Lately I have been undertaking a lot of reversion in my life. With the addition of college, I thought that it would be easier to ditch Veganism and consume minimal animal products, such as egg, dairy, and seafood. To tell the truth, it was easier to eat in such a way, and it did save my mother quite a bit of money. However, I was beginning to doubt myself at college, and I therefor withdrew with the belief that I would easily be able to find a career and be happy at that career without a degree. With the extra freedom of my eating choices at home, I became Vegan once again. Soon I decide to go back to college, and I am dreading what I will do about my diet once again.
My mother wishes me to put myself on a meal plan. I - being the sensible person that I am - can not see the justice in putting myself on a meal plan at my college of choice, for they have few options open to a vegetarian, let alone a vegan. Optimal nutrition on such a plan of consumption would not only be incredibly tough to achieve, but it would require salads every single meal, every single day. I like salads, but once you have had one straight week of them, veggies begin to lose their appeal.
Looking at my options, I see that the only sensible thing to do is to buy my own food and keep it at my dorm. Unfortunately, when I work in the cost of my Vegan lifestyle, I again can not justify doing such a blow to my mothers income. She is the one that supports me, and it deeply saddens me to see that a lot of our grocery money goes toward sustaining my Vegan lifestyle. (To give you an example, we purchase about $250 dollars of groceries each shopping period. Between my mother, my brother, and myself, I worked out my cost. About $120 of what is paid is solely in my cart, while about $30 goes toward my brother, and about $100 toward my mothers groceries. Now, working into account the fact that all my brother eats is tuna, rice, tofu, natto, and egg with the occasional fruits, I still wonder if taking up his minimal lifestyle would help with deterring my guilt a little. Sure, he has to take a multivitamin in order to stay optimal in his health, but I also take a multivitamin for my iron and B12. So, would it not be the same?)
At heart, I am a Vegan. I want to help in every way possible. I dread consuming animal products - not because of the health drawbacks so much as I know what consuming animal products means. Right down to the last drop of dairy, I truly despise consuming animal products. Reflected in my vegan lifestyle is also my great capacity to care. I care about others so much that I do not wish to cause them any type of strain. This fact is great, but it also is the source of my current dilemma.
I see my mothers face when the groceries rack up such a high price. She is surprised, upset, and stressed all at once. She achieves the look of, "Wow... Bills, and now the groceries. I am not sure whether I can pay both and have any leftover for myself." This look sends me into a fit of guilt. I often apologize to my mother right after we leave wherever we shop, for I feel so terrible knowing that a lot of her pay goes toward my lifestyle. I confirmed this with a receipt this weekend, which only made me feel even more terrible.
Due to the cost that I put upon my mother, I often receive doubts about my Vegan lifestyle. I know that my beliefs are not negotiable, but I also know that I hate feeling terribly guilty. This guilt has caused me to go from Vegan to pescitarian, from pescitarian to vegan, and now from vegan to totally confused. Right now, I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian, and I am dangling on a thin line towards pescitarian once more. Honestly, it does not feel great when I think about the type of industry that I am supporting when eating any animal product, so I try my best not to consider the drawbacks when I consume. None the less, I know what I am doing all too well, and it does not feel good at all. As such, I am on a mission to get the best nutrition that I can with the lowest possible price. As an added side mission, I am looking for items that are easily cooked using only a rice cooker, for that is the only item I will have within my dorm room.
So the mission(s) begins. I am going to be making a list of items that I am sure to need, and others that I will not require. If anyone has any ideas as to what I can do about my dilemma, please PM me. I thank you all in advance. Please tell me that I am not the only one with this problem?
~Austin Archer~
My mother wishes me to put myself on a meal plan. I - being the sensible person that I am - can not see the justice in putting myself on a meal plan at my college of choice, for they have few options open to a vegetarian, let alone a vegan. Optimal nutrition on such a plan of consumption would not only be incredibly tough to achieve, but it would require salads every single meal, every single day. I like salads, but once you have had one straight week of them, veggies begin to lose their appeal.
Looking at my options, I see that the only sensible thing to do is to buy my own food and keep it at my dorm. Unfortunately, when I work in the cost of my Vegan lifestyle, I again can not justify doing such a blow to my mothers income. She is the one that supports me, and it deeply saddens me to see that a lot of our grocery money goes toward sustaining my Vegan lifestyle. (To give you an example, we purchase about $250 dollars of groceries each shopping period. Between my mother, my brother, and myself, I worked out my cost. About $120 of what is paid is solely in my cart, while about $30 goes toward my brother, and about $100 toward my mothers groceries. Now, working into account the fact that all my brother eats is tuna, rice, tofu, natto, and egg with the occasional fruits, I still wonder if taking up his minimal lifestyle would help with deterring my guilt a little. Sure, he has to take a multivitamin in order to stay optimal in his health, but I also take a multivitamin for my iron and B12. So, would it not be the same?)
At heart, I am a Vegan. I want to help in every way possible. I dread consuming animal products - not because of the health drawbacks so much as I know what consuming animal products means. Right down to the last drop of dairy, I truly despise consuming animal products. Reflected in my vegan lifestyle is also my great capacity to care. I care about others so much that I do not wish to cause them any type of strain. This fact is great, but it also is the source of my current dilemma.
I see my mothers face when the groceries rack up such a high price. She is surprised, upset, and stressed all at once. She achieves the look of, "Wow... Bills, and now the groceries. I am not sure whether I can pay both and have any leftover for myself." This look sends me into a fit of guilt. I often apologize to my mother right after we leave wherever we shop, for I feel so terrible knowing that a lot of her pay goes toward my lifestyle. I confirmed this with a receipt this weekend, which only made me feel even more terrible.
Due to the cost that I put upon my mother, I often receive doubts about my Vegan lifestyle. I know that my beliefs are not negotiable, but I also know that I hate feeling terribly guilty. This guilt has caused me to go from Vegan to pescitarian, from pescitarian to vegan, and now from vegan to totally confused. Right now, I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian, and I am dangling on a thin line towards pescitarian once more. Honestly, it does not feel great when I think about the type of industry that I am supporting when eating any animal product, so I try my best not to consider the drawbacks when I consume. None the less, I know what I am doing all too well, and it does not feel good at all. As such, I am on a mission to get the best nutrition that I can with the lowest possible price. As an added side mission, I am looking for items that are easily cooked using only a rice cooker, for that is the only item I will have within my dorm room.
So the mission(s) begins. I am going to be making a list of items that I am sure to need, and others that I will not require. If anyone has any ideas as to what I can do about my dilemma, please PM me. I thank you all in advance. Please tell me that I am not the only one with this problem?
~Austin Archer~