No meat thank you!

[xtina]

A year and a few months ago, I started feeling disgusted by meat - funny enough when I was eating swedish meat balls! So I told my dad about that. I gave fish an exceptance because I didn't want to make my dad worry about it much - not having much protein and stuff.

 

I have for a week not eaten anything else but veggies, and it went pretty well.. and today I told my father I didn't want to eat fish anymore - once I'm getting more and more disgusted by it.

 

 

But anyways, my dad is having trouble accepting it, telling me that he doesn't want me to get into pills and so and so.

 

What should I do? I'm not going to be able to eat meat or fish, and I've had enough of making an effort to eat it just to make my father feel better... It's so hard living in a family where they eat meat, and you don't want to.

[RayKay]

I wasa vegetarian (with some periods of veganism too) for 10 years, fortunately my parents were pretty supportive, and I even got them eating more meatless meals. Part of it though was I was very aware of what I needed as nutrients.

 

A lot of it is just lack of education and concern for your health. I WILL say if you are eating NOTHING BUT VEGGIES they have right to be concerned, because you ARE missing a lot of nutrients and you will become malnourished and it can damage your health. If you are going to go vegetarian - do your research. Realize you will need to eat grains, beans, soy products, decide if you want to still consume dairy and eggs. And if you do become anemic, you may need to take iron supplements from time to time.

 

How about you suggest to your dad that you go talk to a nutritionist before you start doing this seriously to get advice and find out what you need to stay a healthy vegetarian? Because that does NOT mean eating only vegetables.

[xtina]

This "only eating veggie" week was just a little self-discipline thing. And I am aware of what I'm missing. I do eat everything; milk, cheese, fruits, etc, just not meat or fish. I know that to get proteins I have to eat eggs and beans and soy, tofu, and I do eat those - (veggie hot dogs ... yum

 

But isnt a nutritionist expensive??

[RayKay]

This "only eating veggie" week was just a little self-discipline thing. And I am aware of what I'm missing. I do eat everything; milk, cheese, fruits, etc, just not meat or fish. I know that to get proteins I have to eat eggs and beans and soy, tofu, and I do eat those - (veggie hot dogs ... yum

 

But isnt a nutritionist expensive??

 

Depends on where you go I guess, not sure how it works in Portugal either! Here I could see one for free due to my work insurance, but also could see one through the women's health clinic I go too as well for free.

 

I think it would maybe go a long way to ease your father's concerns to see one though, even him going with you.

[shes2smart]

But isnt a nutritionist expensive??

 

Well, as a f'rinstance...I started seeing a Registered Dietitican and she charges $80/hour for an individual session....$55/hour for a group session. Some health insurance plans cover it though.

[orgasmictofu]

When I went veg when I was 15 or so, I told my parents, and they weren't too happy with it. I went through a lot of grief from them. But the fact of the matter is, they don't feed you with a spoon, you have full control over what you put in your mouth. They will just have to deal with it.

 

As for my mom and her doing all the cooking. Her biggest qualm was "I don't want to cook you separate dishes!!!!" I told her not to. I just ate everything but the meat my mom made. If she was making something that has meat in it, like spaghetti meat sauce, she saved part of the tomato sauce and added meat to the rest. If you want to try something different, make it yourself. There are great vegetarian cookbooks out there.

 

As for nutrition, you need to eat a VARIETY of foods. Don't stick to just vegdogs (try the spicy ones and grill them, mmmmm). Try new foods, be creative. It's really quite easy. I personally don't eat the processed vegetarian fake meats, I eat whole foods.

 

As for pills, if you do it right, you don't need to take any pills at all. Iron you can get from other foods, can't remember which off the top of my head, but I believe deep green veggies contain some iron (and calcium). And b12 is not present in vegetable matter, so try nutritional yeast. The stuff is gross by itself, but try it on popcorn, or make a cheesy like sauce and try it on pasta. You have lots of options!

 

Good luck and have fun!

[Dako]

Do your homework and you can get what you need without meat.

I was a vegetarian for about 10 years and loved it. It started when I woke up in a field with beef cattle grazing around me. I liked their brown eyes and promised them I woudn't eat them anymore.

I've gone through some lifestyle changes and found food to be more than something you eat. As an exchange between people, it can be important not to reject their generosity, and protein is hard to find unless you have a stable lifestyle, so I've given in to eating a bit of fish or chicken, but still haven't had beef in about 15 years.

 

Proteins are key to making it work. I may go back to it when my life gets more predictable.

[Scout]

I've been a veganish vegetarian for about five years now. It's the best decision I ever made in my life. I used to get terrible stomach aches - now they're gone. My weight has stabilized, my complexion is very clear, and most of all, I know that by eliminating animal foods from my diet I'm contributing to a healthier, more compassionate world.

 

Make sure you take B12 supplements about once a week, get your amino fatty acids in (flax seeds are a great source and you can sprinkle them on anything), and I take a vitamin supplement to make sure I get my necessary zinc. But protein is in numerous foods; it's kind of a myth that vegetarians don't get enough of it.

 

Here are some great resources for you & your parents about a vegetarian lifestyle:

 

"Vegetarian nutrition for teens" link removed

 

"Vegan family house"

link removed

 

"Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine" REALLY, REALLY good source here! All kinds of info on a vegan diet...

link removed

 

Best of luck! I'd be happy to email you my cookbook I wrote called "Compassionate Cookbook" - it's a compilation of yummy animal-free recipes!

[keenan]

I assume you still live with your folks, xtina? I was a committed vegetarian for about 5 years, and I rarely suffered. One key was getting a couple of good vegetarian cookbooks and learning to make a handful of kick-butt meals. My husband was so wowed by my cooking that he didn't care at all if the dishes had meat or not.

 

If you can learn to cook some healthy, protein-rich, meatless dishes that your family loves, you'll be able to eat the same dishes together at mealtimes, and they'll have more confidence that you aren't hurting your health.

[Scout]

I assume you still live with your folks, xtina? I was a committed vegetarian for about 5 years, and I rarely suffered. One key was getting a couple of good vegetarian cookbooks and learning to make a handful of kick-butt meals. My husband was so wowed by my cooking that he didn't care at all if the dishes had meat or not.

 

If you can learn to cook some healthy, protein-rich, meatless dishes that your family loves, you'll be able to eat the same dishes together at mealtimes, and they'll have more confidence that you aren't hurting your health.

 

Great advice...wish I'd thought to throw that in there! That really secured my family's support....all the yummy dishes I made for them. My boyfriend isn't a vegetarian but he's a big fan of my cooking, and rarely eats meat now. My mom always clamors for my "Colorado breakfast scramble" when I come home to visit. That recipe is in the cookbook I offered to email you, too. It's a delicious breakfast scramble that can be eaten as is, or rolled up in a burrito!