push me over the line please!?

Question

i'm a vegetarian, and i am really trying hard to be a vegan but i can't do it because i'm always hungry and i don't have time to make special meals every day to ensure i'm getting adequate amounts of protein, and a few essential vitamins and minerals. it's also hard socially because i'm going out a lot and there's never anything vegan friendly. i'm someone who can't go hungry without getting irritable and i hate the feeling,i'm not a nice person to be around! once i eat something vegetarian i just tell myself "well i've already screwed up, i may as well make the most of it and start again tomorrow"
in other words i'm a lazy vegan-wannabe.
i guess what i'm asking for you to do is just reinforce the reasons why i should become a vegan. i'm being stupid and lazy and need a kick in the head to wake up. i don't eat meat, never... it's just small things like dairy and products containing eggs... those sorts of things.
i'm not taking it seriously and i wish that i could.

cupcake it's not about me. it's about saving the animals and the environment. i care about that but i don't have enough self discipline to stop myself from making the wrong food choices. i'm asking for encourgement! if you don't have the answer then rack off... i don't want to hear about your eating habits if thats not my question.

second that to all three of you!
there's no point answering a question with jibberish when it's not relevant.
i'm not asking whether i should eat meat or not! go enjoy your steak and leave others be!

Answer 1

"once i eat something vegetarian i just tell myself 'well i've already screwed up, i may as well make the most of it and start again tomorrow'"

that is an absolutely terrible way to think. even if you eat something with dairy or egg in it, you should not let that sabotage the rest of your meals for the day.
i'm sure you can do it. i don't have a lot of time for "special" meals either. i make them as i go, they really don't take long to cook. i'm not sure if you are asking a question about good protein sources or not, but nuts, nut butters, leafy greens, tofu, soy milk, soy products, and protein bars, all provide protein, and none of which take a long time to prepare. if you eat a well balanced, varied diet, you are almost guaranteed to get all of the vitamins and minerals. you could even back that up with a multi-vitamin.
as for getting irritable when being hungry, that isn't good. think about all of the starving children in africa. you have little reason to get irritable. start carrying around snacks for when you get hungry, i.e. fresh veggies, fruit, nuts.
it would help to get rid of all of the dairy and egg in your house, that way you can't eat any of it and ruin your day!
you need to take this seriously, ALL LIVES SHOULD BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY

Answer 2

Wow, so no one who has answered so far is a vegan?

Well, I'm 15 (I'm sure that right there is enough to get you going- a fifteen year old can be vegan?!!?? Then it's gotta be easy!). I've been vegan for nearly a year, vegetarian for about a year and half (on and off though... :/) before that. To be honest, I haven't had much trouble finding things to eat in restaurants or finding quick meals at the grocery store (granted I do go to a health food store).

First, some inspiration to get you going:

The book Skinny B*tch. It's wonderful and very informative, on both the animal rights aspects and the health aspects of veganism.
I have yet to read the book Vegan Freak, but I do listen to Vegan Freak Radio, which is incredibly inspirational (and hilarious). There's actually a show talking about why vegetarians should be vegans, and I'm sure that could help you make the switch. It can be found here: http://www.veganfreakradio.com/
www.veggieboards.com is also great. Actually, talking to the vegans there is what made me decide to cut out all animal products from my diet.

There are tons of other books, podcasts and forums out there, but those are my favorites.

Here are a list of my staple foods.

Van's waffles! They are absolutely delcious. These are the vegan varieties:
http://www.vansintl.com/wheatfree.php

Mac & Chreese. It's not particularly cheesy tasting, but it's great for a quick, "creamy" meal.

Hummus. I adore hummus with pita chips, toasted hummus sandwiches, hummus and tomato slices on toast for breakfast... etc. Hummus is a superfood.

Gardenburger veggie burgers. I also love their roasted "chik'n" patty.

Amy's tofu scrambles (either tofu scramble in a pocket or just the regular tofu scramble). These are like HEAVEN. www.amyskitchen.com

Risotto
Quinoa

I also always have veggies and fruits. :) For a once in a while treat, I adore Alternative Baking Company's cookies. All of their cookies are vegan (and delcious).

In response to Sunny's idea- Just listen to Vegan Freak Radio. They'll tell you why "free-range" isn't a good choice.

In response to Richard- Vegans do the best they can. And most vegans realize that they will never be 100% vegan, but honestly, what's wrong with doing the most you can possibly do?

Good luck! The world can always use more vegans. Don't listen to the people above me, either- they have no idea what they're talking about. And I would really, really recommend Vegan Freak Radio. It's helped me get through those times when I was considering going back to vegetarianism.

I hope you decide to go vegan!

Answer 3

Whenever you go to eat something with eggs in it, think of all the little male chicks that die each year since only female chickens lie eggs; a statistic I found was like 280 million poor little chicks.

When you go to eat something with milk in it, think of the cow hooked up to a milk machine, pumped full of crap so she'll produce WAY more milk than she should ... and that milk is full of hormones and antibiotics that we shouldn't even be drinking.

I went through this problem when I was trying to lose weight ... it took a personal realization one day to make me stop doing stupid stuff and eat correctly. There's not much one can say to MAKE you be vegan. Pick up a book that easily explains sources of vitamins, etc, for a vegan diet so you're never confused about what to get when going out. I bought "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Living", it's really good. Learn how to cook for yourself - not only is it cheaper than eating out, it's fun!

What got me to be vegan specifically was the video @ meat.org. It turned me cold turkey vegetarian, shortly thereafter becomig vegan.

Answer 4

Don’t bother, you’re doing fine.

There isn’t ANY vegan out there that doesn’t use some animal products directly or indirectly.

Yes I can prove it.

Do you live in a house or an apartment? Yes? Too bad it has a lot of animal products in it.

Drive a car? Same thing.

Walk on concrete? Sorry it got animal products in it too. Asphalt too.

Do you shop at a store? Sorry you just used animal products.

Just about anything you do or buy has some animal product in it; yes even the vegan ones. Unless you grow it yourself and make it yourself are there was a dead animal involved somewhere.

It is impossible to live in ANY developed country and not use an animal product, the idea is to use less of them and you are already using less animal products then most so feel good about yourself and don’t beat yourself up.

Yes, I know I’m going to get a bunch of thumbs downs for this one.

Answer 5

Don't be too hard on yourself. For most people, veganism is a gradual transition and not something that happens overnight.

If you need motivation, look at these sites:

Eggs:
http://goveg.com/factoryFarming_chickens_egg.asp
http://www.eggindustry.com
http://factoryfarming.com/eggs.htm

"Hens are shoved into tiny wire “battery” cages, which measure roughly 18 by 20 inches and hold five to 11 hens, each of whom have a wingspan of 32 inches. Even in the best scenario (five hens to a cage), each hen will spend the rest of her life crowded in a space about the size of a file drawer with four other hens, unable to lift even a single wing."

"Male chicks are worthless to the egg industry, so every year, millions of them are tossed into trash bags to suffocate or are thrown into high-speed grinders called macerators while they are still alive."

Milk:
http://goveg.com/factoryFarming_Cows_Dairy.asp
http://factoryfarming.com/dairy.htm

"Cows raised for their milk are repeatedly impregnated. Their babies are taken away so that humans can drink the milk intended for the calves. When their exhausted bodies can no longer provide enough milk, they are sent to slaughter and ground up for hamburgers."

"Male calves—'byproducts' of the dairy industry—are generally taken from their mothers when they are less than 1 day old...There's a hunk of veal in every glass of milk. Every single veal calf in this country is the child of a dairy cow."

Delicious non-dairy products:
http://vegcooking.com/guide-favs.asp

Guide to eating out:
http://vegcooking.com/eatingroad.asp

Good luck!

Answer 6

Veganism is not easy for everyone.
You believe in your cause and you really want to improve and get closer to your beliefs, so I think you are on your way. Some people are able to go vegan within a month of going veg, and some take several years.

I would say just to take the next step. You can stop eating foods with eggs in it. Or you can stop eating milk itself and just eat products with milk in it. Pick whichever you are ready to get rid of next and do it.

Giving up milk is easy because you can just switch to soy or rice. The only tough part is if you drink coffee you need to make your own in the morning or get it from expensive places because most places only have milk or coffeemate.

When you feel comfortable with with whatever product you got rid of, you can pick something else.
:)

If you want to go vegan right this minute, you can go to
http://www.milksucks.com/index2.asp
http://www.factoryfarming.com/

Go grocery shopping right now and throw out everything in your house that is not vegan. Take any canned and boxed goods to the nearest church.
:)

Good luck with your journey.

Answer 7

Maybe you could choose organic dairy and egg product. I eat very little meat. I don't like it. I drink milk, love cheese. Eggs I eat them just not a lot. You can get soy cheese I have never had it but I bet it would be OK.The protein you can get from beans.

Answer 8

It's all in what you make of it...I'm not a pure vegan but I don't eat meat or dairy. I just don't think it's healthy for you. As far as being full, I am constantly full from eating organic broths, vegetables, fruits, beans, tofu, etc. Try rice cakes with honey, brown rice with yogurt and grapes...it's all up to your imagination...I freeze grapes that I roll around in sugar and they are the greatest treat for dessert, dip a banana in chocolate or carob, and freeze it...it's really good...bread is filling...I personally don't eat bread but the possibilities with bread products are endless...

Answer 9

I went from being a meat eater to Vegan instantly after reading this book "Skinny B i t c h" Than after reading more and researching, I became a raw vegan foodist. I only eat veggies, fruits, seeds and nuts. Nothing bottled, boxed,bagged or canned.

Answer 10

I won't try to change your mind. Remember you could remain a vegetarian who eats dairy and eggs by choosing organic products and those from responsible producers. As an example - I can buy eggs laid by free-range chickens. The chickens are raised just to lay eggs and they live in a natural farm environment and die a natural death.