My parents' generation is the green movement generation. They all attempt to make more sustainable choices and live a greener lifestyle. Reduce, reuse, recycle and all that. My generation, our generation, is taking the next step and eating in a greener way. We are trying to keep our planet intact for our children, and we are becoming vegetarians and vegans. I am one
such person. My name is Samantha Golden, and I am a 15-year-old vegan.
I decided to become a vegan about six months ago. A family friend who is vegan recommended a blog to me, ohsheglows, and I began reading it. I never even thought about going vegan. My sister and I did not eat any red meat, and then I became pescatarean, which means the only "meat," or animal, eaten is fish. A few months later, after I moved, I became vegetarian. One thing just flowed to the next. After reading the blog for a while I decided to take the next step and gradually work my way into being vegan.
Obesity runs in my dad's side of the family and I am determined not to be next. The obesity has really impacted me emotionally; a member of my family was just recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. That was really when it hit home for me that this was not a game and if I didn't really step it up I would be next. I think I had somewhat of a panic attack when I heard this. I have always exercised daily and eaten well but I never felt like that was enough and soon after, I was having a teen angst attack and was feeling horrible about myself. (Girls you know what I'm talking about!) For whatever reason, I felt compelled to go on the blog and low and behold it was an article on self-love! At that moment I felt a small tug inside me telling me that this is what I should be doing, that veganism is right for me.
The main reason I chose to be vegan was all of the health benefits, I also love that being vegan protects animals and the environment. I did not wake up one morning and think to myself, "Hey, I think I'll try being vegan today, it sounds like fun." I found myself drifting down that road and decided to take a steady jog until I reached my destination. I also researched veganism before I made my final decision. It took huge amounts of convincing on my part to my parents also, because they had a hard enough time with me being a vegetarian. At first they didn't believe me when I walked downstairs and said, "I'm going to be a vegan." When they realized I was serious I was hard-pressed to make a good argument. It basically went like this: "Mom, Dad, I am going to be a vegan." Mom: "No you're not. I can't cook for you, and how will you get your protein and calcium?" Me: "I've had almond milk before, actually liked it and it has more calcium than regular milk. I will eat tofu and beans, and I need to learn how to cook." I eventually won the argument and here I am, six months later, with wonderful, supportive parents. Don't get me wrong, they still get on my nerves -- I am a teenager, after all.
I have learned how to cook and bake many things. Some examples are green monsters, vegan mac and cheese, snickerdoodles, pumpkin gingerbread and peanut butter swirl pancakes. Most of the time when my family cooks they will set aside something for me that has no cheese, meat, or butter. Other times they will make foods with Earth Balance instead of butter. Still other times I am forced to scavenge our pantry for edible foods while they eat a delicious-looking meal. Although I have made my decision, I am still tempted to eat some things. When I am I usually leave the kitchen. When I go to friends' houses, I tell them to tell their parents I am vegetarian instead of vegan. This is because it is very difficult to cook for a vegan that is not your family member. I do want to be able to go back to my friend's house, after all. Being a teenage vegan is difficult but I have found that it is worth it.
Whenever people ask me why I am a vegan I give them all of the benefits. They usually spit the disadvantages right back. I just sit quietly until they are done. After they get this one-sided debate out of their system, I calmly tell them that I was in no way implying that they should become vegans. This life choice is not for everyone, and it is a choice. I would not disrespect them by insulting the way they eat and live, and I just expect the same respect in turn. I chose to become a vegan because I felt like it was the right thing for me to do. I feel as though the pros outweigh the cons a million times over in my case. Being a teenage vegan is difficult and sometimes I end up eating all carbs, which is when I will do a hard workout. This is my story and you are more than welcome to share in it.
Remember that you can keep substitutes around for times when the addiction withdrawals really start to bug you.
If you happen to stumble, don't let it serve as an excuse to start eating animal products again; just put yourself right back on track.
One thing to keep in mind is that it's actually not all that hard to give up dairy products.
That it is widely thought to be a very difficult process is one of the primary reasons that people find it difficult.
It's similar to what many students who are new to algebra experience after years of hearing about the difficulty of algebra during elementary school.
The algebra would have been much easier for them if they hadn't heard for so long that it's dreadfully difficult.
I know your mom and I know she will do great learning more about how awesome vegan food is for you. There are tons of great blogs, books and websites out there for recipes and nutritional info. I think my sister sent her my blog, Vegan Conversion Challenge. This month I am talking all about how to get protein from plant based foods. Way to go!!!
Plus, a British study that tracked 6,000 vegetarians and 5,000 meat eaters for 12 years found that vegetarians were 40 percent less likely to die from cancer during that time and 20 percent less likely to die from other diseases.
Nice to be reassured people in your age group are concerned about real issues as opposed to the usual representation of teens, (self-obsessed Jersey Shore/Kardashian wannabes).
Time magazine touches on the same subject of teens and vegetarianism and found that,
"Adolescent vegetarians are far more likely than other teens to diet or to use extreme and unhealthy measures to control their weight, studies suggest. The reverse is also true: teens with eating disorders are more likely to practice vegetarianism than any other age group."
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1889742,00.html
Once I became vegan, it was all clear to me. I'm free of that horrible feeling of looking at my plate and knowing that the piece of meat on it, used to be a living, breathing being. Those eyes will follow you everywhere....
Also, no children in the world are starving because some grain is used as animal feed in the U.S. There's more than enough food, including grain, produced in the world and people are starving because of poverty and politics, not because animals are eating grain people should be eating. If world hunger WERE caused by an actual grain shortage, you'd do better to stop driving, since more corn is used nowadays to make ethanol than is used for animal feed.
As for sustainability, a substantial amount of food eaten by vegans is produced using synthetic petroleum based fertilizers, which isn't a sustainable at all. In fact, since vegans reject the use of animal manure and other animals products, like bone meal, as fertilizers, organic agriculture (as distinct from veganic "gardening") is pretty much impossible as a vegan enterprise. The UN released a report last year that concluded that agro-ecology, aka sustainable agriculture, is the only thing that will provide food security in the coming decades, particularly in the most "at risk" parts of the developing world, and agro-ecology necessarily INCLUDES the use of animals, including as sources of food. Veganism (and shipping grain from the U.S.) aren't even on the radar screen. In fact, veganism is pretty much the antithesis of sustainable agriculture.
Correlation doesn't imply causation.
There Is one health challenge to this lifestyle, which is b12 deficiency. This is easily remedied by taking a supplement or adding fortified b12 to your diet. Now compare this to the health disadvantages of the regular American diet. You know, the one that causes heart disease, diabetes, cancers, ...do I need to go on?
I have been honest about my bias here, and why I advocate veganism.
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A connection with all other living creatures. That's exactly what I get from hunting and fishing and eating what I hunt. Interesting how two diametrically opposed lifestyles lead us to the same feeling.
The ONLY drawback to this lifestyle is a lack of B12, which is easily remedied by a supplement or eating fortified cereal. So good for her!
Just wondering.
This film was shown to me by a well-known and respected M.D, who also has a doctorate in nutrition. So, um, I am not going to just take the word of a sarcastic internet blogger who is basing her findings on science that has been funded by the food (read: meat and dairy) industry.
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Actually, the "greenest" food you can eat is wild meat that was killed via hunting. Hunted meat even has a negative carbon footprint. The second greenest food is vegetarian followed by vegan followed by "farmed" meats. However, a vegetarian that drives to a business to get a pedicure every other week has a larger carbon footprint than a "farmed" meat eater that does her own nails. So my question to young Ms. Golden....will you comitt to do your own nails?
It is true that more people are switching to vegetarian food not for ethical reasons but medical reasons as well. A major study recently reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine involving more than 500,000 Americans provided convincing evidence that our affinity for meat extracts a price on our health and longevity as well.
Many books in the recent past have become bestsellers advocating the benefits of going vegetarian.Micheal Pollan in his book “In Defense of Food” and “Omnivores Dilemma” both best sellers, comments “ Eat food, not too much .Mostly plants”.
Humans are evolved as herbivores and not carnivores. We do not have claws or sharp teeth to rip meat. We have flat teeth to grind vegetables, fruits and grains. We were intended to eat plants, fruits and starches.We have along intestines unlike carnivores.
One of the best things about a vegetarian diet is that it’s likely to have less of those factors which cause disease. The list includes cholesterol, saturated fat and sodium. At the same time, fruits and vegetables provide healthful amounts of vitamins, fiber and potassium, while nuts and olive oil offer “good” omega-3 polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat
H.N.Ramakrishna