Vegan

After visiting a world conscious friend and watching countless netflix documentaries I feel veganism is a decent idea. Not only does this lifestyle help animals, but workers and myself as well. Of course animals will not lose their lives for my plate but the farmers who are harmed by the antibiotics fed to their animals are helped too. As more meat is removed from someones diet their chance of heart problems and cancer also plummets. It just makes sense. After going vegan for three weeks the cravings for meat and animal products decreases and plants fill their place. Though overwhelming at first this choice is not so bad at all in fact all of the nutrients we need are given more freely. Who knew potatoes and broccoli had protein? It is certainly not something they tell you at school.

If anyone wants some tips and tricks for getting past the hardest days I have thought of a list for you to get you started.

1. Target is your new best friend. While many stores do not offer vegan products in their frozen section, Target has loads of options and a little section in the freezer aisle for those of us living 30 minutes from a whole foods.

2. Mistakes are normal. If you like I do live with other people it can be hard to plan your own meals and remember to check the labels. If you do make a mistake don't give up as no one is perfect especially at the beginning.

3. Get lazy vegan foods. If your mom does your shopping ask for those frozen vegetables you can microwave and eat in five minutes. Not every meal has to be gourmet and take an hour or more to make. Personally I don't have time or space for cooking my own tofu so these vegetables and canned beans are the bomb.

4. Have an array of portable snack food. When all of your friends want to go out for burger king or olive garden you have your pack of salted edamame and a bag of raisins to hold you over. It is far easier to not eat meat if you carry around other options. Even shakes are good really.

5. Make a small list of the reasons you want to go vegan. This will help you when you are seconds away from having a slice of turkey with your family on thanksgiving. For me veganism is what I want because cancer and heart disease run in my family so lowering the chances is a bonus. Saving animals and helping small businesses and pretty much saving the world is also pretty dang cool.

Health

Recently I returned from an enlightening trip to my best friend's home in Abilene Texas. While I was there several things became noticeable. Her home is incredibly clean thanks to the small bits of time she regularly uses to tend to it. While there I drank mostly soda and ate mostly fast food due to both of our budgets. Somehow my acne completely cleared and my sleep patterns returned to normal. The aches and pains in my body including migraines and chronic depression vanished. 

On arriving home after this two week break my face instantly broke out, my sleeping patterns went down the drain, and my depression skyrocketed. These things were not anticipated by me rather I was ready to be with family and pets after being gone. The reality I faced was much more grim. My parents were fighting over little things. My father bothered me about my period as if it were something disgusting and unnatural. My brother begged me for help studying as my parents neglected his needs. I was further reminded that I was the screw up of the family, the one who took a semester out of college to figure out my goals to find that jobs are nearly impossible to find and colleges are difficult to apply to when you have never been taught yet need to do these things on your own. I thought my acne disappeared because of the dry Abilene weather but now that looks doubtful. 

How do you escape disabling stress when the cause is the people who support you? Other than seeking professional help alone or leaving these people there really is no other way. The state many people live in is similar if not worse and this is doubled by dietary issues and work stress. People do not eat the way they should, act the way they should, or take care of their priorities properly. I think back to the story of Cinderella. Growing up I thought she was so stupid to serve them instead of leaving but I get it now. Living in a society where people without a degree cannot afford to leave home and are often forced to live with a toxic family makes sense to me now like never before. No is never a no in these families and each child is expected to drop everything just to be considered a failure in the parents eyes. 

To cope I came up with a few tips for anyone who wants them. Firstly say no to ridiculous demands and chores. It is insane to think that a child is expected to do all of the family laundry and dishes while going to school and supporting a parents business along with other responsibilities while parents go to fun self help classes and work only. Secondly politely ask not to hear about financial and family problems. A kid cannot be expected to be healthy when they are their parents therapist especially if the parents complain about other children to them. This is so unhealthy for the youth of a family and should be eliminated at all costs. Third save up any money to leave without telling the parents or guardians. If you have parents like mine they will rob you for every cent you have if you let them. These parents pay the bare minimum while you are expected to provide food, toiletries, and clothing for yourself and them on a regular basis. Letting them know you are saving money to leave will alert them to the fact that their work slave and therapist is trying to leave. A thought they most probably will despise. 

I hope this helps anyone who needs it. No christian family should have these problems and they are a sign of disfunction. The fruits of the spirit should be present in a family structure not the other way around.