I'm at my dad's right now and he and his girlfriend don't like me being a vegetarian. I've been one for 2 months and now my dad is making me do reserach cause his girlfriend said it was unhealthy. I haven't found anything that says it is dangerous, and I'm looking for someone who started being a veggie very young to tell them that it didn't have any effect. They are pulling all this junk on me about how I won't get enough protien, and they act like I woke up one day and decided I was going to rebel and be a veggie, but I thought about it and researched it and they don't believe me. How do I convince them. I'm 13, and their worried about my body getting screwed up. I'm starting to get defensive and they juts push me away more. How do I make them understand? Please help!!

i don't know if you can make them understand, but maybe the ADA will convince them tha if you're sensible about what you eat, you'll not die, will remain perfectly healthy, and may be protected against certain illnesses. this page shows the abstract (kinda like an intro) but you can veiw the whole article (not print it though) by clicking on the pdf link. thats enough info for anyone, i'd reckon.



http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg...3_ENU_HTML.htm



you should also show you're serious about your health and welbeing by getting a book on vegetarian nutirition, and reading it, and applying what you learn. this is a good book to start with- its written by respected dieticians and goes through everything:



http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Veget.../dp/1570670137



you could also point out that a large percentage of the hindu, buddhist and jain religious groups have been strict vegetarians for practically forever, and they're not exactly dying from it in their millions.



you could also volunteer to key all your daily food stuff into a website like fitday, and keep track your protein and other nutrients- and offer to let them check it to keep tabs on you meeting your requirements. just make sure you are eating properly, or this'll backfire on you (i think you should get the book and work from it first till you're confident with the fitday thing).



incidently, i'm 28, and have been vegetarian since i was 4 (i now eat a vegan diet). my brother is 26, and has eaten tiny amounts of meat about twice in is whole life (less than a mouthful in total- out of curiousity). neither of us has ever had a protein deficiency- and i don't know anyone else who has- it'd actually be really hard to do if you ate enough calories. this site has a nice article about it, and some food suggestions (its got an incredibly easy sample menu at the bottom that shows how easily you could get your protein, too).



http://www.vegsoc.org/info/protein.html

Some very strong and athletic veg*ns: https://www.veggieboards.com/boards/s...ad.php?t=77739



Who's healthier, these people or your dad's girlfriend.



There are unhealthy vegan and vegetarian diets. There are unhealthy diets that include meat. Meat or no meat is not the issue.

Hello, I would like to advise you to not direct your parents to visit a vegetarian website. They'll just see that information as biased and may not accept it. Instead, try this:



http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/veg...96/UPDATEAPP=0



I can't see how they can refute information from one of the most respected and well known hospitals in the United States.



I hope that helps! Good luck with veg*nism, it's great that you're starting so young!!!

I'm sorry to hear you're having problems getting your parents to accept your vegetarian diet.



As a parent of two grown men, I have a suggestion. Although it's difficult to avoid being defensive, its sometimes a good idea to acknowledge that they are acting because of their love and concern for you. If you start your discussions thanking them for their concern and telling them that you appreciate that they care about you, it might open them up to hear what you have to say.



This article about getting enough protein and the protein myth from the PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) is one of my favorites. I highly recommend printing it out and giving it to your parents. Please be aware that the PCRM is often assailed by some people because of their association with PETA. Be prepared to have the article rejected. But if that happens have them check the articles referenced in the main article.



Good luck to you.

Since the health aspect of veg*nisn seems to be well-covered here, I'll just say we're pretty much in the same boat. However, to get some respect from my parents I made my mom take me to Whole Foods (my local healthy food store) and I made tofu stir fry, which was a big hit! Making a nutritious but tasty veg*n dinner is a great way to show your dad and his girlfriend how serious you are about your decision, and also how easy it can be.



If you go with this idea you should definitely check out VB's recipe section. It's the best place to start for all kinds of veg*n meals!



Good luck!

Thanks, the articles will probably help.

everyone has covered the nutrition side of things. Go looking for a really good vegetarian cookbook.