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"New" vegan accidentally ate a dish with chicken broth - support needed!

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Lark90 said #1 Aug 10, 2012 at 12:50am

For starters, I am a new vegetarian/vegan. Everything started for me on July 17th 2012 (little over 3 weeks ago) when I read a brochure from the danish vegetarian society (I am from Denmark), stating everything about the treatment of animals as well as the many benefits there is to being vegetarian! I right away felt disgusted with just the simple thought of eating meat again. I have always loved animals, and even though loving meat it was not at all hard for me to quit on it right away and not look back! So after a week or so without meat (feeling great I might add) I came to know of the famous "vegan" book Skinny Bitch - read it, and "of course" decided to go vegan! However, this was a little harder! Not in the way that I can't live without eggs and milk, but more on the level of trying to avoid it, since it is in sooo many things! But the worst thing however has been dealing with "peoples" (friends, acquaintances, etc.) view on it! Comments from my best friends like"Ohh, now you can't ever have this" with the tone of "I feel soooo bad for you" eventhough I'm at the same time trying to explain that I am actually happy not having to eat the f***ing crap they're talking about! And also dealing r them being annoyed because it's more difficult to share things with me and/or cook with me.. Any thoughts/help on that would be greatly appreciated!!

So I have not officially gone 100 % vegan yet, even though I want to! I am not drinking or eating milk in their basics forms, but since I am an Au Pair living with a family in Marin County, I wouldn't feel right telling my Host Mom to now cook without both meat and eggs & milk. I will be ending my year in California in 4 days, which is when I officially will be going 100 % vegan!

So to get to the point of why I innitially started this thread - today I ate some nuddles my HM had made - without milk or eggs - they were delicious with ginger and garlic, and later when I ask her for the recipe, she says she cooked it on chicken broth - I could see the horror going through her eyes when she herself realized what that meant! However I didn't say anything but "it was really good", cause I didn't want her to feel bad, since it was not really her fault - but of course momentarily I felt just awful! And here I am, trying to shake of the bad feeling at 00.48 not being able to sleep.. I do realize that this is not the last time this is probably going to happen, but I could really use some support/advice right about now!

So, I will now go back to trying to go to sleep - hoping I'll feel better about my "little" mistake in the morning!

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Jane Thygerson said #2 Aug 10, 2012 at 7:15am

Hey everyone has an oops every now and then! It's no biggie! I have had plenty. No one is perfect...just know all the good you are doing by eating vegan could never be undone by one little slip up! Keep it going!

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Lark90 said #3 Aug 11, 2012 at 12:18am

You're right :-) I am feeling much better, but the feeling you have just afterwards is just awful!

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April said #4 Aug 12, 2012 at 12:33am

Hey Laerke: Glad to hear you're feeling better. The great thing about The Kind Diet and about this site is that there is no judgment here. The first week I made vegetable soup, I used vegetables and CHICKEN broth LOL! I'm not 100 percent vegan, more like 95 percent, but am definitly trying to keep in to a minimum. Your friends are always going to say something. You have to stand by your choice and your friends need to respect this. Many people have the wrong impression of vegans and just are very limited in their knowledge. I'm only now learning as the result of Alicias ability to share her diet with all of us. I struggle with allergies and food sensitvities and when I'm invited for dinner people always act as if I'm from another planet because I don't share the same diet and there's always some loud mouth who makes a loud comment to draw attention to me, my choices or issues. However, recently I've chosen to pack my own prepared food or bring something along that I can prepare there. I try to keep the menu as close to what the host is serving without comprimising my choices or health. I feel so much more confident than I did before I found this site.

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Kirsty said #5 Aug 12, 2012 at 4:13pm

Hi there .... I think you can't control each and every circumstance you find yourself in and so you just have to do your best. It's great that your friend realised the mistake she'd made with the broth and so next time it will be perfect. Re the friends ... yes, it's really interesting how people react ... I think of it like a personality test! It'll get easier to deal with as you go along. Good luck!

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Lark90 said #6 Aug 14, 2012 at 7:28am

Thanks you so much for all the comments and support everybody- mind helping me with advise on something different? I am going to stay at my moms house for a little more than a month - she is a nurse and has apparently worked with vegetarians that has been hospitalized on her duty (these were OLD people- probably not eating right?) due to missing vitamins and minerals.. She herself eats a poor poor diet, probably leaving out vitamins and minerals for her own body, and has seenme eat lots of veggies, fruits, and greens for years, and now that I have gone vegan I eat even more healthy - however she is extremely concerned, as only a mom can be it, that I am not getting all my nutritients, vitam. and minerals! I am trying to explain to her that most vegans/vegetarians are so much healthier and so much more likely to get all that their body needs than non-v's, but she getafe annoyed and think she knows better since she's seen non-healthy-vegetarians. I am flying to her today, and I don't know what to say so that I'll get her to listen/understand that I am probably more healthy than I have EVER been?

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Jane Thygerson said #7 Aug 14, 2012 at 8:02am

This info graphic has been circulating the web since Peta posted it last week, and it helps simplify the explanation. Since you will be there for a while, making vegan meals is an excellent way to show her how easy and normal it can be! Vegan taco night, vegan pasta night, veggie burgers, and of course salads, wraps, and tofu with fruit for breakfast with ezekial english muffins. Yummy and nutritious foods are synonymous with vegan! I'm sure when she sees all the good foods you eat, she will have a new perspective on a veggie diet. Also, you can watch the movie Forks Over Knives together, it gives a thorough explanation on the health benefits of plant based eating!

http://www.peta.org/features/vegan-diet-infographic.aspx

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Jane Thygerson said #8 Aug 14, 2012 at 8:04am

sorry the link isn't working, but if you copy and paste it, it will come up

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Lark90 said #9 Aug 14, 2012 at 8:08am

Oh wow thank you so much for that, big help! I will definitely watch the movie with her!! And thanks for bringing to my attention about peta! :-) And I think you are right, I will cook some great veg stuff and hopefully she will see :-)

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Lark90 said #10 Aug 14, 2012 at 8:09am

Yes no worries I will copy paste ;) thank you again!!

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