Andrea--
I also encountered some objection from my family when I decided to go
vegan about 6 mos ago (at age 19). Of course, I was living on my own
away at school and was beyond the age when my family could really tell
me what to eat, so it wasn't a huge deal. I am home for the summer
now, and luckily my family is being very supportive (and even eating
my cooking!), even though they think my eating habits are strange.
For me, I felt strongly enough about the reasons I was going vegan (my
own health, environmental concerns, saving the animals, etc.) that I
tried not to let comments from friends and family bother me. I also
did some nutritional research so that I could answer questions and
objections with accurate information. Try showing the American
Dietetics Association paper on vegetarian diets to your parents. You
can find it at www.fatfree.com/FAQ/ada-paper or follow the links in
from the fat-free homepage.
Another good resource is Judy Krizmanjic's (sp?) book
_A_Teen's_Guide_to_Going_Vegetarian_. She discusses dealing with
family objections and other practical concerns. It's geared toward a
high school audience and has some very good ideas.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
To everyone else--thanks for the great recipes and ideas! They help
so much!!
-Laura in LA
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