By Julia Stanitski, VRG Intern

Are you a teenager and worried about going vegan? When changing your diet, it can be really tough dealing with the stresses of school, parents, and friends. Here are some common questions that, as a teen, you may have about transitioning to eating vegan. I’ll be answering them personally, from my own experience, as I became vegan at 17.

My parents don’t agree with me going vegan. How do I deal with this?

• Sometimes, we wish our parents were more supportive of our diet change. It can be hard for them to understand why you are going vegan, as they may not even know what it means! If you have eaten meat, dairy, and/or eggs for your entire life, suddenly not eating those foods could be a huge change for them. The first thing I did was explain to my parents WHY I wanted to go vegan, and made sure they understood the reasoning behind it – my personal reasoning was the incredible short and long-term health benefits.

Do not expect them to automatically make vegan meals for you. When you start, you may have to make many meals yourself. This can be a big adjustment, but it definitely helps your parents get used to you eating differently.

It may take them a long time to “agree” with your decision. It is your choice what goes into your body, but for me, it was very important to remember to be considerate of my parents’ feelings. Many cultures have traditional foods your parents may be worried about you not consuming. Online, there are vegan recipes for almost every cultural dish that you can think of and try out!

What if my friends make fun of me for going vegan?

• I have had a lot of experience with backlash from friends about my diet. It can be very hard to deal with, and hard to understand why they would make fun of you for eating differently – but it happens. We have to explain to them why we choose to eat this way. YOUR reasoning, what you are most passionate about, will help them understand the most. It may be something they have never experienced before, so it is okay for them to be confused.

Making fun of you is something different and more serious – explain you would really appreciate if they respected your decision, and did not mock you. Tell them they can ask you any questions they may have about being vegan, too, as they might actually be interested in it at some point.

I personally have had friends that just think vegans eat vegetables or salads, and they poke fun at that. This simply isn’t true, but they may not know exactly what can be vegan and what can’t – show them the huge variety of food you can eat! Eating vegan is not just chomping on “rabbit food,” as many like to say – just show them the reality.

When I plan on going out to eat with friends, what do I order?

• When you go out with your friends, what you order depends on the restaurant you go to. Whenever my friends want to eat out at a restaurant, first I try to recommend 3 or 4 options of places I know that have vegan dishes. Out of those choices, my friends will normally like one or two of them and we end up going there.

Always look at online menus beforehand. Then, you can determine if they have vegan options, or dishes that you can ask to be made vegan. For example, there may be a Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich that has veggies, feta, hummus, and olives. This could easily be vegan if you asked them to prepare it without the feta cheese! And don’t worry, you aren’t bothering the waiter with your requests – they’re used to it!

What do I do if I accidentally eat something that isn’t vegan?

• Everyone makes mistakes! It is totally fine if you accidentally eat something not vegan – you will be okay. There have been many times when I misread labels on the back of food items, forgot to ask the ingredients of something, or felt bad saying no when someone made me something not vegan to eat. Over time, this gets much easier and 1) you get used to reading labels better to avoid the ingredients of dairy, egg, and meat, 2) you remember more often to ask what is in food, and 3) as time goes on, more and more people will recall that you are vegan and will not offer you non-vegan items.

I am going to a friend’s house. What do I eat when I’m there?

• When I go over to a friend’s house, I always bring food. For example, if I know I will be there for most of the day, I will bring at least one big meal in a lunchbox with a bunch of snacks, too. If I forget to bring my food, I try to stop at the grocery story on my way there, or offer to go to a restaurant I know has vegan options with my friend. This makes it easier to not feel the pressure of having to eat non-vegan food at their house if you get hungry.

After your friends get used to you eating vegan (and understand what you can eat), they may realize they have vegan food in their house. For example, peanut butter, hummus, or fruit. These are things they may offer to you if they know you can eat them!

Will my dining hall at college have vegan options for me?

• Every dining hall will vary from school to school. It is best to contact whoever is in charge of Food Services at your college to ask what vegan food is available for you. Most colleges are very accommodating!

It would also be great to find someone who is vegan at your college, and has experience going to the dining halls. You could find someone like this by contacting your school’s vegetarian or vegan extracurricular club, perhaps.

My parents make dinner for the whole family every night. How do I eat something separate without being disrespectful?

• In my experience, I felt really bad for not eating my mom’s homemade meals. She spent so much time on preparing them, so how could I not eat them? I realized I would begin prioritizing my own health over the home cooked meals, and I explained that to her. I would make my own meals sometimes, and then I would also try to accommodate some of her meals into mine. For example, if she were making pasta with meat sauce, I would kindly ask her to leave out some of the pasta for me so I could eat it with my own sauce. Or, if she were making tacos, I would still use the same tortillas, salsa, lettuce, corn, etc., but buy vegan taco meat to use with mine instead.

I think as long as you tell your parents you are not trying to be rude or disrespectful toward their cooking, they will understand.

I don’t have a lot of money to spend. How can I afford vegan food?

• Vegan food does not have to be expensive! Many people think it is, but if you purchase the right foods, it can be very budget-friendly. My 1^st tip is to decrease the amount of times you eat out at a restaurant, as the cost adds up. The 2nd tip is to buy less processed foods. The more fruit, veggies, legumes, and grains you eat, versus vegan ice cream and junk food, the more money you save. My 3rd tip is to find out what stores have the cheapest prices of what you purchase regularly. I have three major grocery stores near me, and found one in particular has awesome sales on fresh fruit and veggies – I always go there! Lastly, the 4^th tip is to buy in bulk. I get tons of my shelf-stable items (like brown rice, canned beans, quinoa, seeds, etc.) at Costco, where I can get a high amount of the food for a lower price.

I normally pack my lunches since I am out of the house during that time. What do I pack?

• Pack anything you like! A lot of my lunches look like some sort of sandwich (peanut butter and jelly, hummus and veggie, or a veggie burger) with a few sides. These are range of veggies with dip, chopped fruit, crackers, homemade baked goods, applesauce, and more. Choose what is easy to make in the morning and is transportable. It is a great idea to invest in a big lunch box, heavy duty Tupperware containers, and a thermos for hot meals.

How do I explain to my family and friends what I eat now that I am vegan?

• Your family and friends may not know what vegan means. You can tell them you no longer eat any animal products – that’s dairy, meat, eggs, honey, and whatever else you have decided to exclude. You slowly can show them what you now like to eat now. Also, point out what foods/dishes they have seen you typically eating in the past that you will not be eating any longer. This will help them to understand your diet and also help them remember what foods to offer you.

We hope these FAQs were helpful. As you can see, becoming vegan may seem difficult, but you will get through the tough parts. For more information, see https://www.vrg.org/teen/