You sound a lot like me. It's really creepy :surprised

I went vegetarian cold turkey as well, and I know what it's like, especially when it comes to dealing with family. I've got omni parents and a brother who seriously only eats cheese pizza, chicken fingers, fries and peanut butter (the scary part is, he's healthy besides being a bit on the chubby side... my mom blames it on genetics :-/ ) I've been vegetarian for almost two years. I think that if I went a step further, my mom will start pulling out her hair, but knowing me, if I get frusterated enough, bye-bye dairy. But as soon as I'm out the house, it's vegan for me. So hang in there.

Flurry,

I became vegan while living at home with my parents. It's not that bad. Let your parents flip. They get over it, and when you stick to your guns, they respect you for it.

I would say that your parents carry the burden of proof, meaning they have to prove to YOU that it is unhealthy, not the other way around. I promise you that they wont find anything wrong with the vegan diet. If they do, send them to me and I'll set them straight. :)

Mammery gland excretions? Who wants to eat dairy anyway?

I like your icon flurry. And Ryan is sexy :rockon:

I tried talking to my mom about veg*n stuff and she yelled at me again, but she'll get over it eventually. Besides, I'm only here for 1 more year, then I can eat what I want. Is it hard to be vegan in college?

Well, what are you eating right now? We can give you some suggestions of things around the house that omnis eat to fill out your day.

Trust me...it sooooo depends on WHICH college you go to. Some colleges are vegan HEAVEN and others are vegan HELL. lol. Chances are that if you are going to attend a very large school, they will have loads of options. But, smaller, private schools are not that accomodating unless they are in a "hippie" area. :)

eating healthily as a vegan in the dorms was not easy for me at my large university, but it's certainly easier when you get your own kitchen and prepare your own food.

I know Mayuko's school has good options. And my friend who goes to Rutgers say they have good options. MY school has a salad bar. Apparently salad satisfies all my nutrional requirements. On top of that, they LIED and TOLD us that they were going to add soy-based stuff on the salad bar. That never happened.

I know Mayuko's school has good options.

okay, i feel damn special when someone else beats me to mentioning the school i went to :smitten:

yeah. definitely no problems with being vegan at marlboro college. sometimes the food choices got a bit old, but there was always soymilk for my coffee, so i was happy :p

(kind of weird when the dining hall is one of the only things i liked about that place :think: )

I went vegetarian for a year first. I think that sometimes it is easier to ease into something or else you run the risk of giving up out of frustration because there is a lot to learn--especially if you are not normally making your own meals. I think it is really about making better decisions, decisions that work in your own life. Good luck. :)

...when I had a choice I'd just start "preferring/wanting" the vegan option...I didn't bring up the Big V word.
But sometimes it'd not so easy, I prefer your method but since I've been home every time I try it one of my 'rents is standing behind me saying, "She's trying to be vegetarian."

but, if you prefer the direct approach, I'd start by making a list of all the reasons you're going veg*n, and keep those in mind when you're talking to your parents about it. Are they open to the idea of family discusions? Sitting down and taking turns talking about an issue? Even if your folks wigged out at first, that might be a good place to start again.

Good luck!

Ugh, I'd like to go to Hiram and it doesn't seem like they'd have many options for vegans. Oh well. I couldn't afford to go there anyway! I don't know what I want. *is terrified of college*

I'm not having any problems with being a vegetarian. My parents gave up on making me eat their food when I joined marching band and was only home 2 days a week. I basically live on cereal, waffles, fruit, crackers, poptarts, ice cream, The problem is that they won't buy me anything special for being vegan. I know a lot of that stuff is accidentally vegan, but I do go out to eat a lot and there's basically no options for vegans in my small town.

Maybe if I remain a vegetarian for long enough my mom will begin to support me. I felt bad today because my little sister (she's almost 6) tried to explain to my dad why she didn't want to eat meat and he SCREAMED at her and made her cry... My parents are jerks. :grr:

i was vegetarian, then went vegan, and then became vegetarian again (for health reasons). So, i'm happy with it.

it may help if you start to think of nutrition by addition rather than nutrition by subtraction. many people think of vegetarianism like this: you take 'dinner' of chicken, broccoli, and rice, and then you remove the chicken. This is 'nutrition by subtraction' and it doesn't give you the nutrients (or satisfaction) that you need. Whereas, if you took 'nutrition by addition' everyone can be happy.

Here's an example of a nutrition by addition menu:

home-made hummus with pita breads (chick peas, garlic, olive oil; pita bread--sprouted, whole grain--in my case)

Morrocan Carrot Soup (carrots, green apple, moroccan spices, veggie broth--boil and puree)

tabouleh (chopped olives, mint, red onion, bulgar wheat {sprouted or boiled}, olive oil, red bell pepper, garlic, salt and pepper)

mixed green salad (bitter herbs) with citrus vinegarette (orange, lemon, lime or grapefruit juice, olive oil, wet mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper)

for omnivores: meat kabobs in mint-yogurt marinade (yogurt, onion, garlic, mint; marinade overnite; lamb is traditional, but anything will do; brown edges in hot skillet, then broil until cooked through)

So, you get lots of good food, and a person just adds what they want. Lots of nutrients and subtle flavors in the foods--very tastey and nutritious!

"Veg*n" is a way of saying "vegetarian/vegan". It incorporates both lifestyles into one word. Don't worry, I asked that very same question when I joined! :)

I just went around confused for a couple of months... I felt stupid asking it, but I think it would have been smarter for me to have.

okay, i feel damn special when someone else beats me to mentioning the school i went to :smitten:



Well, you *are* damn special! :kiss:

Trust me...it sooooo depends on WHICH college you go to.
Yes, so true. I recently went to the nearest big public college (SUNY New Paltz) town, and I swear 1/4 of the dishes at the local resturants were either vegan or easily veganised by the ommision of cheese. Very different from my college where the only hummus wrap comes with a huge gullop of ranch dressing. :spew:
I felt bad today because my little sister (she's almost 6) tried to explain to my dad why she didn't want to eat meat and he SCREAMED at her and made her cry... My parents are jerks. :grr:
I agree. :( You'll pull through, and you'll be a stronger veg*n for it. :hug:

Yes, so true. I recently went to the nearest big public college (SUNY New Paltz) town, and I swear 1/4 of the dishes at the local resturants were either vegan or easily veganised by the ommision of cheese.


I visited SUNY New Paltz and I was going to eat at a vegan resturant there but it was closed. :( I was excited too.

ETA- the resturant wasn't at the school, just near it.

But what's there to eat? When you grab a tray in Leutner or Fribley Commons, you can choose from made-to-order specialties, stir-fry and other Asian cuisine -- even a wide array of vegetarian and vegan options. And pizza. Definitely pizza.

Woo, that's for Case Western. Not that I could even get in there, but it's one of the colleges that I want to try for.

I'm not having any problems with being a vegetarian. My parents gave up on making me eat their food when I joined marching band and was only home 2 days a week. I basically live on cereal, waffles, fruit, crackers, poptarts, ice cream, The problem is that they won't buy me anything special for being vegan. I know a lot of that stuff is accidentally vegan, but I do go out to eat a lot and there's basically no options for vegans in my small town.

Maybe if I remain a vegetarian for long enough my mom will begin to support me. I felt bad today because my little sister (she's almost 6) tried to explain to my dad why she didn't want to eat meat and he SCREAMED at her and made her cry... My parents are jerks. :grr:

i started eating diff when my boyfriend and i had an apartment together. i would make a lot of my own meals, but even lazy things like mac-n-cheese with tofu or veg-bacon BLT's worked in the beginning. spaghetti with veg-crumbles was even a feasible option without any cooking skills. as you buy more veg*n foods and get some good recipes, you can try all sorts of things. i haven't seen anyone mention it in this thread, but vegan also consists of not buying , wearing, or eating any animal products. that wasn't too hard once i knew what to look for (other than the obvious.) "becoming vegan" is a good book with interesting nutritional info for you too.

I knew that being vegan involved not buying or using anything from animals, I was just asking about the food aspect. Hopefully when I get out of here I'll be able to cook more and I'll check out that book you recommended. Thanks!

Stick to your beliefs & let your family understand that this is going to be a lifestyle change & how you need their support.
I buy vegan when I go to the store but when I go out to eat & stuff I find that it's alot harder to actually stay away from certain dairy products. Muffins, cake, ice cream, oh my!! :D