Advice Needed for a renewed vegan

Earthmama

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Advice for a renewed vegan would be highly appreciated

Hi. I am a 39yo women and am apprehensive about posting as I have never done this before but I really would appreciate some support and advice. I will give a little back story, I turned vegetarian nearly 9 years ago after viewing footage of what happens in a slaughterhouse and then turned vegan a few months later after reading Alicia Silverstones book The Kind diet - I was a very strict vegan for years / debating alot and campaigning. However this is when I feel like utter **** typing this, I injured myself and was struggling to move, heal and generally feel like a functional moving human which lasted for months - at the time I felt it was due to lack of protein and low calories and started eating eggs again and occasionally fish, even more occasionally the tinest bit of dairy. It has been like this on off for a few years - to be honest it felt like I was driven alot by fear, fear of being injured again and that I need to make sure I have enough protein and nutrients, because I do alot of exercise. I have had a secret shame over this and do truly feel sick with guilt.
90% of my diet has always been plant based during this particular period but I really have come to the realisation that I want to be fully vegan, I just dont know how to move forward with this horrible guilt eating away at me. I never want to contribute to an animals suffering ever again.
I am struggling with the fact that I still buy some meat and diary products (exremely minimal ) for my young disabled children, I hate having any of it in the house and if I lived alone there would never be any animal products around but how do I make peace and stop feeling guilty when I am feeding my children these things. My children are disabled and are truly picky eaters, I really do try to avoid giving any meat/dairy to my children but when they refuse to eat anything else I feel have no choice. Its minimal as my children have oat milk, vegan spread, vegan snacks however its more yogurts (they refuse the dairy free ones), cheese for my eldest, sausages and chicken.
I would appreciate some support and advice from compassionate vegans on how to move forwards on my journey and any advice for getting young children to embrace vegan foods.
Blessings
 
Advice for a renewed vegan would be highly appreciated

Hi. I am a 39yo women and am apprehensive about posting as I have never done this before but I really would appreciate some support and advice. I will give a little back story, I turned vegetarian nearly 9 years ago after viewing footage of what happens in a slaughterhouse and then turned vegan a few months later after reading Alicia Silverstones book The Kind diet - I was a very strict vegan for years / debating alot and campaigning. However this is when I feel like utter **** typing this, I injured myself and was struggling to move, heal and generally feel like a functional moving human which lasted for months - at the time I felt it was due to lack of protein and low calories and started eating eggs again and occasionally fish, even more occasionally the tinest bit of dairy. It has been like this on off for a few years - to be honest it felt like I was driven alot by fear, fear of being injured again and that I need to make sure I have enough protein and nutrients, because I do alot of exercise. I have had a secret shame over this and do truly feel sick with guilt.
90% of my diet has always been plant based during this particular period but I really have come to the realisation that I want to be fully vegan, I just dont know how to move forward with this horrible guilt eating away at me. I never want to contribute to an animals suffering ever again.
I am struggling with the fact that I still buy some meat and diary products (exremely minimal ) for my young disabled children, I hate having any of it in the house and if I lived alone there would never be any animal products around but how do I make peace and stop feeling guilty when I am feeding my children these things. My children are disabled and are truly picky eaters, I really do try to avoid giving any meat/dairy to my children but when they refuse to eat anything else I feel have no choice. Its minimal as my children have oat milk, vegan spread, vegan snacks however its more yogurts (they refuse the dairy free ones), cheese for my eldest, sausages and chicken.
I would appreciate some support and advice from compassionate vegans on how to move forwards on my journey and any advice for getting young children to embrace vegan foods.
Blessings
Welcome @Earthmama
Letting go of guilt can be difficult, however what’s done is done and feeling guilty won’t change anything… Often times guilt can lead us to feeling like why bother trying to do something because we’ve already failed… Which doesn’t help you and won’t help the animals either… What matters is what you do Now and in the future… You are living a Vegan life Now, this is a new beginning for you, not so much starting over, but rather reaffirming your commitment… Worries about protein are usually not founded and some of the members here use apps to help with nutrient calculations…
As far as being Vegan and exercising a lot, perhaps check out the Vegan bodybuilders and Vegan runners as well as other Vegan athletes and what they eat…

Since I am not a parent I don’t feel that I can offer any advice regarding your children, hopefully someone else will have some insight for you…
I hope that you feel Welcomed here and that you give yourself the grace you deserve…
 
When doctors recommend to vegans that they should eat animal products then it just shows that they are lazy or not informed properly. And/or that they perhaps have an ‘anti-vegan’ bias due to their own nagging guilt.

As 1956 writes - “worries about protein are usually not founded.”

You might find something useful in this:


And also this:

Keep going - and good luck!

And watch this - to lift your heart! And maybe your kids will like it too! (It’s from the great people at Life With Pigs Farm Sanctuary):

 
Coincidentally - I just read this just now! An article about how kids have been lured into becoming picky eaters by big business.

“Many adults assume that prolonged pickiness is a hard-wired stage and that kids naturally dislike many foods. But mass childhood pickiness is a modern phenomenon created largely by junk food companies that marketed products like sugary cereals as food specifically for children, convincing Americans that kids need different, easily likable foods. This fostered a culture of pickiness that is harming children’s health and depriving them of a range of pleasures and flavors that would have been available to them in the past — all while adding heaps of unnecessary anxiety to dinner tables across the country.”

(Sorry about the first part of the essay with it’s talk of oyster and crab, and offal etc!)

 
welcome to the forum - we embrace you

veganism has been a journey for many of us, and I am not sure what would have happened in my journey if I had children

I have watched a lot of vegan families, raising vegan children, over the past 10 years, on YouTube, and suggest that might help you a bit.

Sending you peace and the strength to be the person and mom that you wish to be.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com
 
I am so blown away by the kindess and support I have received and seen on this forum. Years ago when I used to have social media and a smart phone I have come across so many rude and judgemental vegans who really gave people who slipped up a hard time. Thank you all for your kindness and advice, I truly appreciate it and I do feel better in myself as I am re-affirming my commitment. Oh my goodness Jenna the calf is just everything!!!! I cant wait to show my children that video. I appreciate all the links I will be sure to check them out xx
 
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