins and minerals.  You are still growing.

Neither you or your mom is wrong.  You just have a difference of opinion.  Mom is concerned for your overall health.  There is lots of good literature on the net and at the library/bookstore on healthy vegetarian ways of eating.  Educate yourself and share the information with your mom.

Answer 12

I am actually impressed by your mature level of thinking and approach to your diet.

There are many vegetarians in India and we have been practicing vegetarianism for thousands of years!  Find some web articles that promote healthy lifestyles along with a veg diet and show them to her.

Actually, a vegetarian's biggest concern is not "energy" which comes froms carbs (starches, grains, rice, wheat, pasta, noodles...) but adequate protein intake.  So lots of beans, lentils, dals, chickpeas, soy products and you can eat many "meatless" products (garden burgers, soy chicken....).

However, I would like to caution you about the herbal supplements, some have nasty side effects.  Talk to your family doctor/physician and bring your mom along (she can hear it directly from the horses's mouth).

Again, congrats on your decision and your will power! It's refreshing to see this level of maturity in a teenager, KUDOS!

Answer 13

You're both right. You need to make sure you get enough protein in your diet. Especially as young as you are. From the sounds of it you are not. Sure, your previous diet may not have been all that healthy, but you would certainly have lived past thirty.

Do some research, careful research and find out what else you need to eat to get a balanced diet. Also, don't get too excited about herbal products, those can be very dangerous too if you don't know what you're doing.

If you demonstrate to your mom that you are making sure you get a balanced diet she'll stop worrying.

Answer 14

Well I myself am 15, and have been a vegetarian [borderlining vegan] for a year and a half. I have more energy now than I've ever had when eating meat.

For the protein part of the vegetarian diet, beans and peanuts have a lot of protein in them, and have other beneficial .. things ... in them that can keep you healthy either way.

I would have to side with you, for the fact that it's actually much healthier being vegetarian, and your risk of heart attack and/or other heart risks are decreased by quite a lot.

There is a risk of you gaining weight though, as I've seen in some fellow vegetarians. This would be caused by poor eating habits, to make up for a loss of one complete food group.

I would also have to say that your mother does have some right to be worried, because some vegetarians to get a protein deficiency and their muscles get weaker, and you do lose energy for not feeding your muscles the protein they need.

As for the green tea. There aren't really any negative effects of drinking it daily. You will be drinking more water than before [most likely], and your system will be flushed because of the nutrients in the green tea. Since it has no caffeine in it, you'll be getting a more natural energy source from the tea. Instead of more sugars and caffeine giving you an energy boost, you'll be getting it from the tea leaves.

Answer 15

You're right. Becoming a vegetarain is a very good step toward a healthy body and mind. Make sure you are eating a well balanced diet and let your mom see that you are doing so. In time, she will see that you will probably have more energy and are feeling better in both body and spirit.