A vegan at 13?!
A vegan at 13?
I'm concidering being a vegan because I love animals and this video I saw REALLY convinced me, what do you guys think?
*if you wanna see the vid, the site's www.goveg.com
6 months ago
Don't get me wrong, but this isn't a phase or something. Animals have been my passion for as long as i car remember and i just don't want to be part of the problem anymore
6 months ago
i know what the differences are. just go to www.goveg.com to see why i want to be a vegan.
Answers:
6 months ago
Don't get me wrong, but this isn't a phase or something. Animals have been my passion for as long as i car remember and i just don't want to be part of the problem anymore
6 months ago
i know what the differences are. just go to www.goveg.com to see why i want to be a vegan.
Sweetie, whatever your reasons are just make sure they are YOUR reasons. If it is something you feel strongly convicted about then follow your heart (as lame as that sounds). Take it from experience, you will be more dedicated to a cause if your whole heart, mind and being are behind it.
P.S. A few tips (again from experience)...a.) don't force your beliefs on others b.) don't take the stance that others are wrong because they don't believe the way you do and finally c.)-this was my biggest hurdle growing up vegetarian and going through basic training as a vegan-DON'T feel you have to justify your beliefs or decisions to ANYONE! The only person you answer to is God (if you so believe) other than that everyone else's opinions, in the grand scheme of things, really doesn't matter.
Your life, your livelihood....follow your heart chica!!
Much luck!!
its up to you i like meat too much.
Go for it if you want. But it's best to consult a nutritionist, because without any dairy products or meat, you can be missing some essential minerals and nutrients from your diet, especially if you are only 13 and still growing. Be careful, or you can do some damage to your body.
It's very difficult to get all the nutrition you need as a vegan. It's possible, but difficult. If you choose to be a vegan, please educate yourself about nutrition so you will get all the vitamins, minerals and amino acids that you need for good health. 13 is too young to ruin your health by malnutrition.
no being a vegan is neither good nor required, you need meat as an essential source for proteins, it's healthy, don't jeopardize your health, and you are still young, you need the proteins to grow taller
You have to be very careful with that. It takes a lot of discipline. Humans are carnivores. We are supposed to eat meat. They have nutrients in them that we need to stay healthy. I would consult a nutrition or doctor before I would change over. I love animals to but I still like to eat chicken, fish and beef. But you would never see me eat dog and other animals like in other countries.
If you are going to be vegan go ahead, I personally advise against it, especially if you don't do research on how to maintain your health and get around the lack of nutrients you get from meat and other things vegans don't eat. Also realize that being vegan and vegetarian are different, if your only problem is with the killing of animals, then you should probably become a vegetarian instead of a vegan. Anyway, I have seen many vegetarians and vegans and have yet to see one that is truthfully healthy, they are usually weak due to a lack of various nutrients that come exclusively from meat. I like animals too, but there is no way to completely substitute for meat and I personally believe that animals are here for our use, so I have no problem eating them. If you do, I'm not going to stop you, but I will advise you not to do so.
btw, eating meat isn't a problem
I read your website, well most of it, and I still see no reason to not eat meat. I do still see reason to not use genetic engineering and hormones to increase the size and growth rate of animals, vegetables, and fruits, but not any reason to not eat meat.
you can be a vegan... my friend is 11 this year and she is a vegan long ago
Personally, I think its awesome. I wish I had had that conviction at 13.
I've been vegetarian for 5 years, and am going ever closer towards totally vegan. I make exceptions for eggs and dairy in the food my parents make, and when they buy me dinner out and about. Otherwise my cooking is totally vegan.
It is important to get proper nutrition on any diet. Make sure you are getting adequate omega-3 fatty acids, B-12, Iodine, Vitamin D, Calcium, and Magnesium. Be sure to eat a balanced diet that includes a broad range of vegetables, as well as whole grains and legumes. People are generally way too panicky about protein, but on an american diet its easy to get too much.
I put a link in the sources section that has some great info on vegan nutrition. Good Luck!!
yup ..u can go a head b a vegan.. but make sure u gt all the nutrition u need since ur still growing .i started being vegan whn i ws also 13 nw iv been a vegan for5 yrs..ppl still scold me syng I'm growing up ..nothings wrong with me still. i dunooo jus eat lot of vegetables and try to find vegi stuff which v all the nutrition's
I'm 14 && I've been a vegetarian since age 8 .. && I haven't eaten a hamburger since I was 4! Everyone thought it was a phase or whatever with me but eventually they figured out I wasn't going to eat meat [which my whole family does!]
But I totally think you should follow thru. Being a vegan is really hard tho. Vegan is where you eat NOTHING that contains animal products, including dairy, eggs, && any foods that even contain traces of them. I'm not that committed lol .. my policy is if they had to kill an animal to make it ;; I don't eat it, making me a lacto-ovo-vegetarian [umm I think.] I'd recommend doing that unless you want to be reading alot of ingredient labels to make sure you aren't eating milk or something.
Good luck tho =]
Make an informed decision regarding this, rather than an emotionally appealing one.
Get a book (even from the library) by Dr. D'Adamo called "Eat Right For your Type", find out your blood type from your Dr/medical records, and read up.
The reason there is so much disagreement in opinions on dietary matters is that there is really no one-size-fits-all diet.
I get weak, sick, and light headed without meat (I'm type "O" blood). My friend gets sluggish, tired, cruddy feeling from meat, she is a diferent blood type.
This is the best, most scientifically sound info. I have read on nutritionally adaquate dietary habits-those that will cause you to thrive.
It's also quite an interesting & fun read.
This Dr. and his M.D. father have been doing their studies for years. If you only read one book on the subject, this would be the one.
btw, if you do need to eat meat, as many of us do, buying organic from organic farmers is the way to go. They generally are much more in touch, & run small farms that do not employ the horrific techniques of mass production/slaughter to which I assume you are referring. It's generally only 5 to 15% more cost for organics, and the taste & nutrtritional content are far above the massed produced, conventional foods that are grown to appeal to the eye (from hybrids) rather than for taste and content.
UCSC has recently conducted studies showing organic produce to be 300 to 500% higher in nutrients than their conventional counterparts.
Lastly, be very, very careful, as your brain and body developement require more quality protein at this (growth) stage of your life than at any other time. You are forming permanently developed organs, musculoskeletal system, etc. that will have a lifetime of health benefits/consequences. These are very serious decisions you are making for your health and strength now and for the future, do not choose without being very, very careful. Protein is the building blocks for all your DNA.
A Happy & Healthy New Year to you, and congratulations for being a teen who is thoughtful about their dietary choices- kudos to you!
p.s. I love animals too! Especially those loveable little ferrets!
eat nuts for zinc,protein,fat
eat broccoli(or spinach or other dark,green,leafy vegetables) for iron and calcium
eat beans for protein and iron
eat lots of different veggies for vitamin A
eat lots of fruits for vitamin c
eat vitamin b-12 fortified foods like soymilk or tempeh or tofu(or take a vegan multivitamin,a good idea "just in case")
try eat whole grain breads instead of white breads
I reallly want to be vegan too ,and I want it since I was 13 too (15 now).But my mother told me to wait because I am still growing and I need to get all the nutrients that are needed.So I have to eat meat,because I have to eat all the different foods.I think she is right.You need to get all the nutrients in order to get a healthy adult with a nice health.I think you should wait,as I do!
No problem being a vegan at any age, as long as you get enough protein to support the years of rapid growth.
people here to advice you not to do it are idiots with no will power or compassion to other living things
meat eaters eat way way more protein then they need everyday,
for example beacon, chicken sandwich, steak for 1 day, that's over 60 g of protein, I only need 20 each day, which I can get from eating soy bean, soy sprout, tufo, and about 1 million other things, to make up the proteins I need.
plus factory made chicken, pig, cow, is very bad for you, it'll clog your arterys and speed up your growth cycle, you'll die sooner, same goes for all you meat eaters
Its unhealthy in my opinion. I don't eat fish they are too cool lol!
But I do eat other animals. Look into a cows eyes. You can tell that animal was meant for food.
Don't eat fish though.
well im 13. Im not a vegan though, a vegetarian. but yeahh i saw that video and its soo convincing. but i was a vegetarian before that.
if your not a vegetarian now and want to be a vegan, start easy and slowly eliminate meats and dairy from your diet..dont just cut down on all the nutrition because it could be unhealthy.
but yeahh vegetarianism is an amazing lifestyle and you can look at animals without feeling guilty
If a vegan diet is very carefully planned, and that requires either fortified foods or supplements, it can be about AS healthy as a normal meat eating diet. I think there are a couple of benefits, but they come from eating a wide range of fruit and veg and being health conscious as vegans have to be, not omitting meat, and thus those benefits can be go without actually going veggie. Needless to say a uncarefully planned vegetarian, or especially vegan, diet can lack many essential nutrients and be very bad for your health.
There are many benefits to a diet containing meat. Many vegetarians claim that meat is unhealthy. This is a blatant fallacy.
It is well established that eating meat improves the quality of nutrition, strengthens the immune system, promotes normal growth and development, is beneficial for day-to-day health, energy and well-being, and helps ensure optimal learning and academic performance.
A long term study found that children who eat more meat are less likely to have deficiencies than those who eat little or no meat. Kids who don’t eat meat ― and especially if they restrict other foods, as many girls are doing ― are more likely to feel tired, apathetic, unable to concentrate, are sick more often, more frequently depressed, and are the most likely to be malnourished and have stunted growth. Meat and other animal-source foods are the building blocks of healthy growth that have made America’s and Europe's youngsters the tallest, strongest and healthiest in the world.
Meat is an important source of quality nutrients, heme iron, protein, zinc and B-complex vitamins. It provides high-quality protein important for kids’ healthy growth and development.
The iron in meat (heme iron) is of high quality and well absorbed by the body, unlike nonheme iron from plants which is not well absorbed. More than 90 percent of iron consumed may be wasted when taken without some heme iron from animal sources. Substances found to inhibit nonheme iron absorption include phytates in cereals, nuts and legumes, and polyphenolics in vegetables. Symptoms of iron deficiency include fatigue, headache, irritability and decreased work performance. For young children, it can lead to impairment in general intelligence, language, motor performance and school readiness. Girls especially need iron after puberty due to blood losses, or if pregnant. Yet studies show 75 percent of teenage girls get less iron than recommended.
Meat, poultry and eggs are also good sources of absorbable zinc, a trace mineral vital for strengthening the immune system and normal growth. Deficiencies link to decreased attention, poorer problem solving and short-term memory, weakened immune system, and the inability to fight infection. While nuts and legumes contain zinc, plant fibre contains phytates that bind it into a nonabsorbable compound.
Found almost exclusively in animal products, Vitamin B12 is necessary for forming new cells. A deficiency can cause anaemia and permanent nerve damage and paralysis. The Vitimin B12 in plants isn't even bioavailable, meaning our body can't use it.
Why not buy food supplements to replace missing vitamins and minerals? Some people believe they can fill those gaps with pills, but they may be fooling themselves. Research consistently shows that real foods in a balanced diet are far superior to trying to make up deficiencies with supplements.
Lets not forget either that protein, while it is found in plants, is better quality in animal products.
Some people claim that meat is unhealthy because it contains saturated fat. So does margarine and olive oil, and they're vegan suitable (in fact the hydrogenated fats in Marge can be very bad, but that's another story). Besides, any excess calories in your diet, any excess sugar, starch or carbohydrates are stored in your body for later use. This is done by turning them into saturated fats.
Cholesterol too. Your body on average creates four to five times more cholesterol than the average person consumes, and compensates by creating more when less is consumed. Cholesterol isn't evil, it is essential; it makes up the waterproof linings of all our cells and without it we would die. Too much can be bad, but as with saturated fats there are more healthy ways of disposing of it, like regular exercise. Anyway, it isn't so much how much cholesterol you eat, but how well yur body handles it. A person who eats loads of dietary cholesterol and leads an unhealthy lifestyle can still have low cholesterol, and vice versa. Most people's bodies are able to take a large amount of cholesterol without getting atherosclerosis. For this reason that eating meat gives you heart disease is very misleading, and for the most part untrue. Of course, if you do have a problem eating loads isn't a good idea, but for most people there is nothing at all to worry about.
Yes, there are things in meat that there is some evidence can cause cancer in some people, but there are as many in plants too. Soy especially has some very potent carcinogens. Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women. Also they are potent antithyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
Soy is bad for numerous other reasons, but that isn't the point, I'm just using it as a quick example relating to cancer not being exclusive to some animal products. The evidence that claims meat does cause cancer is patchy anyway.
Some people also claim that we aren't designed by evolution, to eat meat. They claim that our digestive system is quite long and that we produce amylase, a starch splitting catabolic enzyme, akin to herbivores and unlike carnivores. Apparently this clearly shows that we were designed to eat plants. Such people should go and look up 'omnivore' in a dictionary. They have also been known to cite other reasons we are like herbivores and unlike carnivores: that we suck water instead of lapping it, and that we perspire through our skin, such things have nothing at all to do with whether or not we were designed to eat meat, and nothing to do with how our body handles food. I might as well say that because we, like most carnivores and unlike most herbivores, have eyes that face forwards, we must be carnivorous. Of course, that's not true for precisely the same reason.
The fact is Humans are omnivores, with the ability to eat nearly everything. By preference, prehistoric people ate a high-protein, high-mineral diet based on meat and animal sources, whenever available. Their foods came mainly from three of the five food groups: meat, vegetables and fruits. As a result, big game mammoth hunters were tall and strong with massive bones. They grew six inches taller than their farming descendants in Europe, who ate mostly plant foods, and only in recent times regained most of this height upon again eating more meat, eggs and dairy foods. We are adapted to eat meat, and it is just as natural as eating plants.
Some also claim that the digestion of meat releases harmful byproducts into our system. This is true, however such are our adaptations to eating meat that our bodies are quite able to dispose of said products without any adverse effects.
So, in summary: it isn't healthier to avoid meat. You can be healthy without meat, but likely not as healthy as if you did, assuming you kept things like the wide range of fruit and veg that a veggie diet usually entails. Too much meat can be bad, but normal amounts are no problem at all. Any health benefits that come from a veggie diet come from a wide range of fruit and veg, and being health conscious, as veggies often are; that doesn't require you to not eat meat. Any dangers a vegan diet has are also much worse in children.
I don't think a vegan diet benefits anyone in any way better than a better meat eating diet could at all. If you have no ethical qualms, it's quite pointless. PETA will tell you otherwise, but they have very strong ethical opinions, and mould their 'evidence' around it. There is, for example, some evidence that vegans live longer and are at less risk from cancer and heart disease; however those studies show only a very marginal and insignificant difference and none of those studies have yet managed to identify meat as the only variable. Veggies are less likely to smoke, drink or eat junk food, and eat a wider range of fruit and veg, making the test results inaccurate and unreliable.
Go for it! It's perfectly healthy for you as long as you do it right. Make sure you read about proper Vegan nutrition before you make the swich. A good book is called, Becoming Vegan.
ADA position paper on Vegetarian and Vegan Diets
Vegetarian Diets June 2003 (Vol. 103, Issue 6, Pages 748-765)
Abstract
It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and
Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are
healthful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the
prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Approximately 2.5% of
adults in the United States and 4% of adults in Canada follow
vegetarian diets. A vegetarian diet is defined as one that does not
include meat, fish or fowl. Interest in vegetarianism appears to be
increasing, with many restaurants and college foodservices offering
vegetarian meals routinely. Substantial growth in sales of foods
attractive to vegetarians has occurred, and these foods appear in
many supermarkets. This position paper reviews the current scientific
data related to key nutrients for vegetarians, including protein,
iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin B-12, vitamin A,
n-3 fatty acids and iodine. A vegetarian, including vegan, diet can
meet current recommendations for all of these nutrients. In some
cases, use of fortified foods or supplements can be helpful in
meeting recommendations for individual nutrients. Well-planned vegan
and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of
the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy,
childhood and adolescence. Vegetarian diets offer a number of
nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat,
cholesterol, and animal protein as well as higher levels of
carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants
such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals. Vegetarians have been
reported to have lower body mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well
as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also
show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower
rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon
cancer. Although a number of federally funded and institutional
feeding programs can accommodate vegetarians, few have foods suitable
for vegans at this time. Because of the variability of dietary
practices among vegetarians, individual assessment of dietary intakes
of vegetarians is required. Dietetics professionals have a
responsibility to support and encourage those who express an interest
in consuming a vegetarian diet. They can play key roles in educating
vegetarian clients about food sources of specific nutrients, food
purchase and preparation, and any dietary modifications that may be
necessary to meet individual needs. Menu planning for vegetarians can
be simplified by use of a food guide that specifies food groups and
serving sizes.
Make sure you're doing it for your own reasons, not someone else's reasons. If you don't really believe in your reasons for doing it, you'll never be able to stick to it.
One thing I always find funny is that people who aren't vegan like to tell people that its unhealthy or difficult to be healthy on a vegan diet. People who bring up protein as a problem are the ones to watch out for. Protein is not hard at all to get as a vegan. You'll have more issues with calcium than you ever will with protein. I've been vegan since I was 14 and I'm now 30. I'm 6' tall and a bit overweight. Most vegans I know are not small, unhealthy people. They look like everyone else.
Good luck in whatever you decide to do.