Vegetarians & Vegans Support Group
Vegetarianism is the practice of not consuming the flesh of any animal . Veganism excludes all animal products from diet and in some definitions from attire also. Vegetarians have varied motivations including religious, cultural, ethical, aesthetic, environmental, social, economic, health, political, and personal concerns. Join many others in sharing your experiences to...
So I'm a new vegan. I've been completely off of animal products for a couple of weeks, but had given up most of them nearly two months ago. My decision was motivated primarily by health issues, but I am also appalled at the unkind treatment of animals in modern farming.
Since giving birth to my son a couple of months ago, I get incredibly sick if I eat meat or dairy. When I first got pregnant, I had been trying to make the transition, but for some reason I was craving beef during my pregnancy and it wasn't making me sick, so I wound up eating it then. Due to this, my family and my future in-laws have gotten used to feeding me meat every time I have dinner with them. They also constantly try to feed me dairy even though I don't like it and am lactose intolerant.
My family and my future in-laws are very unsupportive. I live in the midwest where people eat meat, cheese, and butter with every meal. I have explained that these foods make me very sick, yet they won't support my decision. They have seen the aftermath of feeding me beef, eggs, and cheese, so they know I'm not just making it up. They try to hide meat and dairy in food and then try to feed it to me. I am constantly being told that I'm being difficult and ungrateful for not eating what they cook. I am constantly being asked to make an exception "just this one time." I am ridiculed for eating differently than everyone else does. And to top it all off, I get constant lectures about how I can't possibly be getting enough protein, and how unhealthy veganism is in general (which is obviously a load of crap). Basically, they treat me like a child that is a picky eater.
I have tried to ignore them, but like I said, they keep trying to sneak meat and dairy into food that they give me, which is just so incredibly disrespectful and wrong (their disrespectful behavior and attitude extends to other aspects of life too). My solution would normally be to just stop eating with them, but my fiance is adament about having dinner with his family at least once a week. I lost that battle. He is supportive otherwise and eats a lot of the same foods I do and then cooks his meat himself. I have tried bringing some food that I can eat to share (its rude to show up empty handed anyway), but I got my head bitten off for it. I can't eat what's on the table at their house, I can't bring other food, and I can't get out of going over there.
I'm not willing to change and give them their way. Veganism is so much healthier, and I feel a thousand times better than I have in years. What do I do?
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I'nm exhausted. This doxycycline thing has ripped me apart and I'm eating crackers and water. I can't take (anything) or eat (anything) except saltines and toast and maybe unbuttered watery mashed potatoes. Are we sure the cure isn't worse than the possible disease?!?!And a week to go. ***Fun cures that WERE worse than the disease:ARsenic. Popular against STDs, which just compounded misery...
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The problem I usually run into is my friends and church members. Here in Hawaii, the culture revolves around potlucks. Everyone is always trying to feed you. Our church is always having snacks and potlucks, my friends always have potlucks, and if that's not enough, friends are always inviting you over for food jus for the sake of food. Like you, I try to tell them I can't eat this I can't eat that, I'm a vegetarian and they'll still make a pile of chicken stir fry, beef, shrimp, etc. And then tell me to eat it because it's good for me. Without trying to get all into my health problems I try to tell them I have IBS or a medical condition, but it often doesn't help. In fact, it'll lead to arguments and a bunch of awkwardness with them prying for more information about my health and why why why (Maybe they think I'm faking? Or do they think I just want attention?? I really don't know.) and sure leaves me in a ball of anger. One friend of mine, it didn't matter what answer I gave her, it was never good enough. She was convinced some doctor should have been able to cure me years ago. And in the mean time, try and enjoy my chicken. Right. So I picked the peas out of her chicken dish and ate those. She felt so bad after that and never tried to force it on me again. Next time I came over her house, there was a lot of vegetarian food :).
If I can't bring my own dish, I just have to make sure I eat something before I go to one of these events, in case I can't eat what's on the table. Otherwise, try the best you can at bringing a salad (something they can enjoy too) and leave it at that. You can talk to these people till they're blue in the face, they don't want to hear it. Sorry. Sending you the biggest hugs and support!
I have even tried to use my infant as an excuse to not eat dinner. He's a bit of a fuss budget, and he wants you to walk around while holding him. My future mother in law unfortunately likes to try to be "helpful" and she grabs him to do that during dinner so I can eat, then only after I've eaten will she give him back to me. Its pretty sad when they won't even let you use your newborn as an excuse. That was an awful night. They fed me lasagna, and I couldn't even keep it down. I had to eat again after we got home.