Dealing with Negative Comments....

I am very used to criticisms and negative comments from others about my diet.  I have been listening to them for 32 years.  Usually it's from people who mean well, but are completely uneducated about the vegan diet.  They don't know the incredible health benefits of plant based eating, and why it is actually a superior diet for human health.  They have grown up watching milk and meat commercials and believe that people need animal products to be healthy.  I have come to realize that nothing I ever say can change their mind.  But now, what I can do is direct people to watch Game Changers.  (Never had this help before!).  That film says it all and is so thoroughly researched.

https://gamechangersmovie.com/

Now that my children are adopting a mostly plant-based diet I am sure I will encounter more of these comments, probably even more so.

Today it happened for the first time.

Background info:  My two elder sons are elite athletes.  They play competitive basketball and train hard.  This year they were selected for additional training from Team Canada.  They are serious about basketball, and also pretty full of energy and are just plain crazy.  That combined with some clumsiness (unfortunately they get that from me) causes them frequent injuries!  They are just not careful!  While they have never actually broken a bone, they have both been on crutches multiple times for twisting something or spraining something.  Our most recent injury was Q being silly on a water break at practice where he ran into a wall and jammed his knee.  After x-rays and ultrasounds, nothing is severely damaged, just bruised.  However he is on crutches yet again.

When I was picking my kids up from school.  One of their teachers, (a lovely, amazing teacher) made a comment.  We were joking about the crutches and she was helping my gaggle of children pile into my van.  We commented about my kids frequently getting hurt and she said something to the effect of: "Got to drink your milk!  I hear you're vegan now, well that won't help!"

Funnily enough, it actually will help!  Science is showing that athletes recover from injury much faster on a plant-based diet due to the inflammation animal products cause (among other factors). (See Game Changers for stats).

Anyway, I didn't say anything.  I just let it go, realizing she means well and just doesn't know.  Next time my plan is to encourage her to watch the film!  At least we have that.  I'll have to teach my kids to disregard these types of comments as they really happen all the time.  For some reason people are very opinionated about other's diets if they are vegan or vegetarian.

I should be the one telling them all the harm they are inflicting on their bodies, the environment and how they contributing to incredible cruelty to animals from eating meat and dairy, but I don't dare.  I know they will be immediately defensive and angry!  So I just shut up.  Why don't they do the same?  I guess because we're different from the norm.  Well I say- it's good to be different!  It's good to do what you know is best.  I know this way of eating is the way of the future.  For now, we are ahead of our time!! :)