By Amy Dell, VRG Intern
I became vegetarian when I was nine years old, and I went vegan at ten. I was in elementary school, and I was the only vegan my age that I knew. I brought my own lunch every day in a little pig-themed lunch bag, and I sat next to my friends who ate burgers and pizza from the cafeteria. My sister was vegan, but our parents weren’t, and neither was our brother. It felt a little isolating at first, but looking back on my past eight years of veganism, I wouldn’t change it for the world.
It was a tough discussion with my parents. They worried about protein and getting enough nutrients. They said I was still growing, and that I would need to be really mindful about making sure to eat enough. My parents took me to the doctor to get blood-work done and to see if it was even safe for a kid to go vegan. They learned that as long as I knew what to look for in foods, I would be fine (and that a multivitamin, a vitamin-B12, and vitamin-D supplement wouldn’t hurt). I got blood-work done every couple of months for the first year in order to reassure my parents, and soon they realized that I was consistently getting enough iron, vitamin-D, and calcium from my vegan diet. [Note from the editor: Routine screening, including blood work, is a part of pediatric preventive care for all children and adolescents (https://www.aap.org/en-us/Documents/periodicity_schedule.pdf.) The more frequent and extensive testing that was done for Amy was by her parents’ request This type of testing is not required for someone choosing a vegan diet. Vegans, like meat eaters, should have reliable regular sources of iron, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and other important nutrients.]
I transitioned slowly from vegetarian to vegan, first going ovo-vegetarian (no meat, fish, dairy, or poultry, but still eating eggs) for a couple of months until I could prove to my mom that I would be able to get enough protein without eggs in my diet. I cooked a lot of my own meals, but I was still able to eat with my family. My dad cooked big batches of spaghetti, and my mom made vegetables and vegan mashed potatoes as sides for her meat main-course. They made conscious decisions to prepare food I could eat and to include me in the family meals. My sister taught me lots of vegan recipes and we made them to share with the rest of our family, too.
Since then, I’ve been the only vegan in the family for many years. I taught myself how to cook, or, more accurately, the internet taught me how to cook, and I’ve been cooking for myself for almost five years now. I’ve been able to delve deeper into my own understanding of why I went vegan and why I stay vegan. It’s become part of my identity; I actively chose to eat vegan every day.
I am so happy that I went vegan as a kid. It has given me more time to learn and grow as a vegan citizen and more time to cherish the choices I make. I honestly don’t think I’ll ever go back to eating non-vegan, and it’s not out of habit. It’s because each day I’m confronted with the same reasons why I went vegan in the first place, and they’re just as convincing now as they were eight years ago.
For more information, see:
https://www.vrg.org/teen/
https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/VeganNutritionForTeenagers.pdf
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