Help me with my new lifestyle- Veganism! Please answer some of my many questions?

"how are you going to get your protein."

Is the most often asked questions of vegans. Eventually you will get tired of answering it. but for now just assume its a question based on the asker's concern for your health and welfare.

People who do ask that question must be somewhat misinformed or ignorant about nutrition. Maybe the best answer is just "I'll eat plants. plants have protein". or you could try and be a little more informative and say, " I'll eat plants. You know that is all cows, elephants, gorillas, and rhinos eat."

"your probably going to have to vitamins"
Yes I will take a multivitamin. most people should. Lots of people have vitamin deficiencies (and they are not all vegans) . They are cheap too. Just 10¢ a day. much cheaper than meat.

"where are you going to get your calcium?"
Soy milk and orange juice are fortified with calcium. Beans have calcium. tofu has calcium. Broccoli has calcium. Almonds have calcium. And if i need more I can get a calcium supplement. they are the cheapest supplements there are.

Your still growing and need to proper nutrients."
You are right, and a lot of teenage girls are calcium deficient or even a little anemic who aren't even vegan. and being vegan is not going to help in those areas. Thats why I'm going to make sure that I consume at least one serving of beans and at least one serving of dark green veggies every day.

Ok. time for you to start getting Veg-u-cated.
Now some people insist that you get Vegucated before you go vegan. but I am not one of those people. You can't damage yourself in the 3 - 4 weeks it takes to get vegetated. (you need to read about 5 minutes a day, for 20 to 30 days for a good foundation) .

There are a few really good strategies to get vegucated. My number one recommendation is the " 30 Day Vegan Challenge". You can buy the book for $10 or take the course. An abbreviated version of the course is now available for free. Go to the "Cowspiracy" web page and scroll to the bottom to find the link.

Another good course is the PCRM's "Vegan Kick Start". You might like that one better because its more comprehensive AND structured. It also has a social media component.

Or you could just go to the library and ask the librarian. There are lots of good books. The idiots guide or the dummy's guide are both good. But there are dozens to choose from.

And while you are at the library check out some vegan cookbooks. and peruse some back issues of the Vegetarian Times.

And here are some good suggestions than might help you right now.

Read this article.
http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.html
Check out this website
http://vegankit.com/be/
and this one
http://freefromharm.org/eating-animals-addressing-our-most-common-justifications/
this Free From Harm website is worth spending some time exploring.

Another suggestion that i have is to start tracking nutrients. its actually pretty easy. once you get past the steep part of the learning curve it takes less than 5 minutes a day. and start doing it now before you get all vegetated. its good to have some history.

I really like CronOmeter. but i used to use spark people.
https://youtu.be/0DE7P_-KpNc
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/videos-detail.asp?video=17

Your mother is not right. Unfortunately very few people actually have knowledge when it comes to nutrition. I understand that you have some concerns about vitamins but there is no reason for you to be worried about protein or calcium. Even if you were a skilled dietitian you would have a really difficult time creating a diet that's low enough in protein because almost everyfood has protein in it. Calcium shouldn't be a concern for you either your requirements can be met easily by consuming dark leafy greens. I understand that they teach kids in school that you should consume milk for calcium this is not true as the dairy industry pays for kids to hear this message. There are no scientists that are constantly finding out how good milk is for us it's just that the meat dairy and egg industries have made their way into education and even politics as USA has the most highest calcium requirements in the world more than any other country

You can be vegan if you wish...and your mom is ok with it. But never, ever claim it is a healthy diet. Its not. No diet that requires manufactured supplements is a healthy diet. Pretending otherwise is dishonest.

You will find answers to many of your questions at http://veganhealth.org . I t's run by a vegan registered dietitian who tends to be more honest than most vegan advocates about deficiencies in the diet.

Here's a link to his list of nutrients vegans need to be watchful about in their diet.

Ĺeafy greens, broccoli, nuts, seeds, legumes are all good sources of calcium. And are more easily absorbed by the body.

protein: nuts, seeds, tempeh, hummous, legumes.

There's a billion websites out there.

Good on you for researching first. It might be hard to maintain a full vegan diet at your age. Especially if you're not buying and preparing all the food. I'm sure your mum would be very happy if you experiment and say, make a delicious salad the family can share with dinner. Or you offer to make bean tacos (cheese optional) once a week foreveryone!

Oh, and it doesn't have to be a high carb, low fat diet. Use lots of the healthy oils, e.g. avocado, macadamia, olive (of course). Nuts, tahini, avocados. You can chuck toasted nuts and seeds in just about anything!

Daisys advice is a good...use the resources at your finger tips; the internet.
With protein, ALL veggies, whole grains, nuts and seed contain protein. Protein will never be a problem as long as you eat enough calories.
You are right, B12 is an issue and taking a supplement OR eating foods that have been fortified is the answer.
Calcium can be had from alternative milk sources. Most ALL alternative milks are fortified with calcium(if needed) and B12.
Learn to read labels.
As to being hungry all the time, I am not surprised. Most all veggies are so low in calories that they are considered free foods on weight loss diets. the ones that have more calories also contain more carbs. Add these to your meals: potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, winter squash, beans, lentils, etc.

Interesting that you ask for help in defending yourself against "noneducational" comments, yet admit that you, yourself are not educated about being vegan. How do you know they are "noneducational" since you are uneducated yourself?

Yes, you need protein. Almost all foods have protein. But only animal products, eggs, dairy, meat, contain all of the amino acids necessary for complete protein. You need to eat a lot of a wide variety of veggies and grains every day so your body can combine the different amino acids each contains into the complete protein it needs to grow and function.

Yes, many veggies contain calcium. But many veggies also are high in oxalates which inhibits your body's ability to absorb the nutrients they contain. There are very few green, leafy veggies that provide high amounts of calcium. Kale is one, seems like bok choy is another. How often do you eat them? Every day? You'll also need to drink about a third more fake milk to get the same amount of calcium as cows milk.

Not surprising that you're hungry 20 minutes after eating a vegan meal. Veggies and grains tend to be low calorie, filling and high carb. Your body breaks down carbs quickly and you feel hungry again. You need to eat a lot more food to get the calories that you can get from meat, eggs and dairy products. But overeating might result in weight gain, so you need to watch your weight.

There are no health benefits to being vegan. Morals are a personal opinion. I have no problem eating meat. You think it is wrong? Don't eat it, but don't think it makes you a more "moral" person. The Dali Lama eats meat, Jesus Christ ate meat, former President Obama eats meat......are they immoral people?

you do not need meat for protean proten can be in nuts and veggy ( my mom is a vegan) all vidamens come from fruts and veggys meat eaters just say that cause they know nothing comment if you want to know anything else

Veganism does NOT equal to health, this is a BIG misconception. Eating vegan CAN be healthy but you have to be a NUTRITION GENIUS, otherwise your eating habits will be BAD. I eat vegan quite often (and was eating vegan for over 3 years). You are right, supplementing with vitamin B12 is necessary and IMHO also, calcium and iron is a must.

Here's a healthy sample vegan meal plan to feel full, 3 meals with 2 snacks-

Breakfast-
1 cup oats mixed with 1/2 cup blueberries and 1 oz crushed almonds
10 oz OJ

Snack-
banana
1 oz peanuts

Lunch-
2 black bean tacos with shredded lettuce and salsa
mango
bottle water

Snack-
1 cup soy yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup diced pineapples

Dinner-
Hamburger (sietan) topped with sliced cucumber, tomatoes and mustard on whole wheat buns
baked sweet potato fries
bottle water

Veganism isn't actually that much healthier than you think and your bones will become weak with having a vegan diet. I really, really do not see the point of it. Especially people who actually like eating meat and just give it up. I mean, you're not actually saving any animals. Although, I can agree, there are more humane ways the animals could treated up to the day the are executed but there are brands/companies that you can buy from that are cruelty free, it may be a bit pricey, but I'm sure you'll soon learn being a vegan can be fairly pricey as well. But if you want to, then you will, I suppose.

DON'T DO IT! Plants have incomplete protein and no Vitamin B12. Dairy and meat are better for calcium and iron. There are frauds who promote the vegan lifestyle. Beware of them. Veganism really has no benefits. Humans are omnivores who need both plant and animal food for full nutrition.

there are no health benefits that come from veganism.
nuts, breads, beans... contain protein, broccoli has calcium.

i recommend as you still are learning that yo see a dietitian. they can help plan vegan meal plans for your dietary needs.

also dont listen to rj, hes a troll and an idiot. daisy, louis, beantown, and ckngbbbls are very good and often post reliable information.

dont be a vegan. it will make you insane.