i need help?

Question

so... i've always wanted to become vegeterian... i've never liked the idea of eating animals... even if they taste good.. last year i tried it for the first time. My sisters and brothers laughed at me.. they even made bets with eachother to see how long i can last without eating something that came from an animal.
I didn't last long.. I live in a Latina home. My dad eats meat everysingle day.. my mom cooks it everyday... wether its Menudo/ or Tamales...the only thing that she cooks that seems is not animal is rice or beans...
i want to try and be a vegetarian agian... but my family wont support me... I know imma have to learn some way to suceed in something, cus my family wont always be there... i cant just sit down with my family and talk to them about it. trust me. i've tried. they'll just laugh at me like always.. its really hard to be vegetarian at my house. My family will laugh at me. i don't know what to do with this situations. i can't starve myself.

i don't even know what foods are vegetarian... like i know meet isn't.. but what snacks.. i've never enjoyed soil milk (i think thats what you call it)... i don't know how to explain myself so well.. sorry

oh... and the beans that we make are homemade.. not in cans.. so is the rice... you know when you boil the beans.. yeah

Answer 1

If you want to be vegetarian, then go for it. If your brothers and sisters make fun of you, ignore it. Once they get over being so immature, they'll stop making fun of you.

One of the best ways to do it is to slowly tranfer from a meat rich diet to a meat free diet. And if you slip up, then start over again at the next meal. Don't give up over one failure.

As far as what your mom cooks, just don't eat it. Make something without meat for yourself.

The best places to start are at

http://vegetariantimes.com/
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/index.html
http://goveg.com/

As far as what is and isn't vegetarian, hispanic food can be tricky sometimes. Beans are often made with Lard or bacon fat, so read labels. Flour tortillas, tamales, and sauces can also contain it. Rice can be made with chicken stock, so again, read labels.

Perhaps you can talk to you mom about spending 1 day a week as vegetarians. One of the great things about latin food is that vegetarian options are readily available. It just takes a few minutes to read labels carefully. In my house, we regularly have Rosarita refried Beans (green chili & lime), cheese, Morningstar farms buffalo wings, salsa, avocados, cilantro, and papaya on a flour tortilla. Awesome fresh and healthy burritos. We also do Fajitas, but use the Morningstar Farms grillers instead (the strips).

If your family refuses to eat healthier and continues to make fun of you, then you may have to wait until you get into college or move out to completely change over. Don't feel guilty over this - you can only do so much when surrounded by ignorance that controls you and affects you. So instead, do your best to stay vegetarian during breakfast and lunch - 66% vegetarian is better than 0%!

Good luck to you and I hope your family comes around. : )

PS - It's "soy milk" - it's made from soy. If you are just looking to become vegetarian, you don't necessarily have to drink this. I use the unsweetened vanilla in my morning oatmeal and it tastes awesome, but that and protein shakes are about all I use soy milk for. However, if you want to switch to it, you CAN get used to the taste. : )

Answer 2

Eat with your family, but consume only what is vegan - like the rice and beans (hopefully mom doesn't use lard to prepare her beans). Maybe mom will adjust a little to help you eat the way you wish to eat. Ignor the sibs - just tell them you're following your own course. Make Fajitas with whatever is on the table that is vegan. Snack on chips and salsa - salsa good, chips, not so much so. Snack on raw veggies, nuts, whole grain crackers (sparingly). Eat more, smaller meals and snack less.

I've been vegan for 11+ years - I once thought the same things. Persist - it gets easier and becomes second nature. The health benefits are huge. There are many moral high grounds benefits too, but I'm personally not as into that aspect.

Answer 3

I'm a 13-yr-old vegetarian, and I also have problems like that.
First of all, your siblings are just being idiots. Lots of people used to tease me, but nobody does anymore. Stick up for what you believe in and don't give in and pretty soon it won't be funny anymore.
Next, the food. Just check the ingredients list for meat products. Also, lots of packaging has a v on it for vegetarian. Look for those.
Thirdly, your family. This is the hardest part. Tell your parents that you're a vegetarian weather they like it or not, but don't expect them to make food for you. You can eat the rice and beans, and they're great for vegetarians. Everything else you're going to have to make for yourself. Cheese sandwiches are great. Also try quesadillas with just cheese or cheese and tomato. Also, look for easy-to-make meals that everyone will like and cook it for your family. If they like it, your mother will cook it. Look for meals that you can heat up in an oven for five minutes to cook it. Go on shopping trips with your parents and encourage them to try meat substitutes because they're better for you. If they still won't try to make sure that whenever your mother is making dinner you get some of her ingredients and copy her and just make the same thing without the meat.
Last of all, good luck!

Answer 4

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Answer 5

A vegetarian can eat anything but the flesh of a cow, pig, chicken, turkey, fish, shellfish, etc.

Explore your reasons for being a vegetarian and share them with your family. Ask them for their support, assure them you can meet your nutritional needs without eating meat, and don't let your choice become a comment about their choice.

Links to helpful websites below.

Good luck - I'm going through a similar challenge myself.

Answer 6

i so understand. i come from a Salvadorean family. EVERYONE eats meat there. my family made a bet that i was gonna last maybe 1-3 months. and they were WAY wrong. i started buying from my own pocket veggies, tofu, etc. and then they say my dedication and they helped me throughout everything. now they see that i believe in my ways of being a veggie and protectiong of animals. if you want it so badly, find ways. they will respect and love your dedication. but mocking will be around you, college, restaurants, etc. but just do what you believe in


you can eat a lot of things: veggie pizza, theres veggie restaurants around, etc

you can also try burritos sin carne asada o sopas sin cosas de animales. diles que te den tamales sin carne sino vegetales o la pura masa