Stop preaching and shoving veganism in my face. Enough now

[Borkins]

Just found out a Vegan documentary was preached at my teenager at youth club
It's a choice grown adults should be allowed to make. But such a restrictive diet should not be preached at growing children who could also be vulnerable to eating problems.
I've never preached my diet at anyone but this has been shoved in my face continuously. Judgement when I order animal products in restaurants, advertising, now my rapidly growing young son is to eat without milk, cheese, eggs, butter etc
I'm absolutely fuming
There is no hard science to back the health benefits. The environmental impact is dubious.
Sure I understand if you are an animal lover but that's still an individual choice.

Restrictive 🙄

I wouldn’t be impressed if a documentary was shown to children to actively proselytise for veganism. Shown as part of a discussion or debate wouldn’t bother me so much.

I've never preached my diet at anyone but this has been shoved in my face continuously. Judgement when I order animal products in restaurants, advertising, now my rapidly growing young son is to eat without milk, cheese, eggs, butter etc

Really? By whom?

You’re keen on the word preached. Nothing wrong with different view points being shared.

You need to chill out.

It's an individual choice not a cult

And yes it is restrictive and diet with a list of no no is restricted

I'm assuming your teenager is asking to become vegan?

Get him to research the nutrition he needs as a teenager and come to you with recipes, meal plans, shopping lists and a budget. Until he does this, he eats what he's given. You could in the meantime consider having 2 vegan family meals a week.

Tbh if he wants to make this choice imo you should support him if he can show you he's thought it out and understood it and is willing to keep himself healthy.

No he does not want to be Vegan.
No I won't calm down

I'm not vegan, but I wouldn't mind my teenage dd watching a documentary about veganism, and if she wanted to switch, I would have a sensible conversation with her about how she planned to ensure that she was getting all essential nutrients etc. I'd also ask her to get involved with meal prep, though it would be easy enough for all of us to eat vegan meals a few times each week.

It's a rather unpalatable truth, I know, but the reality is that our current diet is not sustainable for the planet, so we need to change. I'm not quite ready to lose eggs and cheese from my diet just yet, but I have every respect for those who are willing to make that sacrifice.

The fact that you feel judged when you order animal products in restaurants makes me wonder whether deep down, you feel guilty about what you're eating. If you're confident that the documentary that your son has seen is wrong, then explain why and give him the evidence to back it up. If you can't do that, then maybe you need to reflect on why this has made you so cross.

I don’t veganism is particularly healthful not better for the environment

Stick your processed industrially produced soya burgers up yer arse

You literally just said your "rapidly growing young son is to eat without milk, cheese, butter"

I don't get why you are so incandescent with rage when he hasn't actually asked to be vegan.

Youth club shows programme that doesn't actually affect your own child's decisions. Hardly crime of the year.

And yes I also do think you need to calm down.

Diddums

I hope that's a vegan biscuit, Luca.

In fact I do kind of get it. But if he's not asking I'm not sure why it's infuriating you quite this much.

Teenagers can have eating disorders. This IS a restrictive diet.
It's not just meat but cheese, egg, bread, milk etc
I was preached at. Verbally. About what I'd ordered. By someone who flies several times a year long haul.
I don't feel guilty about my diet

Stick your processed industrially produced soya burgers up yer arse

Oh good, insults already on page one 🙄

Seriously what is it with MN and veganism. I've never met anyone in real life that's been anywhere near as much of an arsehole about it than people are on here.

When I was at school, we watched documentaries/docuseries about:
-backstreet abortions
-HIV
-underage pregnancy
-prostitution
-religious fundamentalism
-animal rights activism
-political extremism
-drugs
Probably not an inclusive list.
Anyway, I’m didn’t convert to radical Islam after my anarchistic drug and sex fuelled teen years. I did develop some critical faculties and a more rounded insight into the world.

I think you’re being silly about being judged when ordering in restaurants. Who’s judging you? Surely not the staff selling meat products? If it’s friends then get better friends.

Advertising is advertising. I see adverts for McDonald’s, pizzas, etc. Can’t think of any advertising I’ve seen for vegan stuff. The odd Linda McCartney advert for vegi stuff though not seen any of that in ages.

There’s plenty of good evidence for a vegetarian diet, certainly for heslth benefits and More recently for the environment.

I do agree it’s not really appropriate to be “preached” at in a youth club.

I agree, don't tell the kids that veganisam is the answer to the world's problems - because it clearly isn't.

(I watched one of these milder programs recently... one of the pro vegan arguments sticks out like a sore thumb: wildlife habitat is destroyed to make space for cattle to graze so we can eat more meat ... no word about the crops that needs to be grown so we can eat / drink more soya & co and where they will be grown.)

Have you seriously never watched a documentary about concepts that are foreign to you, or people who live differently to you? How on earth do you learn, and grow as a person?

Actually there is evidence of the benefits of veganism. Lower rates of cancer and heart disease iirc. And a vegan diet has much much less carbon impact. I am not vegan myself and I agree it is a bit too restrictive, but I do eat quite a few vegan meals each week. I don't see that there's anything to get worked up about.

Vegetarian yes. Not Veganism

Anyone eating a vegan diet and thinking "this is restrictive" is doing it wrong. I've been vegan for several years and miss nothing.

If you think about it, eating meat has been shoved in people's faces continuously for a lot longer than veganism has...

I think your getting worked up about things. He's a teenager and can start being exposed to different opinions outside the home and make his own mind up about a variety of stuff.

I don't believe or have exactly the same principles/beliefs or lifestyle that my elderly parents have. This didn't happen overnight when I hit my 20's.

Lots of studies point out that its a healthy diet.

I dabbled in a vegan diet a while ago (a few fellow runners were adopting it and doing really well and I thought I'd try it out). Seemed OK! However, my holiday in France made me fall off the wagon into a huge bowl of fondue... I might try it again.

"one of the pro vegan arguments sticks out like a sore thumb: wildlife habitat is destroyed to make space for cattle to graze so we can eat more meat ... no word about the crops that needs to be grown"

A day's worth of calories from plant based food requires much less land than the same amount from meat or dairy. Plant based food is much more efficient.

For what it's worth, I NEVER thought I'd be vegan, far less my meat loving partner- but now 3 out of the 4 of our family are vegan (I'm 5 years in, he's 2) and we have never felt better. It honestly isn't restrictive, it's just about opening your mind to different ways of eating. Don't need to worry about weight anymore 😃 Plus IBS and lifelong sinusitis have completely gone.

Seriously this incident might be a surprising positive, I'd say don't knock it till you've tried it.