Seriously ever since going vegi and recently vegan my friends aren't supportive at all.



There always waving burgers ,tuna chocolate etc infront of my face when they know very well that all that is against what i stand for.

I've told them to stop

and i'm actually getting rather sick and tired of it there always attacking me on why i'm Went vegi and say i'm just doing it for the sake of it and not the animals.



Excuse me but can they read my mind no .I don't do things for the sake of them,

My top priority i admit wasn't the animals but it was one of them mainly it was because i disliked the taste of meat and wanted to live a healthier lifestyle.



Also since going Vegan i've had a relapse back into being veggie for a couple of days .

Is there any tips i can have on going vegan and actually staying

Vegan?



and what could i have for a packed lunch as my school canteen offers absaloutley nothing vegan excpet



beens on a jacket potato which i hate because i usually love to go back to class to see my friends.



There's also toast in the morning and chips on friday but that's it.



I'm sick of there being no choice.





basfdskjas

Ah! The dreaded, "So the world isn't vegan also?," unfortunate realization! We all go through it, Jazz. We all must live with these rude happenings. Don't worry, you are not the only one that gets annoyed! I used to feel exactly how you feel, not only for the same reasons as you, but also for others. Hell, I put up with this from my own family! There is only so many times you can hear, "But don't you miss meat," and resist the urge to crack someones neck into two!



Advice on the problems you are having will range anywhere you pose this problem to others. Some will tell you to simply explain to your friends why you stand strong in your beliefs. Others may inform you to boast that while they may eat meat, at least you are much more healthy than them. I am sure that even more will inform you to simply tell them to bug off. Ultimately - the choice of how to handle your dilemma is solely up to you.



Vegans have it rough in this world. Choosing a cruelty-free lifestyle is almost as tough as being Atheist in a predominately Christian country. However, we must not waver in our beliefs and feelings just because others disagree with us. If we all bowed down to what was perceived as 'normal' by the majority, then individualism would surely collapse. Personally, I like to be different. I welcome people to wave their unity by indifference into my face, for I can merely smile at their stupidity.



Any advice that you receive on this issue will remain purely advice. Like a doctor telling a cancer patient to stop smoking, you are the one that must make the choice upon what action you will take. I can tell you that violence will surely not help, but there are others ways to use force. In High School, I simply retaliated to my friends teasing by taking in beautiful lunches that made even the teachers watching over us comment about how healthy and tasty that they looked. Through this method of quiet retaliation, the teasing soon became obsolete. Others have not had so much luck as I.



As for my family, I merely learned to ignore their comments and 'waving of meat'. Amazingly when I did so, they quit bothering me about it. Again, not everyone has that sort of luck.



Anywhere you go, you will have people asking the dumb questions that ought to be obvious. Questions such as, "So what do you eat," and "Where do you get your protein from," will be almost a daily question that we vegans put up with. While I wish that I could say I calmly answer them every time, I do often get sick and tired of being bothered and simply answer with, "Have you no knowledge of food at all?" (One of my big peeves is when people ask me what it is that I am eating. Often, it is not hard to recognize vegetables, beans, and rice. When I eat meat substitutes and people ask me what it is that I am eating for the fifth time, I simply ignore the question for fear of freaking out. If you do not know what a mushroom is, please do not ask me, for you need more explanation of food than I can give.)



It is sad that we are brought up in a world that teaches people that eating meat is normal. Those that do not eat meat are often perceived as gay, unintelligent, uncool, and - worst of all - malnourished.



My father and mother separated after my father decided to 'come out of the closet'. At first, I have to admit that I did not understand why he would choose such a different life. I could not understand why my father would choose to be in a group of people that are widely thought to be evil, wrong, and downright odd. Slowly, I began to realize that I myself belonged to a group such as this - Vegans. Through that realization, I felt equal with my father. I can sympathize with the discrimination that I know he must face on a daily basis, and it only made me love him as a father that much more - despite what has happened between my parents.



The bottom line is, you are yourself. You have to remain tough and true, and you must not let the ignorance of others get to you. So people may see you as weird and different, but why should you care anyway? Take pride in knowing that you stand up for something that is morally, ethically, and absolutely right. Difference is what keeps us all from being heathens, so embrace it strongly.

Tell your friends what they're doing is genuinely upsetting you, rather than just "You're so annoying!" which tends to just push people on.

How long have you been a vegetarian? I'm assuming it's recent, since my friends also liked to make my diet the center of every conversation in the beginning. As long as you don't make a big deal about it, they'll eventually get used to it or even forget about it. My friends liked to make up stupid scenarios, like "If you were kidnapped on a pirate ship and had to choose between walking the plank into shark-infested waters or eating a hamburger, which would you choose?"



If waiting it out doesn't seem to work, why don't you try waving your vegan foods in their faces? I imagine having food waved in your face would be annoying, no matter what it is. And yes, it's immature, but maybe they'll realize how silly they look.



I'm actually dealing with a similar situation with my mom now. I originally told her that I was just going vegan for Lent, even though I was really planning on maintaining it longer. Just today I let her know that I won't be going back to a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. Now she's been pointing out pictures of ice cream and baked goods to me and asking me, "Are you sure you never want to eat that again?" I just remind her that there are vegan alternatives.



Just stick with your beliefs and stay strong. Don't expect your friends to be supportive, but they should at least be able to respect you.

I've been a vegitarian since july last year... and went vegan in febuary



but have sliped so i'm going to try and maintain it any tips for not slipping up?

The most helpful tips will vary depending on how/why you slip up.



If it's because you find yourself out and hungry with nothing but nonvegan food to eat and about to faint from famishment, try to keep some snacks in your bag at all times - nuts or fruits (fresh or dried) or a healthy snack bar - things that are high-energy and that can tide you over until you *do* have access to good, hearty vegan food.



If it's a slip-up because you crave or miss certain tastes, you could try a more gradual weaning off these foods. Many people find it helpful to remind themselves of why exactly they opted to go vegan - keep whatever your ethics, interests, or inspirations at the front of your mind.



Educate yourself about your vegan alternatives and keep them on hand. Look at the dairy and egg substitition threads on here. I think there's one particularly about vegan cheeses. Search elsewhere online for information. Look at vegan recipes, many excellent ones are posted on www.vegweb.com



When I was transitioning from vegetarian to vegan, moving away from baked goods made with dairy and eggs was hardest step - but I overcame that when I learned what substitutions to make in my own baking. Of course, I still can't have scones and cookies from mainstream bakeries and coffee shops, but I console myself with the fact that they're laden with sugar and hydrogenated fats anyway, and am healthier overall for *not* having such easy access to sweets.



You also asked for suggestions for good vegan packed lunches. Try making wraps - a good whole wheat tortilla filled with any combination of a protein (tofu, seitan, tempeh, chickpeas, lentils, black beans, a veggie burger...) along with rice or noodles, and raw or cooked veggies of your choice, with a tasty sauce. Try making hummus - incredibly easy, and very tasty - and pack pita bread and veggie sticks along with it. Make sandwiches with a bread you like, tofu, roasted peppers (or roasted pepper spread). Make a pasta salad with whatever protein you want, and veggies.



All these suggestions hinge on some degree or other of cooking, and that's my overall suggestion. Of course, not every vegan loves cooking, or does a lot of it. I do, and I've found that being able to provide tasty food for myself saves me a lot of time, makes sure I can get balanced meals, and is a great way to shut up people who down me for being vegan. There's nothing like being able to shove a cookie or well-seasoned serving of manicotti into someone's mouth when they're taunting your lifestyle - especially when their only response afterwards is 'wow....is that really vegan?'

For some reason your plea for advice on not slipping up brought up an old episode of (I believe it was) Invader Zim. I Quote:



"Don't get too close to them, honey! You will catch their stupid!"



Therefore, my advice is to stay away from the ignorant meat eaters. Make friends with the ones that acknowledge that they are killing themselves, as it makes it that much easier to convince them to go veg!



(In case anyone feels offended..... I was kidding....)





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Or was I?

Just ignore them, and take pride in your veganism regardless of what everyone else thinks. In my family anything that is not "normal" is always looked down upon, because my parents just cannot stand the thought of anything "weird", because others will stereotype them as being "weird" for allowing me to be "weird". I tend to look at things in this perspective: giving up to be just like everyone else is the easy way out. Take pride in being different or eccentric, as it takes courage to do so.



When I slip up, I think of things like this: Why spoil your veganism if it is so easy not to eat so and so? There are many analouges to cheese, milk, etc. If you find little choice/cannot find analouges, I suggest you base your meals on staples like brea, pasta, potatoes, beans, etc. It is incredibly easy to make a "normal" vegan meal out of these food items, and people will judge you less.

Well, tell them your concerns. They probably have no idea what vegans eat. Explain what you like to have available. They might even make it for you. Don't worry about your friends, they will come around when they see that you are serious about your new lifestyle.

Hey jazzical.. Ive been veg since july and (almost) vegan since feb too...

How funny...



Yeah I get all the negative crap too..

You need red meat to get iron and have blood.. Its like wake up to yourself you are sooo uneducated... really...

But yeah it does get you down at time also.. I hate that...

But I have not slipped up at all... Its been great...

Only one thing though i do have milk in my coffee.. (yell at me)

I know.. I sooooo have to give that up... URGENTLY....

Put soymilk, or better yet, silk creamer in your coffee. The Silk creamer is especially awesome because it is not srupy-sweet like many others are.

I don't mean to be rude, but please try to use better grammar. I honestly can barely understand half of the posts you have made. With all of the unnecessary ellipsis' and long drawn-out words, the points that you try to make are lost in translation.



(I apologize if this seems harsh, but I just think that people should think about how words are sent in coalition to how it is that they are received. You mentioned people being uneducated, but I certainly can not understand you any better than I can one of those stereotypical blond girls that are portrayed in blond jokes.)

Hey Seb...

Yeah I have tried the soy and its terrible in coffee but I drink it everyday on its own... Ill have to trie the silk creamer.. Its that from the supermarket or health shop??



My coffe is the only thing I havent been able to give up (with milk) and it does annoy me cause when I say im vegan I wanna be FULL vegan..

But its good in a way that thats my only downfall.. I think anyways...



But as for lollies cakes choc..etc.. I have not craved it apart from once or twice when I thought oh a choc bar.... lol

I just think of what animal derived ingredients are in it and that turns me off totally..

Aussij.... You need some happy pills .....

Who cares at how I spell .. Thats me..

Sorry to sound harsh bak to you but you seem very negative and I dont like it one bit.



This is about helping one another.

Indeed it is...



*Shakes head.*



Indeed it is...