is it healthy to be a vegan at age 16?

Question

my mom wont let me be a vegan cause she says im too young for that...

Answer 1

Yes sure it is. First of all, it is healthy because you will be more in peace with yourself (if you are in accordance with what you believe). Second, vegan diet dont mean unhealthy. You can get carrenced from any kind of diet. Many meat-eater are carrenced. More than vegan I believe. I'm vegan since many years and my health is better than never. I know some people who are vegan since they are BORN. And I know also some people who are vegan since 3 generation. And they are all in very good health. You dont need to do any complexe things about your diet. Not more than before. Just eat enough fruits, vegetables, and try to not eat all the time the same things. The only vitamin you can misst with a strict vegan diet is the B12. But you can easely find it in some product like "Marmite" or some veginese (mayonese vegan with B12 added on it). Have a good luck. Be happy. And do what you believe in it.
Read books about vegan, get informed. Your mother will be more happy if she see that you are trying to get all informations by yourself.
Cheers.

Answer 2

I became a vegetarian at 5 when I witnessed some bunnies being killed in an abattoir and put all the pieces together.

It was difficult for my parents to accept as I was so young and they would often try to trick me, however, I stood my ground. 20 years have gone by and I have grown into a very healthy woman.

In other words, I did not suffer any consequences. However, I think it really depends on the person and their medical history. I ensured that I would compensate by eating many legumes, fruit and vegetables and took iron tablets. I am not a vegan but I do not have dairy products because I am lactose intolerant. This is more problematic, as calcium is essential, especially for a growing woman like yourself.

I would say to discuss with your mother the reasons you want to be a vegan (and I hope they are moral reasons and not just some diet fad). Let her know that you will actually eat intelligently and monitor your foods to ensure you receive all the proteins, vitamins, calcium etc you need.

Good luck

Answer 3

Personally, I don't think it's healthy to be a vegan at any age, unless you were raised in a culture where veganism is the "norm" and centuries of practice and wisdom have eliminated the nutritional problems.

I especially do not think or believe that during one's foundational/growing years veganism gives a growing young person the start they need to avoid physical problems later on. In fact, I believe veganism can be an unintentional form of child neglect/abuse.

Stick with Mom until you are 18 and on your own.

Answer 4

It is very important to make sure that your body gets proper nutrition. When you decide to live a vegan lifestyle, you have to make sure that your body gets the appropriate amount of protein and vitamins. If you don't know enough about nutrition and/or you don't eat a properly balanced diet, you could seriously damage your health. I'm guessing that your mother is worried that at this point, you don't know enough about health and nutrition to live this lifestyle in a healthy way. It's also quite an inconvenience for a mother who has a child who won't eat many of the dishes that the rest of the family eats, because the child will want the mom to prepare special dishes. If you really want to be a vegan, I recommend that you study reputable sources of health information and really educate yourself about biochemistry/nutrition so you'll be able to do it in a healthy way.

P.S. My biochemistry professor said that B12 is especially hard to get if you are a vegan and if you drink filtered or bottled water. Tap water has some B12 in it from other sources, according to him.

Answer 5

Yes, it's healthy if you have a well-balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, and nuts.

Show your mom these:

Daily meal planning for kids and teens (at the very bottom of the page):
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/children.html

"It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence. "
http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/advocacy_933_ENU_HTML.htm

Stand your ground... your mom can't physically force you to put meat, eggs, and dairy in your mouth. She can guilt trip you or try to scare you into not being vegan (like my mom did) but if you don't give in, eventually she will come to respect your decision. Offer to help with buying groceries and cooking so your diet doesn't mean more work for her. Good luck.

Answer 6

Yes, it's perfectly healthy to be a vegan at any age. Just make sure you get enough protein. Eat beans and nuts several times each week and you'll be very healthy.

Answer 7

The American Dietetic Association supports a vegan and vegetarian diet for ALL stages of life. Mama needs to be educated and you need to do some research so you actually know what you're doing and can back up everything you say to her.

Answer 8

As long as you can get the nutrition your body needs, you can be a vegan. There's a good substitute for just about everything these days.

Answer 9

At your age, you need a lot of protein to help with growth spurts and such. You should eat some kind of meat protein, whether poultry, fish or meat. Anemia can become a problem without enough protein. This happened to my sister. Your mom is probably right.

Answer 10

If you decided to be vegan at such a young age make sure you take a multi vitamin or a barrage of vitamins every day