I need help!

[ILoveTheUsed]

I have not eaten meat for about a year.
Besides chicken. and I know it is wrong and disgusting..
I'm trying I really am. How do i just stop completely?
How can something so wrong taste so good?


And none of my friends are Vegetarians or Vegan..
And my mom eats meat. So, I really have no
supporters of my decison.
And it makes me feel kind of...outcasted.
Do other people go through that?
Where no one understands why
I don't eat meat?

Someone please help me
Ive read the facts, but chicken is hard to give up
What should i do?

[xmysticprincessx]

there's lots of really good alternatives to chicken. the boca chicken patties are really good (and vegan). i havent tried the boca chicken nuggets yet, but i'm assuming those are really good too.

there's also chicken flavored sietan (basically, wheat gluten, the protein part of wheat) that's good too.

you should be able to find the boca chicken patties (and burgers, etc) at most grocery stores in the frozen dept. as for sietan, you may be able to find it at a regular grocery store if they have a natural foods section. otherwise, your local health food store should carry it.

there's lots of great vegetarian cookbooks. try one of those for someyummy new recipes. there's some recipes on vegfamily. and you might want to check out ppk.com, the post punk kitchen.

its hard without support, but you'll be able to do it. and who knows, some of your friends may become vegetarian too. it seems like you're into punk/hardcore music, so if your friends are into the same stuff, that might help them transition to being vegetarian. (those animal rights tables at shows dont hurt either!)

as for your mom, you could always show her that you've researched being a vegetarian and what you need to have a balanced diet. there's lots of great books out there.

[ILoveTheUsed]

Aw thanks!

I've never heard of boca chicken patties,
but I will be sure to try them :]


Yeah, I think I've got my one friend to go
Vegetarian!!

And I go to local shows sometimes and there
is some Vegetarian stuff.

But thanks for the website and whatnot

[Christa]

I became a vegetarian at age 13 and vegan at 16, so I understand the isolation you are feeling. My friends and family all thought that I was weird and my mother was convinced that I was going through a phase but was too stubborn to admit it.

I think that there are a lot more options for socializing with people who have made similar lifestyle choices or with whom you have something else in common when you are older. I recall going to a Mensa meeting when I was about 20 thinking that I'd meet other bright people with whom I could talk about interesting topics only to find that I was the only one there under age 50 - lol! I, obviously, didn't keep attending.

I'm in my mid-30s now and do find that I can go to vegetarian society, or other types of meetings and find people who are close to my age or that age no longer matters now, but as a teen you are probably not wanting support from people your parents' age!

A couple of places you may want to check to find support from people in your age range:
Vegetarian teen online magazine (http://www.vegetarianteen.com/)
Peta's kids website (http://www.petakids.com/)

[kjmckenzie]

1 cup of tvp mixed with 1 cup of boiling veggie broth, let it sit (off the stove), then add vegan mayo, chopped up celery, pickles, and onion, some paprika, and voila, the best fake chicken salad ever!

[kjmckenzie]

p.s I liked chicken too, but after not eating it for so long, I think of eating any animal as similar to eating a dead road kill carcass (sorry to be so descriptive) but really if you think about it, it is gross. And you totally lose the cravings after you don't eat it, so just be disciplined about it.

[invisible]

the reason i went vegetarian i was thinking one day that everything has a spirit and a life of its own