If I don't get help soon, I might have to stop being a (lacto-ovo)veg! (parents and health related)
I know this can be done right. But I'm not >.< *sobs*
Here are my problems.
1) Heavy meat household. My parents eat a lot of meat pretty much every meal. They get sick of making me separate meals or they just make my stuff w/o meat. I'm not being balanced there...>.> I CAN'T COOK ><
2) This may or may not have to do with vegetarianism, but I have lost weight. I'm a 14 yo male and I'm about 90 pounds. I think I've lost about 3 lbs...
3) Same as above ^ loss of muscle on my arms.
4) Stomach pains.
5) nothing in my school lunch line but chips and drinks, etc. is veg. 90% of what I've been eating has gelatin in it! ><
6) I depend on fast food, etc. to eat at least like 3 times a month. Usually it's mcdonalds, etc.
7) INCREDIBLE ALMOST UNBEARABLE MEAT CRAVINGS. EVERY. DAY.
WHAT do I DO!?!?

i would definitely talk about this issue with your parents.

do some research, list the reasons you want to be vegetarian, health reasons, environmental reasons, cruelty reasons... etc and personal reasons. then get together with your parents and make them listen to you. explain that you would appreciate them supporting your stance, and especially tell your mom you would appreciate if she bought some good vegetarian food for you! eating vegetarian is so much more interesting and diverse than people give it credit for. i'm sure they will raise the issue of 'where do you get your protein' (man if i had a dollar for everytime i got asked that) tell her there is as much protein ounce for ounce in broccoli and in steak :) haha. but seriously, beans, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains give you plenty of protein. and especially if you are eating dairy as well.
as far as school goes, hopefully your mom will help you out here and you will have some good groceries and you can whip up a yummy veg lunch... trust me, all of your friends will be jealous when you have such yummy living foods and they are all staring at their mystery meat and fruit cocktails.
lastly, since your mom cooks, look up some really easy recipes that look good to you and have her cook them for you. oh, and make sure you clear up how cheap vegetarian cooking is. for example compare the price of a steak to a pound of beans or rice. so much savings!
hope this helps! good luck and dont give up!

If I don't get help soon, I might have to stop being a (lacto-ovo)veg!

WHAT do I DO!?!?

I've known a lot of teenagers who've tried to be vegetarian, but couldn't stick with it for many of the same reasons. Giving up meat all at once works for lots of people, but some of us make the transition a little more gradually, and there's nothing wrong with that.

What I would suggest is not to beat yourself up if you can't be 100% perfect (diet-wise) at this particular point in your life. You still have many years ahead of you, and you can use that time to work towards your ideal lifestyle, whatever that might be.

If you find that it's not feasible to maintain a completely vegetarian diet right now, maybe you can start by just cutting back on meat. Use your lunch money to buy some groceries and bring your own lunches to school (fruit, peanut butter, yogurt, energy bars, pasta salad, bean dip, etc. etc). Perhaps your parents would agree to trying a new vegetarian dish for dinner just once a week. You might need to help find new recipes that the family can all enjoy, and you might need to help with the preparation. Your folks would probably appreciate not having to cook, and you'd learn more about cooking your own food at the same time. You (and your parents) might even learn to like some different vegetables, grains, legumes, etc, which will increase your meal options to more than macaroni & cheese and peanut-butter-&-jelly. There are tons of recipes available at the library, and of course all over the Internet.

I think the important thing is to do what you can. If you continue making progress, you'll get to where you want to be soon enough. No law says it has to be overnight. :)

hang in there!

I would guess that you're not getting enough protein...and probably some other vitamins and minerals. In my experience w/ 2 younger brothers, 14 year old guys generally aren't the healthiest eaters in the world! And it's you're nutritional requirement are higher than a lot of people's because you are growing. Do you exercise a lot? Since you are losing weight, you're going to need to eat more. What do you usually eat in a day? Make sure that you are eating lots of protein sources, like beans, whole grains, nuts, soy, dairy and eggs. Also I would start taking a mutivitamin that has 100% iron to cover your bases on vitamins. Just to give you an idea... I'm a 20 year old female and I exercise quite a bit. Every day I eat about 3-4 servings whole grains, 1-2 servings beans, 1-2 servings peanut butter, 2 eggs and 2 servings of dairy (I can't eat most nuts or soy). That's like 10ish a day. Try getting more protein and taking a multi, and I bet that the meat cravings won't be so bad.

As for your parents, as suggested, talk to them. Be involved in the cooking around the house (and yes you can learn to cook!) Go to the grocery with your parents to help them know what to get. If there is a farmer's market around, you can get really cheap produce and organic dairy and eggs there. and start packing your lunch at school, it's cheaper and better tasting too.

Some quick meals ideas... refried beans, tortillas, guacamole, salsa whatever else for burritos.

Couscous and veggies (couscous is a grain... to cook it, add hot water and wait 5 minutes...anyone can do this!)

Get frozen, prechopped veggies for easy prep... open the bag and pour. Oriental veggies and rice w/ soy sauce or whatever.

Sandwiches: good old PB&J (on whole wheat bread), cheese and/or hummus & veggie sandwich (hummus is mashed up chickpeas...a bean)

Whole wheat pasta w/ tomato sauce and throw some beans in the sauce.

Cheese & veggie omelette and some yogurt

Bowl of fortified, low sugar breakfast cereal w/ milk and a slice of ww bread w/ peanut butter

Good luck!

So sorry to hear that...:( Everybody here already gave you very good tips, so I won't repeat. Just remember how important it is for animals and your own morality. Just tell that to your parents. It is about your moral health, thay should respect that :)
Good luck and I am sure you will always find support here :hug:
I've been vegan for quite a long time now, but I had problems in the beginning as well and I still think my mom is worried about me ;) but I've been talking to her about how important that is to me, that it is THE most important thing in my life, and it helped a lot. Just tell them how much you care. Good luck!

Everyone has already given a lot of good advice, so let me just repeat the fact that you can learn to cook. I became vegetarian when i was younger than you are and I learned to cook a lot of my own meals. Ask your parents to help you at first, since the sooner you learn to cook, the sooner they'll be able to stop cooking for you. :) Check the local library and on here for some easy recipes.

there is as much protein ounce for ounce in broccoli and in steak
This actually isn't quite true. Rather, broccoli has as much protein calorie for calorie as steak. So you'd have to eat roughly 10 times as much broccoli as steak to get the same amout of protein.

I'll join the bandwagon.

YOU NEED TO LEARN HOW TO COOK!

Seriously. It doesn't matter if you are vegan, vegetarian, or a typical omni.
Cooking your own meals can give you more variety, be healthier, and save you money.

At the same time, you should learn proper nutrition. Again, it doesn't matter if you are vegan, vegetarian, or a typical omni. You have the rest of your life ahead of you, and proper nutrition can make it a much more enjoyable and longer life.

Just my $.02

*steps off soapbox*

hi there
i went veggie @ age 11. i live in a house with 2 die hard hunters and 4 people who eat meat. every single friend i have and family member i know eats me, so i am definitly the odd one out. i had meals made without meat too sometimes but then i just got to make some basic stuff that wasnt too hard i could do on my own. yes there is many good fast food places out there w/o meat. sometimes places will even make special orders if u ask for it w/o meat. as for the cravings..... i had them too at first. i was addicted to mcdonalds number 2, two cheeseburger meal. slowly though it just faded because i got to love more meatless things and began to crave those. i am 23 now. dont crave meat at all anymore but still live with the same ppl and they havent changed. i know its tough, u can email me if u want with questions
melissa

Hi! Sorry to hear about your problems.

About the weight: I wouldn't worry! 90 pounds does seem quite low, but it is no way compromising, I do not believe. And losing 3 pounds is totally normal! Believe it or not, I lost around 20 pounds when I became vegan. I now wiegh somewhere near 140 and I am 17 years old.

I first became Vegan about a year ago, and let me tell ya, IT WAS TOUGH! My whole family, beside my brother and I, eats meat and dairy. Well, my brother is in college, so I was also the odd-one out. All I had to eat for quite a while was just salads. Nothing else.... Salads....

About school: Not recommended, but I just stopped eating lunch all together. I am a strict vegan, so even if I asked them to make me a salad with no meat, there are chances that it touched a meaty counter-top. So, to be safe and secure, I just stopped eating lunch. Like I said, Not recommended. Especially not at the wieght you are.

Home: Hang in there! Defenitly learn how to cook! Also, ask your parents to buy you alternatives. In a way, they half to do so, or they can be considered to be neglecting you. It is your choice to live cruelty free. If they refuse to help, then you could become poor in health. Explain to them, nicely, that you have to eat too.

Trust me, buddy! There are so many alternatives and cruelty-free foods out there that you won't know how to handle it all! If I lived near you, you could just come over and have food with me. :D

Watch the eating out habbit! I mean, it doesn't seem to be doing you any harm, but whether you eat out healthy or not, fast food is never good for you. Especially not McD's.

Stomach pains: You may not be eating enough. How many calories are you taking in? I get anywhere from 1000 - 1500 calories a day. Any less than 1000, and I will feel constant hunger. Also, make sure you get grains! They help fill you up without... well.... filling you up.

Meat Cravings: There is not a 100% way to cure those. While I can not stand meat myself, some people do crave it once becoming veg. My advice: Keep to Veg, unless it becomes a true problem. After a while, you won't even notice meat as a food anymore! Actually, it becomes quite vile after a while. I can't stand even the smell of it anymore! Ekkk.... Fake meat substitutes would do you well! Try Boca, they are a popular brand. Also, pick up some Seitan, or however it is spelled.... YUMMY!

Most importantly: Stay safe! Don't compromise your health. Like I said, talk to your parents. Tell them how much your life-style means to you. Thats all it took to make my parents understand.

Parents have to buy veg alternatives or they could be charged with being negligent? That's for sure a new one to me. :rolleyes:

1). I'm going to be another voice that says "learn to cook". Seriously. You can't really expect your mother/parents to cook seperate meals every night and frankly, they shouldn't have to (and no, it's not neglect to not want to cook seperate meals for each member of the household). There are tons of good cooks around here that are more than happy to help someone learn to cook so don't be afraid to ask advice. Besides, learning to cook is a valuble thing weather you're veg or not so you might as well start learning now while you can.

2). If you're not eating, then yes, you're losing weight. At your age and your weight, that is not good. You're going to have to find a way to eat more. That's just all there is to it. Maybe you should not worry so much about the hidden ingredients and focus more on just simply eating what LO vegetarians eat.

3, 4). I would be that that's related to not eating or not eating enough. People that eat enough don't usually have stomach pains (a sign of not eating) or loss of muscle (a sign of nutritional deficiencies).

5). If that's all your school has then I would definately look into taking a lunch. There are tons of threads round here about quick and handy lunches. There's gotta be some suggestions in there that you can use, I'm sure.

6) There's lots of veg food to be found at places like Taco bell, Burger King, Wendy's.... there's a fast food list round here (sorry, don't have the link right now). Check that list out so you can tell what they have suitable at the places you go to.

7) EAT, BUDDY! EAT! :) Craving meat is usually from an iron deficiency. One of the ways to develop iron deficiency is to not eat enough iron-rich foods. Deep green leafies, beans, whole grains, nuts are a lot of your iron heavy-hitters.

If you haven't talked with your parents about this, I suggest you do. This is something important and yes, it is good that you get their support but they can't support something that worries them (and I'll be frank, your current health situation is very worrysome).

Hope that helps. :)

i had this problem, cos I went l/o veg around the same age as you. what i reccommend as that you do this by stages, as in - firstly cut out red meat and poultry, but perhaps continue to eat fish for the first few weeks, so that not eating ANY meat doesn't come as a complete shock to your system. Try to eat a lot of whole grains, nuts, pulses, fruit and fresh veg rather than maxing out on a load of junk food (just because chips are vegetarian doesn't make them really healthy). Also, talk to your parents about your reasons for doing this, and make sure they know what you are and aren't okay with eating. Good luck!:chef:

Also, AussyJ, I swear that unless you are a complete couch potato, 1000-1500 calories is not enough for a 17 year old boy. I thought that guys your age were meant to get more like 2500 - that's about the amount I eat and I'm a girl your age.

On a draconian diet - that is how much I eat.

Calorie restriction diets prove many health benefits. Eating even 2000 cals a day would be over-eating for me. Why, you ask? Well, my wieght is 140 (about). Times that by 10, and you get the amount of calories I burn just sitting around all day. Then add in what I actually do, like work out and jump rope and such, and I probably burn about 100-300. There are 3000 something cals in a pound... So it actually works out quite well.

Many times I don't even follow my cal. restriction method, and I still get less than 2000. I don't even really have to try.

Google up a cal- restriction diet and see what the benefits, as well as risks, are. If you plan to take it on, do so, but be careful! I am vegan and do this, so it isn't 100% safe, probably, but I guess you could call me Semi-anerixic. I fear the pudge.

If you've chosen this lifestyle, its your job to take responsibility for your own health, nutrition, and well being. You need to educate yourself about veg*n nutrition and learn to cook. I went veg*n at 15, and my family compromised that meals with meat had veg*n side dishes. So say they had chicken breasts for dinner, there'd be some sort of vegetarian rice or noodle dish, and some vegetables on the side, and I'd eat those. If they were having spaghetti and meatballs, they'd put the meatballs on the side, and not in the sauce, and they'd have them, and I wouldn't. Your family should be eating vegetables and grains at every meal anyway. Adding in some beans wouldn't be a bad idea either. I'm sure you can manage heating a can of beans, its cheap and easy. You really need to learn how to cook. Volunteer to cook a vegetarian meal for the family once a week. Your mom might be willing to help you at first if you have it planned out in advance. Try going grocery shopping with whoever goes in your household so you can help to pick out food.
For school, bring your lunches! L/O lunches are super easy. I eat largely veg*n and packing my lunches are super easy. You could do PB&J, cheese sandwiches, veggie sandwiches, hummus and veggies, Yogurt and granola, bring some fruit and some cut up veggies (plus or minus dip). Its really not so tough. Its cheaper to bring lunch than buy it every day anyway.

I wouldn't worry about gelatin right now. Get the swing of not eating meat first, then worry more about trace ingredients. Your probably craving protein, so try increasing that and see if the meat cravings go away. Meat substitutes also are helpful for some people -- again, take a more pro-active roll in the family's food purchasing and preparation chores. Most parents are willing to compromise on groceries, especially if you show you're being more responsible around the house. (Helping to cook, helping to clean up, doing chores without being asked)

Right now, to me, it sounds like you're throwing a hissy fit. "Well if my family and the rest of the world won't bend to meet my needs then I'm just going to eat meat." Try some of the suggestions people have made here.

OK, as a Mom of a 14 year old child, I have to add my 2-cents, and also say I agree with Rabid_Child... It mainly sounds like you're just having issues with the fact that your Mom won't cook what YOU want...

Many, many good compromises have been stated here - if you can't find one of them that works for your situation, I would be extremely suprised.

My 12 and 14 year old are both great cooks - they have been cooking whole (lacto-ovo) vegetarian meals for our family since they were about 8 and 10.

My 14 year old is actually not vegetarian, and if she wants something different than the family, she has to write it on the shopping list, prepare it herself and clean up every item used in cooking when she's finished. She does this very well.

I started my kids out with really easy stuff and they worked up to more difficult recipes as they got more confident... they each have a recipe file of their "favorites" and their own shelf of cookbooks.

There are tons of recipes here and on other vegetarian sites.

Here's a "Mom-Friendly" tipe: Some day when your Mom isn't real busy or distracted, sit down with her and tell her you are willing to learn to cook (AND WILLING TO CLEAN THE KITCHEN AFTER YOU COOK!!!) and maybe ask her to show you how to do some simple recipes (as suggested above).

I am willing to bet she'd be thrilled to have you helping out with cooking and so forth, and it might make the transition much easier...

Oh - and make your own lunches for pity sake - healthier, cheaper and so, SO much more tasty!!

I've been cooking since as long as I can remember. When I was about 8 I cooked a pot pie for my mother all by myself, I wrote all the ingredents for them to buy while shopping and I cooked it when my parents weren't even home.

If you can follow written directions you can cook, get used to following recipes. I have no patence for people who say they "can't" cook.

You've received a ton of great advice and I'm not going to bother repeating it.

I am, going to suggest a pretty decent book for teen-aged vegetarians:

I'm a Vegeatarian (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0887765882/qid=1128434769/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-4338537-6280768?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

This book contains a lot of helpful advice for talking to parents and peers about your choice to be a vegetarian. It also offers up nutritional information in an easy to understand format. And best of all it includes some very easy, but tasty and nutritional recipes.

On the learning to cook for yourself front (and idea that I, as the mom of a 9 year-old strongly endorse) try:

The Jumbo Vegetarian Cookbook (Kids Can Press Jumbo Books) (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1550749773/qid=1128434939/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-4338537-6280768?v=glance&s=books)

A tasty variety of vegetarian recipes with simple ingredients and easy to follow instructions.

On the craving meat thing ... I have found that I sometimes craved meat when I allow myself to become too hungry (skipping meals and snacks is not a good thing). The craving, I believe, is both from being too hungry and a craving for favourite or familiar foods. That will pass as you learn about and find new favourite foods.

I agree with MRs. Key on the cookbooks. About the meat cravings when I was ovo-lacto back when I was a teen I had a problem with meat cravings too. I think it was because I did not eat well at all. Try eating foods high in protien. I really like a handful of raw almonds as a snack. Mock meat helps too. If you approached your parents and said that you don't want to force them to cook separate meals but you don't know how to cook and asked them to teach you would they be receptive?

Diet for a Small Planet is full of great information. It's a pulp paperback that you can get used for $2.

Heavy research and knowledge is what will make your parents more comfortable with not eating meat. Tell them that India is basically vegetarian. How can billions of people world wide be vegetarians and not be healthy? Billions have lived their entire lives on a vegetarian diet, and they're just fine.

See if you can get your mom to buy brown rice and fake burgers, or falafel...

*Rice is really easy to make. 1/3 cup rice and 2/3 cup water. Boil it til the rice is soft, keep the lid on. If there's extra water, drain it in a collander. Stir fry some broccoli, carrots, tofu (if your family can stand it), waterchestnuts (they come in a can in the Chinese food section), whatever else you can find to put in there.

*Falafel mix (Fantastic Foods) 1/3 cup mix, add water til it's a little watery/soupy. Let stand 10 minutes. Saute in oil in globs until cooked on the outside. Eat in a pita with lettuce and tomato and tahini, or Ranch dressing if you have nothing else. (Great to take for lunch) I used to eat it in a pita with just Ranch, back when I had about $2 to eat for a week.

*Frozen burgers couldn't be easier.Eat on grainy wheat bread with lettuce and tomato.

*Cheese, lettuce (or sprouts) and tomato sandwiches on whole grain bread is very easy.

*take nuts and seeds with you to snack on during the day. you can buy those in bulk pretty inexpensively.

*Hard boil some eggs. Take a couple with you for lunch. Make egg salad sanwiches.

If you can learn to cook some things for yourself, it'll make you feel alot better about the veggie thing. Your mom will eventually break down, and see that she needs to have a healthy son. Stick with it. You're breaking new ground in your household!

Where do you live? Maybe you could try to get in touch with other vegetarians in your area and start a cooking group or something? Btw, I can't cook to save my life either and I'm 18, but it's not that hard to make decent vegetarian meals of you have access to mock meats and pulses.

i agree with all of the above, save for AussyJ (sorry dude). I think that you need to eat MORE, and learn how to cook. I went l/o veg when i was your age, and my mom told me that she wouldn't cook for me (I am to this day the only veg*n in my family), and that I would need to learn to cook for myself, even if it meant living off PBJ.

i think you need to work toward getting more to eat, as eating a low-calorie diet whilst one is still growing can be detrimental to your health, as per my nutrition and health classes. your growing body needs more nutrients than a low-calorie diet can/will provide, so it's better to eat ENOUGH rather than eat TOO LITTLE.

Hi, I'm 15 years old and vegan, so I can proably give you some helpful advice. First of all, congrats on choosing to be vegetarian, I don't know any guys my age who are vegetarian, it's great to see they exist.
1) This probably sounds very repetitive, but if you want good food, LEARN TO COOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just get some cookbooks, buy some new ingredients, use lots of grains, veggies, etc and practice. I used to never cook when I ate meat but when I became vegetarian I learned a lot and now I cook better than everyone in my house. :D Maybe bake a cake or something to get started.
2) You need to replace the meat you ate with other foods. Usually veg*ns have to eat more than omnis.
3) Eat enough and get protein! Beans, grains, soy, bread, nuts, nut butters, and dairy if you eat it.
4) Eat!
5) You should pack your own lunch, I do everyday. I usually bring something leftover from another meal, or I cook up some couscous, rice, and throw in some beans and veggies. I blend up olive oil, chickpeas, peppers, spices, and make some hummus to stuff in a pita. If I eat something like falafel for dinner, I make two portions and put one in my lunch. When I don't feel like doing any of ^^^^^^ I have a PBJ, PB and banana, a bagel with peanut butter, or something simple.
6) You should really learn to cook, I promise you'll make awesome food.
7) ^^^^^^^^^^ If you make yummy meatless food, you won't miss the meat. Or meat analogs may work for you, but they can be pricey and usually not very healthy. I've never eaten them because I don't want to eat something that is supposed to look or taste like meat.

If you want to talk more or have more questions or need ideas, PM me.

Hope I helped!! :D