Help! DD wants to go vegan and I am scared.... - Page 3

[SilverFish]

Originally Posted by kathymuggle

She is not Ok with "traces of". She feels that if she has a bit of milk or eggs, she might as well go full throttle (or that it is a slippery slope to full throttle).

She has been a rigid lavo-oct vegetarians. Once upon a time I was vegetarian, but I did not concern myself with things like rennet, gelatin, or whether the sugar was passed through bones. She does. I have also spoken with her about how reducing items may be more realistic than complete avoidance - no dice.

I am not sure whether this desire to completely avoid any traces of animal procducts is because she is young and things are quite black and white (it may have a tsp of milk in a huge batch and is therefore unacceptable) or if it is part of her personality. I do confess the rigidity of her beliefs do concern me, but that may be another post. I am trying to stay positive, and know it is very possible that going vegan, (which from the outside seems a restricted diet) may actually force her to eat a more varied diet to pacify her mothers concerns about nutritional requirements, lol.

We are starting at the beginning and we will see where the journey goes....

i just wanted to point out that "traces of milk products" (or egg etc) just refers to the fact that the product is made in a facility where it may come into contact with these items. it is actually a liability factor because these are common allergens. if the products actually contains milk or eggs as part of the recipe, it will include it in the list of ingredients. if it only lists it on the end, it only means that it was prepared on the same equipment or in the same facility. often, smaller companies can't afford their own equipment, so have their products made at larger factories, or it's a product that is accidently vegan made by a non-veg company... most adult vegans i know (including myself) buy these products without any qualms. maybe if i could choose between two similar products, one without the "traces of" labelling and one with, i might choose without, but it's not an animal rights issue, its more about supporting 100% vegan companies. so yeah, your bread is probably just fine.

i'm glad you're being cautiously supportive... i know it must be hard for you. being vegan at such a young age can be an exhausting endeavour... your food supply is essentially controlled by other people, and it can be hard to learn how to balance your pasionate views with still being social/polite. a lot of young vegans and vegetarians get burnt out just because it is hard to constantly be vigilant about something that is so important to you, while other people seem so oblivious... gosh... it's hard as an adult too, but at least i can retreat into my happy vegan bubble. i'd encourage you to continue to encourage her. even if it's not a cause you personally believe in, a young person showing such dedication and caring for her fellow living creatures can only be a good thing!

[lilyka]

hey! its been a little while. Just wondering how things have been going....

[purslaine]

Things have been going pretty well. She has been a vegan for a bit now, and I think it has had ramifications beyond nutritional.

For one, I think she has learned she does not have to tell everyone she is vegan. Veganism seems to stir a lot of emotions in people, and her food choices are personal, so if she does not feel like discussing it she does not have to. It is helping her to work on boundaries.

Food wise, she is doing great

We have veggie soup with garbanzo beans in the fridge and tofu, broccoli stir fry in the freezer. DD made a mac and cheese (soy cheese, margarine, rice milk) and ate a lot of it yesterday and froze some.

We have done some baking - I am noticing that vegan baked goods seem to have a lot of sugar. She made killer muffins but they had one cup of sugar in them! She brought one to the coffee house the other day to ensure she had a treat while the rest of us were eating doughnuts.

Overall she has been a lot less picky. I think she wants to be vegan more than she wants to be picky. It has been very good for her.

I have not yet asked her to keep a food log to check if she is getting her nutritional requirements. I will, but not for a few weeks. I will let her find her footing with Veganism first.

We have had a few hiccups with finding food. The local grocer does not stock whey free margarine (but one in the city near my DH's work does) and the bread we usually buy has a mystery ingrediant in it that may be whey or may be molassess . I wish labels were more specific! Yes, I can and will call the company.....

Kathy

[Ianthe]

That's great Kathy!!

I think that vegan goods are sweeter because the soy/rice milk is also sweetened, so I always cut back the sugar when I use sweetened milks.

And I've also noticed that some people get really emotional and defensive when they find out we are vegan, I'm not sure why that is, but it happens sometimes.

[Owen'nZoe]

I'm so glad that the transition is working out so well for you and for her. You're doing great!

[lilyka]

yeah, I have noticed the massive amounts of sugar in the vegan treat recipes I have. but I would rather have that than nasty healthy versions I want a chocolate chip cookie that tastes like a friggin cookie. I am on a diet now so am not baking but I have noticed my sugar intake is just high. my dietition said not to worry about it right now so long as I am losing weight...a little extra sugar isn't going to kill me in light of my very healthy diet.

[somegirl99]

Originally Posted by kathymuggle

We have had a few hiccups with finding food. The local grocer does not stock whey free margarine (but one in the city near my DH's work does) and the bread we usually buy has a mystery ingrediant in it that may be whey or may be molassess . I wish labels were more specific! Yes, I can and will call the company.....

Just FYI, if something happens to be certified "Pareve" then it is dairy-free (it may still have eggs or fish products in so you still have to check the label). Sometimes that helps me with questionable ingredients.

[DevaMajka]

Also if it has cholesterol in it, it's not vegan. I was surprised to learn this. It's kind of an interesting tidbit

[fresh_veggie]

I didn't read PP (sorry!) but just my .02...

It's so cool you're open to this!!

I'd just suggest a good, whole foods vitamin supplement for extra insurance. I'm vegan myself, and I know that nutritionally it's important for everyone to have a good variety of different foods - so picky eaters should probably take a vitamin.

Always encourage her to stand up for what she believes in! My parents did not when it came to animal compassion, and it made the whole thing very hard for all of us. And hummus is delicious! Consider buying garbanzo beans in bulk to make hummus from home. You can do different dips with different beans too.

[Purple*Lotus]

I also wanted to add how awesome and mature I think your DD is You are very lucky to have such a great DD, she will go far in life because she has strong convictions and she is really working this new lifestyle

And you are a fabulous Mom for being so supportive!