Mixed Omni/Veg Marriages/Relationships: How Do You Make Them Work?

[Kiran]

We have so many threads about people having issues with an omni SO so how about some good news stories about how people make it work?

What's your secret to peaceful coexistence? Has your SO become a bit more veg herself/himself?

My story:

My wife is what I call a "fading omni" who is basically 85% veg right now. She eats meat about once every few weeks (and not in front of me) but at the same time, she eats almost zero dairy. I never badger her or make any demands but she can't ignore how much healthier and vibrant I've become the longer I've been veg. She is fully supportive and while I'm waiting for the day she goes veg herself (will probably just go straight to vegan), I want it to be because she wants it, not because it was my idea.

[3LittleBirds]

My husband has been very supportive of me ever since I went vegetarian a little more than a year ago. We are both eating healthier now, even though he is still omni. Honestly it's not difficult at all, I guess maybe I'm just lucky. He's totally willing to eat the food I cook and to try new things. When I asked about what to make for dinner this week, he requested BBQ tofu! I think it works because we have a mutual respect for each other. He sees how happy I am with this way of life and that's good enough for him. He's never once tried to get me to eat meat since I stopped. I also never pressure him. It's enough for me that he eats one or two vegetarian meals with me a week. He is also interested in factory farming and AR issues, when I bring them to his attention. I don't know that he'll ever be vegetarian, but I do think he'll continue to eat more and more veggie meals with me.

[vigilant20]

R-E-S-P-E-C-T http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg193/vigilantsmilies/activity/smiley_singing.gif

[jenni-anti-fur]

For us its easy really...My Fiancee was a total meat and potatoe Omni till he was with me now he loves veggies/soymilk/some fake meats....he is sooooo supportive...he rocks soooo much...he is the one who cooks 99.9% of the time in this relationship...and he cooks and eats veggie at least 4-5 times a week...I know that he is never gonna change and become veggie and I am okay with that....he respects me and my views and has told me that he wants me to be happy so anything he can do to make that happen he will and he does:lovesign:...he listens about my AR campaigns...even though he doesnt agree with them....we try new things together like tofu and hummus which I dont care for at all and he does...lol...and he reads labels on food and checks restaurants before we go there to make sure there is some thing for me to eat....I am really lucky and I know it:):)...and I do the same for him...for us its pretty easy but for some other couples we know it wasnt some friends of ours one was veg one omni...veg went back to omni cause it was easier and cheaper...puhleez:(....we are lucky we enjoy each others differences and I believe it would be boring if we were all the same.

Have a Great One:)

[rabid_child]

We eat veg*n at home. When we aren't home, he eats whatever he wants. Four years of being with me later, he doesn't digest red meat well and it kind of goes right through him :o so he doesn't eat tons of meat outside the house anymore either. When we have kids, they'll be raised veg*n. He understands and respects veg*nism, but old habits die hard.

[etoiles]

Similar to all the posts above, 90% of the dinners my omni hubby and I eat together and are vegetarian. Once in a while he will cook a piece of chicken (that he buys, stores in many plastic bags) on his George Foreman meat machine but he seems to like eating vegetarian most of the time and makes dinners when I am running late and what not.

he also brings lunchmeat sandwiches to work to eat and eats meat when we go out to eat but for someone who grew up eating red meat every single night for dinner he made a total turnaround!

BTW - so does his mother. She visits for a month at a time and eats veggie every night when I cook dinner!

[a7dk]

When my husband was omni, he was really respectful of my choices and we ate all veg meals at home when we cooked together. If we weren't cooking together he may have meat, but I didn't get on him about continuing to eat meat. After all, I ate meat myself for 30 years. A couple of months ago he decided to become vegetarian as well, so now there's no issue.

[zoebird]

i just respect that he can have a different way of thinking about animals and food than i do.

[Kiran]

When my husband was omni, he was really respectful of my choices and we ate all veg meals at home when we cooked together. If we weren't cooking together he may have meat, but I didn't get on him about continuing to eat meat. After all, I ate meat myself for 30 years. A couple of months ago he decided to become vegetarian as well, so now there's no issue.


What great news!

[Eikon]

My husband has been very supportive of me ever since I went vegetarian a little more than a year ago. We are both eating healthier now, even though he is still omni. Honestly it's not difficult at all, I guess maybe I'm just lucky. He's totally willing to eat the food I cook and to try new things. When I asked about what to make for dinner this week, he requested BBQ tofu! I think it works because we have a mutual respect for each other. He sees how happy I am with this way of life and that's good enough for him. He's never once tried to get me to eat meat since I stopped. I also never pressure him. It's enough for me that he eats one or two vegetarian meals with me a week. He is also interested in factory farming and AR issues, when I bring them to his attention. I don't know that he'll ever be vegetarian, but I do think he'll continue to eat more and more veggie meals with me.


Similar to all the posts above, 90% of the dinners my omni hubby and I eat together and are vegetarian. Once in a while he will cook a piece of chicken (that he buys, stores in many plastic bags) on his George Foreman meat machine but he seems to like eating vegetarian most of the time and makes dinners when I am running late and what not.

he also brings lunchmeat sandwiches to work to eat and eats meat when we go out to eat but for someone who grew up eating red meat every single night for dinner he made a total turnaround!

BTW - so does his mother. She visits for a month at a time and eats veggie every night when I cook dinner!


When my husband was omni, he was really respectful of my choices and we ate all veg meals at home when we cooked together. If we weren't cooking together he may have meat, but I didn't get on him about continuing to eat meat. After all, I ate meat myself for 30 years. A couple of months ago he decided to become vegetarian as well, so now there's no issue.

These stories are SO great to hear. I am much the same way with my fiance and kids. They hear much more about how much healthier it is to not eat meat, and some of the spiritual benifits to it, but I would never feel right pressuring them. I had a friend many years ago that split up with his GF of 5 years because she decided to become a vegetarian, and demanded he no longer eat meat around her. I wouldn't really want to be on eaither side of that coin there.

[Sevenseas]

The best way to make an omni/veg relationship work is to convert the omni to veg*nism :shifty:

[a7dk]

These stories are SO great to hear. I am much the same way with my fiance and kids. They hear much more about how much healthier it is to not eat meat, and some of the spiritual benifits to it, but I would never feel right pressuring them. I had a friend many years ago that split up with his GF of 5 years because she decided to become a vegetarian, and demanded he no longer eat meat around her. I wouldn't really want to be on eaither side of that coin there.

Me neither!

[morelia]

My husband and I make it work pretty easily.... although we have a slightly different situation...

Hubby has CF, so I need to make sure he has a high fat, high carb, high protien diet as advised by his dietician.

So I usually make a 'base' meal - such as pasta with veges etc and I will have that. He will then take the 'base' meal and add what he needs i.e cheese, pmeat, extra oil etc.

I do cook meat for him occasionally i.e if he has worked really late, has been sick or for special occasions such as birthdays etc. I also cook meat in a party/get together situation, however my close friends and family are exceptionally considerate and usually I don't have to. My mum always eats vegetarian around me, so does a close friend, even though I don't expect them to.

It works well for us. I never expect him to become veg*n, whether he had CF or not as I try to be tolerant to other peoples lifestyles as I want them to be of mine, if they are interested I will educate them.

[Will Penguin]

My GF is omni and we've been in a very happy (dare I say blissful) relationship for a little over seven months. Diet is certainly not an issue with us.

Really, it comes from how we respect and care for each other. I've never asked her to change how she eats, and she in turn understands that being vegan is an important thing for me and respects it.

How does it work in practice? As for eating at restaurants: she's not a hardcore meat-eater, so we go to either vegan/veggie places or places that will have some good options for me. She's a healthy eater and never wants stuff like BBQ or fast food anyhow. In fact, a lot of the time she'll seek out vegan places because she feels healthier when she eats vegan meals.

At home (we're at the "we have seperate places but spend every night together" point) it works out beautifully too. She's not super comfortable in the kitchen, but I love to cook, so I make pretty much all our meals. (I don't mind one bit) She does love to have eggs for breakfast, so we'll keep some cage free eggs around (pretty much the only non-vegan thing that's ever in either of our fridges) that she'll sometimes make for herself. I'll also make her eggs sometimes; I don't have a problem with it.

The other day, as a surprise, she baked me a coconut cake from Veganomicon. It was the sweetest thing, because I knew she was totally worried she was going to mess it up. (It came out amazing)

She's told me she think she might actually have a go at going vegetarian soon, although she doesn't think she could ever give up eggs and cheese and go vegan. I never push her about it- I feel it's the kind of decision people need to make for themselves.

[Jinga]

One of the reasons I love my husband is that he's open-minded and not a meathead stereotype. We had lots of talks before marriage about our life together, food, and kids. Having previously talked about it, it was easier to move foward with a plan that worked for both of us. Some things that helped us:

1) Alex doesn't feel the need to consume meat at every meal. Honestly, he'd prefer I make veggie meals (apparently, I dry out any meat I attempt to cook) because I know how to cook veggie stuff and put a lot more heart into making it tasty.
2) He loves beans ... no, he CRAVES beans.
3) I was worried about how we'd deal with our child-on-the-way, but once again he's open-minded and fine with not shoving burgers down the kid's throat. We are going to take it one day at a time, but so far his attitude is that as long as our child is healthy and thriving, I can essentially be the driving force in deciding what Jr. is going to eat (until Jr. gets old enough to decide for himself).
4) I don't tell him how to eat and he doesn't tell me how to eat. RESPECT, as previously mentioned, is a huge part of a successful relationship.

[synergy]

My boyfriend is an (omni) chef but actually loves the fact that I'm vegetarian. He's always incredibly respectful, and makes sure there is food for me to eat wherever we go. He has enjoyed learning more about vegetarian food, and actually likes this one particular veggie restaurant more than I do. When we cook meals together, sometimes they are vegetarian, sometimes he will add a meat on the side. He makes sure to brush his teeth and wash his hands after he eats meat too.

It's funny the other day someone mentioned how lots of people around him were vegetarian, and that he might just cave one day. I laughed and said that would probably never happen, but he said "You never know..." So, I wonder if he's actually giving it some thought. When I met him he had the unhealthiest diet, and I never said a word about it, but he actually started making a concentrated effort to eat healthier, and has pretty much given up sugar, and caffeine. It's wierd... I guess people can just be inspired if you don't nag them, or make them feel bad for what they're doing.




I'm sure it helps that I was a vegetarian before we met. When I became a vegetarian, my omni boyfriend at the time did not like it one bit and it actually contributed to the demise of our relationship.

[Mollfie]

I'd say...leave her to it? She will probably eventually give up meat by herself anyway, pressuring her won't help.

Luckily my boyfriend is fine with eating veggie, he just likes a bit of chicken once a week which I don't think is a huge demand. He supports me with my choice, so I'll support him with his choice.

[jenni-anti-fur]

The best way to make an omni/veg relationship work is to convert the omni to veg*nism :shifty:

Only speaking for Myself and my Relationship...bigg NO WAY...I dont want my Guy to be a Veggie...I never have...I love him just the way he is and am not intrested in being with a carbon copy of myself....I love that we have our differences.. that keeps it intresting... and have always worked through them and are a very happy couple:)

Have a Hippie Night:)

[morelia]

Only speaking for Myself and my Relationship...bigg NO WAY...I dont want my Guy to be a Veggie...I never have...I love him just the way he is and am not intrested in being with a carbon copy of myself....I love that we have our differences.. that keeps it intresting... and have always worked through them and are a very happy couple:)

Have a Hippie Night:)

I have to agree here, that statement was a little bit off for me as well (I think it may have been tongue in cheek?).

There is nothing more that will cause the demise of a relationship than trying to change someone when they don't want to.

Trying to change someone to veg*n is the same IMO to trying to force someone into your religion - and nobody likes that.

If anyone is ever truly interested (not just having a crack) I am more than happy to educate them and help them to their desicion.

I also feel like that attitude (in regards to the original statement) gives us a bad name, I don't want people to feel uncomfortable around us because we have a different choice in diet/lifestyle.

[brazilnut]

meathead.

:lol:

[Tori~CL]

The best way to make an omni/veg relationship work is to convert the omni to veg*nism :shifty:

I tried and I need more tips. Got any? :beatnik:

[Kiran]

My "fading-omni" wife just gave away the last bits of meat in the fridge to a neighbor....she's getting closer all the time!!

[3LittleBirds]

My "fading-omni" wife just gave away the last bits of meat in the fridge to a neighbor....she's getting closer all the time!!

Aww, that's great news!

My husband requested veggie meals for the last two nights in a row. He eats meat most nights, so this is a big change.

[synergy]

My boyfriend has ordered veggie meals everytime we've gone out together for the last couple months... I only just realised that now, looking back... wow.

[lirpa1]

My boyfriend has ordered veggie meals everytime we've gone out together for the last couple months... I only just realised that now, looking back... wow.
Oh congrats! That must make eating out easy ha ha. I always get a bit uncomfy talking about people's meaty-dishes....:-/



My "fading-omni" wife just gave away the last bits of meat in the fridge to a neighbor....she's getting closer all the time!! Congratulations! so has she comeout and said that she will be vegetarian, or vegan? thats cool :-D