My mom still doesn't understand vegan and organic...

[michaellanfield]

I am been trying nicely to tell my mom about vegan and organic products and telling her about health stores.

I tell her all the positive pluses with being vegan and buying organic from small health food stores and she always argues...

She does eat mostly vegetarian (she still drinks milk; cream eats yogurts, sometimes fish and eggs).

A lot of health food stores are at least 30-40 minutes away from us and she doesn't like the idea that she has to pay a lot more for organic and speciality foods. She likes to drive 5 minutes and buy from a big supermarket the disgusting foods. I keep telling her about the benifits of organic/vegan foods and tell her not all vegan/organic products are expensive (even though most are).

She says she doesn't care if she gets cancer and stuff like that. Like an ignoramus person.

Can you give me some suggestions what I can say to her to change her mind to buy mostly organic, mostly from small health food stores? What can I do?

[linera141]

Changing the mind of a parent is almost impossible, especially if they are the type that is not easily moved by information. I gave up years ago.

If your mom is uneasy about the idea of going to distant stores for vegan/organic food, you could say something along the lines of "I feel uncomfortable putting the chemicals and animal secretions in the other food into my body." I understand compromising for price or convenience, but if the compromise affects the composition of your body, it is probably not a good idea.

[fiamma]

Yo don't say how old you are - I imagine you still live at home and your mom pays the grocery bill?

Many vegan ready made foods are expensive, you say so yourself, and your mom may be unwilling to shell out for these foods. However being vegan does not have to be expensive! Many things can be bought from regular supermarkets - beans, lentils, fruit and veg, and nuts. Often soya milk and tofu too.

To be honest organic fruit and veg is expensive here too, and I rarely buy it, as I'm unconvinced its taste is so much better than non-organic, or that it's so harmful for us. Why don't you find some simple vegan recipes and help your mum with the shopping? You could even cook these recipes for her, that way you're showing her what a positive thing veganism can be, and how easy.

I'm sure she doesn't mean she doesn't care about getting cancer, she just sounds a little defensive and resentful about what she probably sees as her values and lifestyle being attacked.

I would recommend backing off a bit and helping out with the cooking and shopping as I've mentioned, you may find she's a bit more accommodating.

Good luck!

[michaellanfield]

thanks for replying. Yes I still live with my mom and I do most of the cooking and I do help her with shopping, but sometimes because she doesn't make too much money and I don't either we sometimes struggle, however we are not considered poor we are okay with just a little extra to pay for things we like. But I just can't persuade her to go organic or buy most of what I want. And she knows the affects of non-organic produce. And yes I do make my own money, but most goes to my mom for bills and supporting me all these years.

[linera141]

In this overly commercialized world, it is easy to think of food as just another expense, another necessity, but it is much more fundamental to who we are. I, too, am unsure how harmful conventional food is to our health, but there are other reasons to buy organic, like the environmental costs of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. If you are earning some money for yourself, then you should be permitted to spend some of it on organic food if it means that much to you, rather than being expected to pay for your mom's past expenses. I understand helping out and contributing to the family if money is in short supply, but there are many other ways to reduce costs without giving up organic food. I would not worry too much about what your mom eats, but you are capable of making a decision for yourself and I hope she sees that.

[harpy]

I don't know how the Canadian system works but here in the UK I have read that there are some farmers who use organic or near-organic standards but can't or don't want to pay for organic certification, and so their stuff is cheaper but has a similar environmental impact etc to organic produce. So if you have any local farmers near you you might want to see if any of them measure up.

Another idea is to look into organic box schemes, where they deliver the fruit and veg to your home every week or every other week (or you sometimes pick them up from a collection point). In the UK at least these can work out a lot cheaper than buying the equivalent stuff in a shop. There seem to be some in Toronto if you Google "organic box schemes Toronto".

ETA if money's tight I would ditch any specialist vegan foods such as fake meat because I think they work out a lot more expensive than just buying veg, beans, lentils etc.