Non vegan family against veganism

Anonymous1502

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  1. Vegan newbie
I am fed up with my family constantly telling me that they heard from so and so that so and so were a vegan and nearly died etc. There are so many non veganism that die on a daily basis from things like heart problems, diabetes etc but no one talks about that. I know so many unhealthy non vegan people and no one bats an eyelid. I am also fed up with my non vegan grandma complaining about my cooking and constantly saying how she needs meat, I as a vegan will not contribute to animal suffering so I will only cook vegan food. No matter how many scientific journals I cite that state the health benefit of being vegan it is like I can't get into their heads. They are so brain washed when it comes to food it is unreal e.g. milk is good for bones (milk isn't good for bones are there are other great sources of calcium that don't contain animal products e.g. banana).
 
People want to eat meat and dairy. That's it in a nutshell. Honestly I'd rather people come clean with the fact they watched the documentaries, ready the data, but want to eat them anyway. I get that far more than anyone trying to defend their choices with health!
People are turning to plant based foods more where I am, even if not based on ethics or completely. So many people have turned their health around by changing their diet and sharing their stories.
It's also getting easier to eat vegan. I know omnivores who now prefer to order Beyond Burgers over beef based more on taste!

I would watch what you present as nutritional information though, bananas are not good sources of calcium!

Welcome!
 
welcome to the forum and I hope you will find the support that you need here

@silva has it just right and preaching at them isn't going to help

Congrats to you for making such a great decision so early in your life, good for you health, good for the animals and the environment.

Emma JC
 
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I am fed up with my family constantly telling me that they heard from so and so that so and so were a vegan and nearly died etc. There are so many non veganism that die on a daily basis from things like heart problems, diabetes etc but no one talks about that. I know so many unhealthy non vegan people and no one bats an eyelid. I am also fed up with my non vegan grandma complaining about my cooking and constantly saying how she needs meat, I as a vegan will not contribute to animal suffering so I will only cook vegan food. No matter how many scientific journals I cite that state the health benefit of being vegan it is like I can't get into their heads. They are so brain washed when it comes to food it is unreal e.g. milk is good for bones (milk isn't good for bones are there are other great sources of calcium that don't contain animal products e.g. banana).

I remember similar experiences when I first became vegan in 1991.

In my nearly 30 year experience, it's not effective to argue or push people to become vegan. People become vegan because they feel positively and powerfully inspired, from inside themselves - not because we pester them to do so. I know - veganism is ethically the best choice! Still, no-one enjoys being harassed into this.

If your family seems genuinely worried about your health, you can show them these articles from the UK National Health Service (NHS):


.
 
Instead of trying to sway them to believe the benefits of being vegan, it may be better to just have them accept it as your choice. Don't get into ethics or even too much on health, but provide information showing that how you want to eat has been proven to be accepted as a healthy way of eating, possibly even healthier. You could probably even let them think you're eating some dairy without really confirming whether you are or aren't. Saying "some" isn't necessarily a lie, and it could keep them off your back
Are you able to buy your own food, or prepare your own food?
 
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Instead of trying to sway them to believe the benefits of being vegan, it may be better to just have them accept it as your choice. Don't get into ethics or even too much on health, but provide information showing that how you want to eat has been proven to be accepted as a healthy way of eating, possibly even healthier. You could probably even let them think you're eating some dairy without really confirming whether you are or aren't. Saying "some" isn't necessarily a lie, and it could keep them off your back
Are you able to buy your own food, or prepare your own food?
Yes I prepare my own food however currently I am the one doing the cooking for the entire family because my grandma is unwell and it would be nice if she stopped complaining about the fact that there is no meat in my dinners and going on about how she needs meat and vegan food will make her unwell etc.
 
welcome to the forum and I hope you will find the support that you need here

@silva has it just right and preaching at them isn't going to help

Congrats to you for making such a great decision so early in your life, good for you health, good for the animals and the environment.

Emma JC
I know I can't make them Vegan but I hope through my cooking they will reduce their consumption of animal products by seeing that it is possible to make dinner that doesn't contain animal products because before being vegan I had no idea what vegan people ate and how you could make dinner that wasn't meat based.
 
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I remember similar experiences when I first became vegan in 1991.

In my nearly 30 year experience, it's not effective to argue or push people to become vegan. People become vegan because they feel positively and powerfully inspired, from inside themselves - not because we pester them to do so. I know - veganism is ethically the best choice! Still, no-one enjoys being harassed into this.

If your family seems genuinely worried about your health, you can show them these articles from the UK National Health Service (NHS):


.
Thank you for sharing this I will need to translate it for them as they don't speak English but the NHS is a very credible source so this helps :)
 
That's odd! I thought people in the UK only ate baked beans on toast.

Rubbish.
We all eat chips with everything.
And if you are in Yorkshire, Co. Durham or Northumberland that might well mean chips and peas puddin'.
If you want to be really adventurous you can add some finely chopped leek to your peas puddin' recipe.
Wonderful.
Roger.
 
Rubbish.
We all eat chips with everything.
And if you are in Yorkshire, Co. Durham or Northumberland that might well mean chips and peas puddin'.
If you want to be really adventurous you can add some finely chopped leek to your peas puddin' recipe.
Wonderful.
Roger.

I thought it was just scones with tea.
 
I had tinned marrowfat peas with supper. Do they have Vegan black pudding? Do you's still drink tea out of a rolled up newspaper up Yorkshire way?
 
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