im wanting to go vegan really bad but my mom freaked at the idea and she was yelling at me,i told her i would eat right and get the nutrition i need,but she said she wasnt going to buy any of the food that and that i had to eat milk cheese and eggs,i told her i would use my allowance from my dad to buy things like soy cheese and milk,and healthy vegan food,but she freaked again and said no and im really pissed off now.
I ran into the same problem. Wait a few days, let her cool down about it and approach her again. This time with a plan. Go to your local bookstore or online and purchase several vegan books. I recommend Becoming Vegan, the Vegan Sourcebook, and Being Vegan. I recommend two of Joanne Stepaniak books because she's extremely knowledgable and level-headed over the whole matter. Check out her website which is FILLED with information for the new vegan. She should have suggestions for your situation, tried and true. After you have purchased these books (and read them), show them to your mother. The Vegan Sourcebook and Becoming Vegan has information for healthy vegan living, including food pyramids for the different lifestyles. This will show her you truly are serious over the matter. You already are on the right track. Using your own money, making your own meals. Make meal plans for the coming week, show her that you will be getting all of your nutrients. Also, gelatin free B12 tablets. Buy those and tell her that you are serious about this. You can get B12 with your dark greens, but it doesn't hurt to take extra - mainly for show with her. I wore my mother down with logic and proof that I could do it. She still isn't happy with my being vegetarian, but if I feel better and my body is happy - who is she to dispute that I am doing the right thing for me? List all the healthy/good facts for being vegan, though becareful not to hit her over the head (i.e. don't get militant, this is a delicate matter) with the facts. When she finally wears down, refrain from criticizing her eating habits. You will be treading on thin water until she finally understands you are going to be okay. If it helps; the reason why my mother was against it - was because she viewed it as a slap in the face. She thought that I was unhappy with her cooking and this was my way of rebeling. I suppose you could say she was right, but it really wasn't. It was for moral reasons, not because I wanted to go against her. She loves food (not in the bad way, in the doting mother/ it's her hobby to create delicious dishes), so for me to refuse it hurt her feelings. Once I got her to understand it wasn't something against her - she felt a little better about it. You might have to make compromises, I know vegan's will have my head for this, but you may have to indulge in some non-vegan dishes during the holidays to keep harmony in the house. It's only one day, so you have to weigh it out: is it better that I compromise for a day and keep the peace? Or do I be rock solid and have a disruptive household? Remember, being vegan is about compassion. Sometimes compassion includes making sacrifices for those you love. It may never come to this (I hope it doesn't), just be prepared. And please, for the love of god, DON'T become a junk food vegan - it's so easy to slip into bad habits, as all the quick prepared foods for vegans are high in calories/badness. My cousin is one, and it makes me sad. It gives vegan's a bad name. Sorry, they put a ruffle in my feathers more than anything else. And I am no longer vegan.
She would be more impressed with literature from a reliable source than with your desire and your promise. By the way, phrases like "healthy vegan food" might be misinterpreted as a complaint that her food is unhealthy. I would avoid phrases that could be misconstrued as critisism of what she has been feeding you.
At your age, it's probably very difficult to deal with your parents and convince them. I was 17 when I went vegan, and they also kind of freaked and were completely unhappy with it -- they thought that I'd be vegan for a couple weeks or a month at most, and then I'd get over it like a fad, and my mom said she wouldn't buy me anything, so I told her, screw that then, I'll buy my own food from now on -- and that's what I did. And I'm still vegan two years later. You might be a bit young for that, so I agree with everyone else's advice here, wear her down with logic and proof, and she'll eventually accept it. Maybe just tell her, "I'm going vegan, and I'll starve if you DON'T buy me food." and then if you follow through with it maybe she'll come around.
I'd be careful with that. It might backfire. She won't take you seriously if you do that. You have to ease her into it.
It's your body, you can do what you want with it. So, if she won't buy you food, buy it yourself. I mean, baby-sit in your neighborhood, mow lawns...earn your own money and you can eat how you want.
I just recently became a vegan. My dad wasn't to happy about me becoming vegetarian but he doesn't live with me and I don't stay with him anymore so he doesn't have a say in it (especially after calling em the enemy of the australian farmer). When i first wanted to go vegetarian (I was 8 or 9 years old...geez...I was young I know) My mum wouldn't let me go veg, but by the time I had started high school (11 turning 12) she had relented but when i became vegan Ibroke it to her by telling her I wanted to "just taste soy milk" then gradually I cut out any mention of me eating honey, eggs or milk altogether. Like if she would ask me if I wanted some scrambled eggs if she was cooking some I would be like "No thanks, I don't feel like eating eggs at the moment". This may make my mum sound like she lets me do whatever I want but she is actually quite tough about what she lets me do. Good luck on your trip to vegandom!
tell your mom that is she wants to have a say on such a signifigant thing in your life then she needs to inform herself properly about veganism before she says anything else. the vegan sourcebook as someone else mentioned is a wonderful book. tell her to read it and then get back to you. hopefully that will work in your favor, and if not then just do your best.
Why? Are minors simply property of parents? WE, ourselves, control what we put into our bodies, right? How can someone else do that?
By contoling the food avaliable for putting in the body. Thats how. The biggest problem that the OP has is convincing her mother that she can make a serious commitment. Adopting a healthy vegan diet takes commitment and knowledge. Convincing any parent that any 14 has that level of commitment and knowlege is tough. (Hell, convincing some people on this forum of that would take some doing.)
thanks for the advice everyone,ill check out the book suggestions. i think today when we went grocery shopping she realized i was serious about this and she let me get some soy milk,lots of veggies and fruit, and tofu.ive also promised to take vitamins and research about how to eat healthy and be vegan at the same time. i think in a few weeks shell be ok with the idea about me becoming vegan.
Cool! Good luck with that! By easing yourself into the transition, you're doing your body good. Resist foods out of the vending machine, they might be vegan but they aren't healthy.
I think the issue with parents hearing their child is thinking about vegetarianism/veganism is that they think their kid is just doing it as some sort of fad. They need to be educated, and the child should practice vegetarianism for a little while before telling their parents, so when he or she tells mom or dad, they can say that they've already been practicing for _________(fill in blank) amount of time. Then what's the parents going to do? They'll see their child has been healthy and if they can't recall a time they saw you eating meat, they really have no valid argument! And if you've already said something then just be strong. You cannot be forced to eat meat or dairy.
