Help?
Hey guys!
I'm a nineteen year old girl from sweden, and I'm looking for a little help and support...
Ok, so theres a lot of info to take in at once, so here goes:
first of all, my fathers a chef, and he loves meat, so Ive always been force fed lamb chops and various cuts of meat - and I always hated the taste. I've wanted to become a vegetarian forever, but my epericence is that here, most people are carnivoures, and the concept of not eating meat is a bit strange, and there's definately "something wrong with you" if you don't consume dairy.
I've also had an eating disorder since I was about 8 (I get fuzzy on the details) and although I'm a normal weight now, I'm looking to shed those famous last five pounds. And lastly, all of my friends are millitant carnivours, all of whom love meat and pizza and candy, and it's really difficult not joining in. I love them and they're my friends, but I also want to take care of myself.
Can anyone help me, and give me some useful tips?
Thanks in advance!
Are you living on your own now or are you still in your father's house eating what he puts on the table. Obviously, if you can cook for yourself, you can eat whatever the hell you want to! One thing that concerns me, going vegetarian is sometimes a "cover story" for someone with anorexia. Don't turn vegetarian so you can limit your consumption of any food to a minimum level. Otherwise, here are some websites that I have found to help with the transition to vegetarianism:
http://www.vegcooking.com/makingthetransition.asp
http://www.alternet.org/environment/48633
http://goveg.com/feat/chewonthis/
http://www.ivu.org/faq/
The best tip I can offer is to start looking at what you like to eat and find vegetarian versions of them. Then start trying tofu and seitan in dishes instead of meat. You have come to one of the best sites for vegetarian recipes that there is. And one of the best forums for asking questions that there is. So ask. There are no questions that someone here won't try to tackle.
Peace
humm...this post hits close to home. My parents would not allow a vegetarian diet in the home. I had wanted to be vegetarian from as far back as I can remember. I regularly made petitions to allow me to make the switch. I did mountains and mountains of research on how to be a healthy vegetarian. I proposed paying for all my own groceries and everything. They wouldn't budge (interestingly my mom was veg when she was pregnant with me. I don't get their reasoning. Finally, in jr high I decided that they could not make me eat anything outside of their sight. So, I totally stopped eating meat away from home. And then on the day I graduated highschool, I stopped eating meat all together.
So...I guess it comes down to drawing the battle lines where you will. I'm a non-confrontational person...so i couldn't do the outright rebellion of refusing to eat steak at the table. I found fish less offensive than other animal meats so i would suggest that whenever I got to participate in planning dinner. Some of the advice I offer, was not successful for me but I still recommend it. Talk with your parents about why you feel the desire to be vegetarian. Negotiate. Maybe they are okay with you giving up meat, but not dairy. Take what you can. You may just have to wait until you are a little more independent to cross out the dairy. Tell your dad that you appreciate his cooking, but that you really want to do this. Maybe you can still eat some of his side dish sort of foods?
If your parents are privy to the depths of the eating disorder then i can almost grantee you will have a harder time convincing them. My parents were unaware that I was a "purge -type anorexic" through out all my teen years. So it wasn't a factor in their refusal to concede. In the event that they do know (i really hope they do, it makes recvery much easier.) then maybe you can discuss specific food substitutes. Id offer to go to a dietitian too if I were you. When I went vegan last year, my family all freaked out because at that point, they all knew of my ED. Id spent something like 3 months in a hospital because of it...so, you know. But I was a 21 year old adult at the time and it was my decision. I was kinda in recovery at the time I made the switch and I made my whole focus on doing it healthfully. Vegetarianism is not about limitling yourself. It is about reducing harm (either to your body, the planet or as it was for me, animals.) REPLACE foods, do not eliminate them. I know how strong the desire to drop weight is...but I had to separate that from myself. The truth is, you can be anorexic weather you are an omnivore or an herbivore. So, don't become vegetarian to lose weight. If that is your focus, it will soil veganism for you. For me, my veganism is one of the only things that i don't feel like I have lost to my eating disorder, and I guard it ferociously because of that. Its a hard road to walk, but it is manageable. Id suggest getting help both with the switch to veganism and with your ED, if its still affecting your everyday life.
Right now, I have fallen into a bit of a relapse with my ED. It sucks cause the first thing my family blames it on is my veganism. Its hard to explain to them, but I try. I remind them that pretty much every ED relapses at some point. I try to remember that I cant be vegan in the hospital, and that encourages me to eat the way I should (enough fats, calories, proteins, etc...) I feel like everytime I eat a meal and so "no" to my eating disorder I am figting for animals, because i have to be healthy to fight for their rights. I feel like every time I go out of my way to find something vegan to eat when it would be so easy to get out of eating anything by saying "I'm sorry, its not vegan" I'm fighting for life. My life.
Anyways, I'm sorry to ramble...ha ha...wow...so good luck, keep your eyes and heart open!