parents don't support veganism

[purpotato]

Me: Veganism lowers risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and has cured so many people's diseases!
Parents: Yes, but you dont need to eat less meat! You need to gain weight! Yes, you shouldn't eat too much meat, but you can't have too much potatoes and rice too! If you do, you will get diabetes! There has to be a balance! You HAVE to eat animal products too!
M: But i have high cholesterol! And there have been studies that show that carbohydrates don't cause diabetes!
P: YOU STILL HAVE TO EAT MEAT! You don't know what's good for yourself!!! And the internet lies about that stuff!

Hello people of the internet. I'm a 15 year old girl who eats mostly vegan, except when my parents literally force me to eat meat (they threaten to disown me if I dont ). I'm 5'2 and 92 lbs, and I try to gain weight on the vegan lifestyle, but it's so hard. Because of this, my parents don't want me to be vegan. However, I also have high cholesterol, with 189mg/dL (a lot of VLDL too), and triglycerides at 256 mg/dL. I know eating meat will just make it worse, but my parents don't care. They just want me to gain weight and say that you can't gain weight while being vegan. How can I get them to let me be vegan? I've showed them so much evidence that supports veganism, but they just wont listen!

[jamietwo]

Its hard when your parents don't support your choice to eat a vegan diet. Do you follow the McDougall diet (whole foods, starch-based, low-fat, no added oils)? Maybe your parents would feel better if they looked at a bmi calculator. I plugged the info you gave into one at mayo (http://www.mayoclinic.org/bmi-calculator/itt-20084938) and this is what it said:

Your child's BMI is 16.8
What It Means: Normal
A healthy BMI for a girl this age is between 16.3 and 24.

If they still insist that you eat "some" meat, you could try following the McDougall diet very strictly and just eating the minimum amount of meat they'll allow. Good luck!

[Starchpower]

First eat like Dr.mcdougall says starch base with fruits and vegetables. Show your parents forks over Knives. Let's face it rice and beans are a lot cheaper than meat . Type 2 diabetes is caused by to much fat ( like found in meat and dairy). I am not concerned about the scale just eat normally and your weight seems normal . About the same as Olympic female distance runners. Also the government says protein meaning beans or meat . Try to reason at first ,last resort just say no ! Greens and beans have all the calcium you need . Don't worry about protein just eat enough starches. Type 2 is from fat not carbs .

[Starchpower]

Just say no !

[purpotato]

Okay guys, I've resorted to disobeying my parents and going vegan. It's kind of ruined my relationship with them. If I even mention trying to convert them, they get really worked up. Dinner time is so tense because I only eat the dishes that I know are vegan, so I pretty much just eat rice and veggies at dinner, and eat a bunch at other times of the day. I just hope that they don't hate me for causing "trouble". At least I know I'm helping animals, the earth, and other humans.

[awest27]

If they are cooking for you, you can be sure they are using fats and oils, maybe even butter. You might want to start cooking for yourself and offer to cook dinner for everyone.

[purpotato]

If they are cooking for you, you can be sure they are using fats and oils, maybe even butter. You might want to start cooking for yourself and offer to cook dinner for everyone.

I wish I could. But they said that as long as I live under their roof, I have to eat fats or else I will be malnourished. No matter what research i show them that high carb is the way to go. They say that if you live off carbs, you will die. Even though so many people thrive off carbs. They refuse to see the truth:(

[vgpedlr]

Education takes time. You may just have to settle for now and be patient. Perhaps eventually they will relax their attitudes. Don't give up.

[Dougalling]

HI

Maybe they could watch the Forks Over Knives DVD. They might listen to a house full of robust firefighters.
Good luck !

[Vanilla Orchid]

Stop trying to convert your parents. Focus on yourself. Don't argue. Be polite and say "no thank you" to food you should not have. Eat as you know you should whenever possible, but do it quietly without making a big deal about it.

Work hard. Do well in school. Go to college. You will soon be independent and self-supporting and able to do what you want.

[NewCindy]

Vanilla Orchid is totally correct. All you have to do is muddle through until you can get a job and move out. I joined the Navy at 17, there are lots of ways out.
I have some whole food plant based ideas for teens on my site:
http://www.veganaugusta.com/new/
Try to take SMALL portions of your parents foods but BIG portions of acceptable side dishes (like veggies, even if cooked in oil, keep your mental health ok).
If you want to gain weight, eat nuts, avocado, beans. You can even eat seitan in moderation. You can eat healthy breads like homemade (vegan but your parents would not know) banana bread, biscuits etc. Rice, quinoa, grains are all high calorie relative to veggies so eat up on them.
FYI, the "non vegan" tool I use is Harvard Healthy Eating Plate which recommends against dairy and against red and processed meat. It might come in handy sometime. Just google it, easy to find.
Sorry so late to post, email me any time you need support. You can do it!
Cindy
[email protected]

[flyfromashes]

I wish I could. But they said that as long as I live under their roof, I have to eat fats or else I will be malnourished. No matter what research i show them that high carb is the way to go. They say that if you live off carbs, you will die. Even though so many people thrive off carbs. They refuse to see the truth:(

I am sorry you are having such a difficult time with your parents. I also want you to know it is normal for someone your age to be finding their own way and this sometimes upsets us parents. Maybe you could try talking with a school counselor to help mediate and resolve the issues. Maybe the counselor can help you make your parents understand that you are thinking about your health and trying to get better and you believe in your heart this is the way and maybe you could come to an agreement. Something to try is to tell them that you really believe this will help with your health issues and give a time frame for them to notice results. Like if your cholesterol and triglycerides get better then they may go on board. Also people come in different shapes and sizes, if you are thinner, and are eating adequate food, then maybe you have a normal body type for you.

If all else fails just remember, many of us do not start this lifestyle until much later in life and we can still halt or reverse a lot of illness. Even if you are 20 before you can get your own place and start cooking for yourself, you are still way ahead of the game.

[Dougalling]

Hi

You can eat avocado as 80% of it's calories are from good fats and will help you gain weight in a healthy matter. (check out Dr McDougall's Color Picture Book)
Eat up to one cup of cooked beans for protein.
Enter what you eat in cronometer.com and show your parents that you are getting all your nutrients/fats/carb/proteins.