teen has decided to be vegan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a similar story to a previous poster--I went vegan in high school and had a family who was very much non-vegan (several cherished family recipes with meat, also very Catholic parents who viewed the implied attitude towards animals as not exactly in line with their world view). My parents were very different than me in many important ways but nevertheless my mom really made an effort to learn recipes that were vegan and started cooking vegan. I think it went a long way in terms of making me feel like they really cared about me despite our many differences. I'm a little biased as I am still vegan myself but I think I would say the same about any weird dietary choice or lifestyle choice--if you can support it and not make your kid feel like an outsider for it, you won't regret the extra effort.

Why couldn't you make vegan meals for yourself/your family, if you were in high school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Why couldn't you make vegan meals for yourself/your family, if you were in high school?

Of course I *could* have. My point is that this was a way that my mom showed she cared. I'm not saying parents *have* to do this, just that teenage years can be a time when teens feel like parents don't care and/or don't understand them and this is a way to show otherwise, at least in one domain. It's a kind gesture that could mean a lot to you kid and to your relationship.

[Anonymous]

My tween decided that as well. The only difference is that we've been vegan before, and the bulk of the recipe's we love are vegetarian. There are so many wonderful replacements these days. Unless the bulk of your diet is meat and cheese you'll be just fine.

[Anonymous]

With respect to eating disorder concerns, wouldn't the best way to address this be to cook well-rounded vegan meals so that you can see if your kid is actually eating them vs. using veganism as an excuse not to eat at all? It seems like that is a legitimate concern best addressed by accommodating it instead of trying to suppress it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not accommodate this. It is way too disruptive to family dinners to cook entirely without dairy and eggs. Way more so than just working around meat for a vegetarian.

It’s depressing how many completely lazy parents are responding here. Learn some new recipes FFS.

It’s not about being lazy.I don’t believe one person should force their dietary preferences on the rest of the family just because.

Op, your teen and should be welcome to her own preferences, but she needs to learn how to cook all of her meals. Where I think you can help her is to show her nutritionally, balanced vegan meals because I would also worry about her overall health, and you mentioned eating disorders as well.

I hope everyone in your household cooks all their own meals if this is your attitude. Jesus Christ, people, support your children even when it’s not easy. Most of the people responding ITT are absolutely pathetic.

And if you’re worried about their health, maybe look up the long-term consequences of an animal product laden diet. Everything might seem okay in the short term but in the long run you are not doing them any favors by constantly feeding them all this animal protein.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so sorry OP. We had a family member turn vegan in college. They just hosted a milestone birthday party and forced a vegan meal on all the attendees. Inedible and a large portion of the attendees were on keto.

This is ridiculously dramatic, I hope you are a troll. Also, keto is stupid.

DP.

Vegan is stupid, as are you.

Enjoy your kidneys while they last!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so sorry OP. We had a family member turn vegan in college. They just hosted a milestone birthday party and forced a vegan meal on all the attendees. Inedible and a large portion of the attendees were on keto.

This is ridiculously dramatic, I hope you are a troll. Also, keto is stupid.

DP.

Vegan is stupid, as are you.

Enjoy your kidneys while they last!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for this thread! I'm looking forward to browsing through 10 pages of vegan recipe ideas, and trying them all! DCUM is the best!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why were vegan dinners off the menu in the first place?
Life is long. Expand your palate and your repertoire. Learning is good for you.

Well in our house, I cannot eat soy or legumes, so most sources of protein are out on a vegan diet. Heck, I don't do dairy either, so I cannot eat a vegan or vegetarian diet strictly. I have several autoimmune disease and my body needs (and I feel much better) when I each protein with each meal. I'm also Gluten free (celiac). So while I would try to cook some dishes that were vegan/veg if my kid wanted it, I would have to double cook, as there is absolutely no way I could eat that way. As it is we often cook separate dishes since our kids eat dairy and gluten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vegan diets are fantastic for your heart health and other issues as you age. Adopting a largely vegan diet often eradicates ED in middle aged men who are eating the standard American diet heavy in animal products.

Check out cookbooks from Moosewood Collective and the Esselstyns - Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook and Plantstrong, also you can find a bunch online at plantstrong.com

One of my favorite cooking sites in Spainonafork.com - the recipes are largely vegan if you omit the garnish of cheese, but you can easily add protein to them if you are cooking for vegan and non vegan family members

Consider embracing your daughter’s diet and seeing if it isn’t something you can all learn to love. I never thought I could, but I’ve been working the transition for a few months now (I had a freezer full of meat to use up but have been making more and more meatless and dairy free dishes, and my body is beginning to tell me it prefers to not consume the animal products, I definitely feel ickier after a meal with animal products than after a vegan meal. I don’t use any UPFs, so my vegan meals are all fresh whole foods and my body loves them.

I don’t have kids myself, but I do feel good about reducing consumption of animal products given the impact on the environment.

Hope you find some things you like to make and eat - we can ALL benefit from eating more plants, even if we don’t manage full vegan. Bless your daughter for having the desire, I bet she loves animals and has a compassionate heart.

m

Lol this isn’t true. A lot of people develop horrible health issues after eating vegan for a decade or more. Humans evolved to eat meat.

+1

Soy is not good for you. Legumes are highly inflammatory for many. Protein is needed in a healthy diet, so without those two sources it is extremely difficult to get any/enough protein

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why were vegan dinners off the menu in the first place?
Life is long. Expand your palate and your repertoire. Learning is good for you.

Well in our house, I cannot eat soy or legumes, so most sources of protein are out on a vegan diet. Heck, I don't do dairy either, so I cannot eat a vegan or vegetarian diet strictly. I have several autoimmune disease and my body needs (and I feel much better) when I each protein with each meal. I'm also Gluten free (celiac). So while I would try to cook some dishes that were vegan/veg if my kid wanted it, I would have to double cook, as there is absolutely no way I could eat that way. As it is we often cook separate dishes since our kids eat dairy and gluten.

That’s all well and good. Now pretend that you were a vegan or even vegetarian family and then one of your children developed the same issues you have. Would you say “too bad, so sad” or would you “accommodate” their special diet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vegan diets are fantastic for your heart health and other issues as you age. Adopting a largely vegan diet often eradicates ED in middle aged men who are eating the standard American diet heavy in animal products.

Check out cookbooks from Moosewood Collective and the Esselstyns - Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook and Plantstrong, also you can find a bunch online at plantstrong.com

One of my favorite cooking sites in Spainonafork.com - the recipes are largely vegan if you omit the garnish of cheese, but you can easily add protein to them if you are cooking for vegan and non vegan family members

Consider embracing your daughter’s diet and seeing if it isn’t something you can all learn to love. I never thought I could, but I’ve been working the transition for a few months now (I had a freezer full of meat to use up but have been making more and more meatless and dairy free dishes, and my body is beginning to tell me it prefers to not consume the animal products, I definitely feel ickier after a meal with animal products than after a vegan meal. I don’t use any UPFs, so my vegan meals are all fresh whole foods and my body loves them.

I don’t have kids myself, but I do feel good about reducing consumption of animal products given the impact on the environment.

Hope you find some things you like to make and eat - we can ALL benefit from eating more plants, even if we don’t manage full vegan. Bless your daughter for having the desire, I bet she loves animals and has a compassionate heart.

m

Lol this isn’t true. A lot of people develop horrible health issues after eating vegan for a decade or more. Humans evolved to eat meat.

+1

Soy is not good for you. Legumes are highly inflammatory for many. Protein is needed in a healthy diet, so without those two sources it is extremely difficult to get any/enough protein

Source?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Why couldn't you make vegan meals for yourself/your family, if you were in high school?

Of course I *could* have. My point is that this was a way that my mom showed she cared. I'm not saying parents *have* to do this, just that teenage years can be a time when teens feel like parents don't care and/or don't understand them and this is a way to show otherwise, at least in one domain. It's a kind gesture that could mean a lot to you kid and to your relationship.

But *did* you? Or did you just place another burden on your mother?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

But *did* you? Or did you just place another burden on your mother?

Good lord my heart aches for your children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But *did* you? Or did you just place another burden on your mother?

Good lord my heart aches for your children.

You should get that looked at, it’s probably arteriosclerosis.