Let me tell you it's more than normal for parents to be worried and concerned if they themselves haven't gone through the process you have when learning about a vegan diet. Second, let's break their worries down. What I find is usually behind this strong resistance from parents are three little factors:

• Fear of loss of tradition.
• Fear of adequate nutrition.
• The mirror effect.

Many parents react strongly when they hear the news because they can feel you're rejecting their choices and the way they raised you. They're afraid of losing family traditions. This is especially the case for families with hunting or fishing traditions, barbecues every Saturday, families that come from meat centric cultures, etc. Then there's that mirror effect that happens with every single person on this planet.

Have you noticed that many times when you tell someone you're vegan they immediately start talking about their eating habits saying things like "oh I couldn't live without meat", or "I really don't eat that much meat". That's the mirror effect! People often feel that by you shedding a light on a change in your own habits, you're also shining a light on theirs. They see themselves in that imaginary mirror that makes them wonder "should I be doing this too?". For some it can be a great aha moment. For others it's just a point of major resistance.

By understanding where parents are coming from when they have these strong reactions, you'll be able to not take them as personally. Give them time to see that you're sticking to it, then give them time to get over the worry that you'll get everything you need when it comes to nutrition. Then give them time to release their own resistance which has much more to do with them than with you.

Reassure them that mealtime will still be business as usual, that being vegan is only about exchanging a meat-based ingredient for a plant-based one to make the same dishes you all used to share together, and that you still honor and respect the way they raised you and are simply making a new choice for yourself. One that will hopefully still include them and all the fun family food moments you enjoy together. Have some videos or posts on nutrition handy so you can ease their minds too, and for that you can simply share the ones I'll be sharing below!

Find out How to Get Started: How to Tell Friends and Family you are Vegan

Coming out into the world and speaking your truth no matter what that is, is HARD! As teens especially we're worried of not fitting in, of what people's reactions will be, we're dealing with peer pressure, media pressure, societal and family pressures, academic pressures, and the difficulty of finding our own sense of identity and self-esteem. When coming out of the vegan closet, the key is grabbing as much confidence as you can muster, even if you have to fake it a little at first, and just announce that you've decided to go vegan with your head held high. Reassure friends and family that things aren't really going to change for them, that all that will change is the food on your plate. If mom is worried about it being extra work, offer to help and actually do it (more on this below). After reading this post you'll have tons of tools that you can include in that "declaration of independence" to ease your parents' mind, and when it comes to friends, just ease it into regular conversation. The bigger a deal you make of it, the bigger the reaction you'll get. Make it easy on them and don't pay attention to the first line of reactions you get. They will all change with time, especially as veganism is becoming more and more mainstream and they begin to see vegan products everywhere, hear about it in the news, in books, on Netflix, even in fast food restaurants these days. If jokes are made, try to brush them off. If people are worried or get angry, just know that this is normal, and that even if they never share your views, they'll learn to accept it and respect it. I know it's easier said than done to say "be confident when you tell people", but it's your secret weapon. More on becoming a confidence ninja below!

Find out How to Eat Healthy while Being Vegan: Getting the Nutrients you Need

Spoiler alert! Depending on who inspired you to go vegan, I might be the first voice you encounter who gives you this very important message: A vegan diet is not magical.

Let me say that again: a vegan diet is not magical.

It's like any dietary choice, you can have a balanced way of eating, making sure you're getting all the nutrients you need, or you can eat a vegan diet of potato chips, oreos and Ben and Jerry's vegan ice cream and call it a day. The latter of course won't sustain you or your energy requirements for very long right? Knowing how to balance your plate is very important, making sure you're eating meals that include: starchy carbohydrates/grains (like rice, sweet potatoes, potatoes, pasta, bread, quinoa, etc), vegan proteins (like beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, vegan meats, veggie burgers, peanuts or peanut butter, peas, quinoa, etc.), vegetables (like kale, tomatoes, lettuce greens, peppers, onions, mushrooms, corn, beets, green beans, asparagus, artichokes, carrots, celery, eggplant, squash, zucchini, and countless others), fruits (like berries, bananas, apples, pears, mangoes, pineapple, kiwi, oranges, watermelon, grapes and countless others), healthy fats (like avocados, guacamole, nut butters, tahini (sesame seed paste) or other seed butters) and nuts and seeds, and fun foods that make you happy and feel satisfied (things like vegan cheeses, non-dairy ice cream, vegan meat alternatives, olive oil, non-dairy butter, vegan snacks, vegan desserts etc). Making sure you're getting all the food groups in, that you're honoring your hunger, getting enough calories for your activity levels and that you're also LOVING and having fun with the food you're eating without adding unnecessary restriction.

It's also a non-negotiable to supplement your diet with vitamin B-12 (here's a great guide to B12 supplementation) and your doctor might recommend additional supplements when needed, or a multivitamin.

It doesn't take endless planning or to be perfect at calculating every food that passes your lips, in fact, in my experience there's none of that. It's simply all about thinking of eating a normal plate of food, with plant-based ingredients as opposed to meat-based ones.

I love using The Vegan for Life Food Guide, created by two wonderful registered dietitian nutritionists Virginia Messina and Jack Norris:

Here's how you can read the chart: Understanding The Vegan for Life Food Guide

Find out How to Prepare Vegan Meals: A Few examples of meals and dishes you can assemble: 

• Black bean burritos with salsa, guacamole, lots of shredded romaine lettuce, some hot sauce if you like it, some shredded or melted vegan cheese.
• A veggie burger in its bun with all the fixings, fries and ketchup of course!
• Pasta with marinara sauce and vegan meat crumbles or chopped mushrooms or lentils instead of ground beef, top it with some vegan cheese, or my favorite parmesan alternative: ground almonds mixed with sea salt. Some salad on the side with lots of greens, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, onions, cucumber, your favorite dressing.
• Get some vegan burgers or sausages, or alternate tofu cubes marinated in your favorite barbecue sauce with some onions and peppers, place them on skewers and pop any of these on the grill next time your family has a barbecue. Have some corn on the cob on the side, and ask if this time the potato salad or coleslaw can be made with eggless mayo instead of egg based mayo (people won't know the difference!).
• A quick bowl with any leftover rice, quinoa or sweet potatoes (just raid the fridge!), some veggies, black beans (yes! you can buy them pre-made in a can if you don't have any made from scratch), top with some avocado and salsa or any sauce you like.
• I could keep you here forever, rest assured you can make any dish you love in its vegan version. ANY DISH! Trust me, I veganize stuff for a living, there's nothing you can't make a vegan version of.

Here are some great books that could be very helpful, especially when it comes to nutrition:

• Vegan for Life by Jack Norris and Virginia Messina
• Vegan for Her by Virginia Messina and JL Fields
• The Book of Veganish by Kathy Freston
• The Vegan Teen Cookbook by Kathy Hutchinson
  
  

Other "Keep the Peace at Home" tips: Cooking, Helping Out and Shopping as a Vegan 

For our caregivers, part of their resistance to our switch to a vegan diet has to do with their fear of having to do extra work at mealtimes. For this I have very important advice: start helping out in whatever way you can, sometimes it's as simple as chopping something, keeping your mom or dad company when they shop or cook, or even learning how to make dinner yourself on some nights. The simple fact of you participating more in the process, might be your biggest ally when getting mom or dad to respect this change. Suddenly it goes from "my son has just decided to go vegan, as if I didn't have enough work in the kitchen already" to: "my son is now even spending time with me and helping out, looks like this vegan thing had its perks after all!".

How to Keep up with your New Lifestyle: Dealing with Peer Pressure and Friendships When Going Vegan as a Teen

Adults keep talking about the pressure they feel after they are out "in the real world" dealing with work, having a family, paying the bills, etc., I think they forget about the countless pressures we were all under as teens, when in fact we're at our most vulnerable stage of life. There's peer pressure, the pressure put on us to look a certain way, have a certain body, academic pressures, parental pressures, the pressure to get into a good college, the pressure to improve grades at school, the pressure to be a perfect social creature, the pressure to make friends, start dating, the pressure to know what you want to do as an adult, and mostly, we're completely unequipped to do these things at the ages we're expected to do them in. Don't add veganism into this mix. See it as a simple shift you've made, that is separate from everyone else. True friends will stick by you no matter what you put on your plate, and veganism can actually be a great way to practice being confident and sticking to your guns. It's also a great way to practice flexibility and avoid trying to be perfect, getting back on the bike no matter how many times you fall off. There's no such thing as "the perfect vegan". Make vegan simple, when it comes to practical matters, it's really as simple as swapping a traditional burger for the veggie kind, the more you see it that way, the more others will get it and respect it as well.

Dealing with School Events

Sometimes there will be parties, social events, holiday gatherings, school events etc., where food is served. More and more vegan options are appearing in parties and events these days, so be on the lookout for those, but mostly, try to do the best you can without striving for perfect. It's ok if you ate something that wasn't vegan, nobody's perfect and what matters is moving forward in spite of the steps back. Have a snack before you go places where you're not sure if there will be vegan food for you, and you can always offer to bring something too! Who doesn't love a person who arrives with guacamole and chips in tow?!

Self-esteem and Becoming a Confidence Ninja

Arghh self esteem and confidence! The two reasons why our teenage years are so hard. I was such a shy teenager that anything in which I had to be myself caused so much turmoil and confusion. I wish I had known then what I know now, that the only way to improve confidence is by figuratively jumping in the deep end of the pool.

You might see being vegan as a handicap that is going to make you stand out, but in fact it can be your biggest ally in finally feeling confident in your own skin. This can change your whole life as a teen! I think it comes from the fact that when you have to shout "I'm different" from the rooftops, you're deep in that pool, forced to swim, and you just do it. I think veganism is also especially helpful because we feel so much better when we know our actions are making such an impact in the world around us. Now you're not only an advocate for yourself, but also for the animals, the environment and even human rights. Pretty cool right? Go on this adventure with an open mind thinking that veganism might just be a blessing in disguise, that little key that was missing to help you "embrace your weirdness" as I like to say. It certainly helped me embrace mine.