OMG. Now my parents won't let me be vegan. They're FORCING me to eat MEAT.?

Question

After watching http://meat.org/ I didn't want to eat meat anymore. And my mom was about to leave to the grocery store, and I told her I needed soy burgers and soy milk. And she goes, "No, we're on a budget. You can eat what we have in the fridge" (WHICH ALL WE HAVE IS MEAT AND MILK BASED FOODS!! and we CAN afford to buy vegan foods!) what should I do? Should i tell them that I won't eat until I get it? Because I'm willing to do it. That video just diguested the **** out of me.

Answer 1

I wouldn't starve yourself, if anything it might make your mom more angry. There are other things to eat that are vegan besides soy burgers. Most moms would love their kids to eat more fruits and veggies. My suggestion is to go with your mom to the grocery shop, and go to the produce section and pick out some very healthy looking veggies and fruit. I really doubt any mother would not be happy to see her kid asking if they can have some broccoli or carrots. Most produce items are a lot less expensive then processed foods and meat.

Answer 2

well, you shouldn't stop eating but you could convince your parents that by not buying meat, they could be saving money. Meat is expensive while a lot of vegan products are really cheap. And does your fridge contain any fruits and veggies? Cuz if not, not good

Answer 3

you should do what you feel is best for your body----although i love meat particulary.

Answer 4

With the cost of food going up, it doesn't surprise me what your mom said...and she could be right about the budget.

I would suggest offering to pay for your own specialty items. Do you get allowance money or money from a part time job? If you are serious about being vegan, then pay for your own items that aren't on your mom's list.

If you don't get allowance or don't have/can't get a job, then offer to do ADDITIONAL chores around the house as "payment" for your vegan foods.

Answer 5

id take some money and buy a mini fridge with a lock so they cant get into it and buy soy products with money you have saved up. tofu is my fav along with soy beans.

Answer 6

i'm sure your parents are doing that because they think you need your proteins. you can start being a vegetarian slowly, by eating eggs and jerkies instead of meat[beef, chicken, pork, etc]

then, when your parents are used to your eating habits, you can start eating vegan foods and they won't even notice ;)

hope this helps!

btw i adore you for being a vegan (:

Answer 7

I can understand you don't want to eat meat but, until you buy it yourself your parents have ultimate control. Work and buy it yourself. Also make sure you know how to eat properly as a Vegan you can get very sick do to mal-nutrition if you don't make sure you eat right and take supplements. It's actually more expensive then just dealing with meat and dairy.

Answer 8

i'm sorry, that happened to me in fifth grade, my parents wouldnt let me become vegetarian. i feel your pain, but you just have to tell your parents that it is your life and you do what you want. tell them it is much healthier to be vegetarian/vegan. you have a less chance of getting many cancers and other diseases. well, good luck to you my friend!!

Answer 9

Get an afterschool job and earn the cash and buy soy milk and soy burgers yourself to show your parents that you are dedicated to being a vegan. They're only a couple dollars a carton and a few dollars a box, it won't be that difficult. Starving yourself until you get your own way is just immature. If you show them that you are dedicated, they'll respect your decision more.

Answer 10

What's the point in being one anyways, suppouselly plants also have life and they feel, that's what I heard, don't turn against me everyone please. unless u just wanna be healty that's different

THIS ADDED: for the people that gave me thumbs down, only one question, why?? I made a very valid point, I mean If any of those animals that u are trying to save were starving, they'd eat u, or wouldn't they??

Answer 11

no- its REALLY bd, sry didn't read whole thing. Animals are abused by this, but God gave us these creatures to kill and eat. But too many animals die fom this , and i HATE that! tell ur mom its wrong ! in fact ill slap my mom right now wait!

i really did it... ttyl!

Answer 12

Don't you have vegetables? Fruit? Beans? Nuts? Legumes?

You dont need soy burgers, etc, to be a vegan.

(Im sure your house has all these things listed above)

Answer 13

If you don't understand the family budget well enough to believe your mom that you're on one, you probably should get a job to buy your own food.  You're not going to show her you're mature enough to make your own decisions by aruging and pouting and not eating until you get your own way.

There is a way to win this, and that is to bide your time.  Be mature in your response to your parents right now, and tell them calmly and quietly (and without using any profanity -- that'll get their attention) that you disagree with them but are going to follow what they say because they are your parents.  THAT just may help in the long run.  

After a few weeks, bring up the subject again.  Find a few recipes with inexpensive ingredients that your mom can easily make that don't use meat and dairy.  Show your parents that this isn't a whim, but a real lifestyle choice you are prepared to make.  Approach it seriously.  Don't let it turn into an argument, because it really and truly is one you cannot win.  Keep it logical and calm.  That way, you may be able to win your parents over.  Show all the personal benefits (do some research) of a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.  

And be prepared to eat a lot of beans and peanut butter.

Answer 14

looks like you have to suck it up until you move out, either that or buy/prepare your own food.  

Also not eating meat isnt gonna help out those animals, if your not gonna eat them someone else will.

Answer 15

First of all, no one can force you to do anything. You do what you think is best. Try eating less meat at meals and more veggies. Eat veggies first until you are feeling satisfied, then start in on the meat. Chances are, the veggies will fill you up so you don't eat as much meat. Eventually your parents will get the hint that you don't want to eat meat, but you really have no choice unless you get a job and pay for your own food. Maybe they'll notice a change in your skin and health and decide to go vegetarian with you. As far as the milk based foods go, there isn't usually a high quantity of milk used in most foods unless it's yogurt or cheese. The cows in which the milk comes from need to be milked everyday, otherwise they will bloat and get infections and other horrible things could happen to them. If it's the money that's a concern to your parents, most vegetarian foods are cheaper anyway! A bag of morning star farms "beef" crumble is $3.69, the last time i bought ground beef 98% lean, it was around $5.00/lb, and that was 6 months ago!

Answer 16

Okay, I can go over a million possibilities. Number one: sometimes teenagers go thru a phase of being vegans cos their friends are. As soon as they break away from these friends; they start eating meat again. Another possibility is that you witnessed the way meat  was brought onto the grocery store shelves. I understand this because in 1988 I was in an open air meat market about 980 miles south of the border (mexico) and it was gross. So nauseating I couldn't eat meat for a year after that but eventually I got over it because I realized that eggs come from chickens and milk comes from cows and that's just the way it is. When I was at that open air meat market; there were calves and steers all lying around some with their legs cut off, some decapitated; it was horrible. But, I got over it. Yet not to the extent that I will eat meat more than twice a week. That's why the U.S. has such an obesity problem; because they eat too much meat. Also, they don't realize that their body is 70% fluids and 30% solids and all these people who are obese-if you have ever noticed-are putting 70% food into their body instead of 30% food when they SHOULD be putting 70% fluids into their body because then they are going against the laws of nature. I eat a lot of fruits and veggies and only eat meat twice a week. I drink O.J. like some people drink water. Always have. I do agree with your mother and I don't agree with your mother. The reason I do is because soy products usually ARE very expensive-have you seen the prices on soy milk? OUTRAGEOUS!!! But I don't agree with your mother if she's buying milk and meat products all of the time. For one thing; a lot of milk is treated with so many female hormones to make the cow lactate more that it's not good for a person to drink. number one: if a boy is drinking it; he is drinking female hormones. number 2: if a girl is drinking it; (and drinks it in excess) she will come on her menses (period) earlier. In 1960 the average age for a girl to start her menses was 14-by the year 1990 the average age went down to 11 and a half-that means the average age went down 2 and a half yrs in 30 yrs and why? Because of the hormones put into cows which means they are put into milk. This is why there is a lot of talk in Washington now and everything about this. Also, alot of dairy farms have quit using the hormones cos of all the talk and are now putting on the cartons or gallons of milk"this milk contains no hormones". People are afraid that we will wind up like countries like China where they are only allowed to have up to one child because of the population explosion (unless they are born with twins or the first one is born mentally or physically challenged-then they are allowed to have a second) and the reason we are afraid of this is because if milk companies continue to put the same amt of hormones in cow's milk; it has been predicted by the year 2020 that girl's will be coming on their menses at the age of 8 and as you know; if a girl can have her menses; she can also have a baby. So, then we're going to be in a h**l of a lot of trouble because we're going to be living in a world where babies are having babies. Right here in the good ol USA. (if you are not from the USA-I apologize) I know what you saw on tv disgusted you because I wouldn't eat meat for one year after I saw that open air meat market with all the flies buzzing all over the animals. And it really smelled. It reeked of meat. (ha ha) I had been going to mexico since 1978; but only to the resort areas where you didn't see that sort of thing so I was quite shocked. My advice to you is to go out and get a job if you are over 14 (many companies have started hiring at the age of 14 now) and their are some gov't funding organizations that will hire 14 yr olds as well. Then buy your own fruits and veggies. But remember to compensate for your lack of protein by exchanging meat with peanut butter or soy or nuts. I don't really think you are going to change your mother's mind about the groceries that she's been accustommed to buying for years. If this is not just a phase you are going thru because your friends are doing it or because you witnessed how meat ends up on the grocery shelf; you need to do this on your own. I know it will be tough but it's something you have to do. Your mother has been buying the same groceries for years and most likely if you have a dad and siblings living there; they are accustommed to her diet as well. I think this is something that you should do on your own. As I said, there are gov't organizations that help children start working at the age of 14 if they want to. They are run by the city. Hopefully, you live in a big city where they have these type of programs so that you can buy your own groceries. I wish you all the luck. Too much meat is bad for everyone. Maybe it's not too late to save your mother. It depends on how stubborn she is.

Answer 17

show them the video, an try to spend your "budget" more widesread, and take the vegetarian proccess slow, cuz it will destroy your health, so work down the food pyramid, don't jump, that's all i can say

Answer 18

Really, just in the last 40 minutes?  Because in your last question, you were eating the veggie burgers and cereal with soy milk that you're now saying your mom won't buy.

I'm wondering perhaps if both questions were just an excuse to post that link?

Edit: OK then, don't ask her to buy veggie burgers.  Ask her to buy some whole food staples, like grains (rice, quinoa, millet,) legumes (chickpeas, black beans, lentils,) and a variety of vegetables.  These are foods that EVERYONE, meat eaters included, need to eat to have a healthy, balanced diet.  So it's not like she should have an objection to them.  If she does (and I gotta wonder at that point what on Earth she eats, but I digress...) then consider getting a job and saving some money for your own groceries.  Grains, nuts, seeds and legumes can all be bought in bulk, which is pretty darn cheap; then all you have to do is get some fresh produce to go along with it.

Answer 19

I'm a mom and I have a vegetarian son and we're on a budget.

If you're a teen, you've got to be extremely careful if you're vegan.  You're still growing and it's important that you maintain a really good diet.  There's a good book called "The World Peace Diet" by Will Tuttle that you might look up - about living vegan and eating a balanced diet.  He also has photos on his web site of how much less expensive it is to eat vegan.

Now, for your veggie burgers and soy milk - that is really expensive.  I'm sorry.  We don't eat that stuff.  It's processed, soy can cause troubles health wise - or so our physician said and so we do it differently.

If budget is the concern, sit down and chat with your mum.  Explain that you understand her concerns.  Ask her if you can, with your own money, purchase vegetarian foods.

Stick with beans, rice, dried peas and lentils.  It shouldn't cost you more than about $5/week for these items.  You can do the cooking yourself too.

You might go to the library and get vegetarian cooking books.  

Ask your mom if you can introduce some of these recipes to your family...volunteer to cook dinner some nights.  If they want meat, she can do that part.