Hey guys, I have wanted to become vegetarian from about the age of nine. I brought it up to my parents once but they just said "no". So i've been eating meat all these years even though i feel its wrong. They won't listen to me when I try and reason with them and explain my reasons and all that. They strongly think that a meal like dinner is ment to be some kind of meat with rice or beans or something along those lines. I don't know how to get throught to them that i DON'T like meat or feel its right to eat! Can someone help me?

I think finding literature on the subject and showing it to them will help. Sit them down and say "These describe the reasons I no longer want to eat meat, and here is some alternative recipes for traditional meat dinner" (Most meals can be made veggie by simply cutting out or replacing the meat). There are some good health reasons to cut meat out of your diet. If they still say "no" how can they force you to eat meat?

my best advice is to be persistant, but mature as possible. If you throw a fit, and scream and yell, (I'm not saying you do this...just a general caution) they will look at you as a kid. If you bring them your case as adult as possible they might be more likely to treat you like an adult, and let you make adult choices.
Also, show them you know how to do it. Do your reseach, look for starter kits.
Have answers for their questions... Won't it cost more? How will you get enough protien? etc etc.

You can find a lot of that info here...or find places to get it.
If the say no accept their answer for now. Then give it another try in a few more months.
Good luck. and if worse comes to worse, be vegetarian when you have the opportunity, and eat meat only if they absolutley order you to.
It might take them a long time to get used to the idea. It took my family a while.

In the real world, there are going to be plenty of times where no one is supportive of your choices. Either you make them anyway, or you just be a pushover all the time. What you might try to do instead of just accepting that other people DON'T accept your choice, is start to be more proactive about your decision. Do some research into the veg*n lifestyle, what it entails, how you will continue to have a balanced diet. Then start being a more active member in the food preparation in the house. First, try grocery shopping with whoever shops to help pick out food to have in the house, help to plan meals, and prepare meals. Work out compromises so a seperate meal doesn't need to be prepared for you every night, and be willing to cook for yourself on nights a compromise can't be made. One thing that will never work is saying "I'm going to be a vegetarian so YOU need to change for me."

Finally, if you don't want to eat meat, don't. They can't force it down your throat. If it really is important to you, just don't eat it. Go make yourself peanut butter if you need to. Prove that your serious, but don't pitch fits about it because it won't get you anywhere.

my parents are the smae way. the only difference between the two of us is that once i wanted to go veg. i did it. iknew they wouldnt approve so i didnt even ask. i hid it from them. .. eventually they figured it out. same thing with when i went vegan. o mg, they put me through SO much ***** at the begining expecially, but they've realized that im still alive, and they've shut up a little. which is good.

i say - do waht you want. if they dotn like it tough!

btw, i'ma really goody-goody person. seriously! i almost never get in trouble. a nd when i do - its over somethign stupid like i didnt cena my room enough!. even though i do clean it. .. so im really straight-edge. im a goody-goody, so if i can rebel, so can you! it's difficult at first. but they'll get used to it.

if you need anything else - just to vent - or how to deal with them. pm me or something. i wotn mind at all...

just know other people went through this too - you wont be alone.

btw- when i feel tired or something, they blame it on me not eating meat, and my mother says that i would be taller if i ate meat and other ****, but they arent that bad when it comes to my veganism anymore. it will DEFINETLY get better.

yeah, like i said, do what youw ant. y o 'ull love it! and you'll know you're dong the right thing!!! :)

i wish you the best of luck!

<3

Rabid_child's post basically covered what I was going to say. Good advice. :up:

Your family will get used to it in time. Mine did. I'm the only non-omni, and for the most part I don't get (hardly) any flak at all from them now. Granted, it's been since the late 80's, but still. Listen to yourself inside, and be true to yourself first. Be respectful, and honest with your family. As R_C mentioned, it's a pretty easy arrangement for a meal to be made where a portion is left meat-free, and the rest can have meat in it. Side-dishes were always a saving point for me when I lived at home (beans, potatoes, spinach, corn, salad, rice, etc.) and were an easy way for my mom to just make one meal for everyone.

thats guy..but nothing worked. I'll keep trying, i'm not giving up

opps..i ment thanks..not thats

Have you asked your parents what exactly they are concerned about? If you post their concerns here we can give you tons of info on each specific topic.

Like if they are concerned about protein you can tell them this:

Vegetarians (and vegans), in general, get PLENTY of protein. Soy foods, legumes (beans), nuts and seeds are the best example. Good vegetarians will get just as much protein as meat eaters.

Protein stats: (From "The Higher Taste" 1997 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust)

A 100 gram portion of meat contains 20 grams of protein

A 100 gram portion of cheese contains 25 grams of protein
A 100 gram portion of lentils contains 25 grams of protein
A 100 gram portion of soybeans contains 34 grams of protein

An acre of grains produces five times more protein than an acre of pasture set aside for meat production.
An acre of beans or peas produces ten times more.
An acre of spinach produces twenty-eight times more protein.


And you can show them a picture of Bill Pearl at age 56, 17 years after he becamce vegetarian:

http://www.shelterpub.com/_fitness/_weight_training/Pearl_photos.html

He became vegetarian at age 39 and two years later won his last Mr. Universe title.

There's Carl Lewis, a US track star who says:

"Can a world-class athlete get enough protein from a vegetarian diet to compete? I've found that a person does not need protein from meat to be a successful athlete. In fact my best year of track competition was the first year I ate a vegan diet." --Carl Lewis (multiple Olympic gold medal winner)

Brenden Brazier, a professional Iron-man triathlete from Canada, has been vegan for over ten years (since 1990) and he believes his plant-based diet gives him a performance advantage over his fellow competitors. He has written a book called "Thrive" which explains his journy.

If hard-core athletes can be health vegans and vegetarians then so can anyone!!! :)

But maybe it's another concern your parents have...

Why do your parents not want you to be vegetarian? Do they take any deviation from thier own choices as a personal attack, or are they just worried about you being well-nourished. If they are worried about your health, try searching the American Dietetic Association's website for "vegetarian". They have some articles with really nice things to say about it. The Christian Vegetarian Association's section on Benifits of Vegetarianism also has lots of stuff about how vegetarianism reduces risk of heart disease and cancer. Good luck.

I became a vegetarian at age 15. One night, my mom made chicken for dinner, and my parents told me that I had to eat it before I could leave the table. I told them that I didn't want to, and I just sat at the table ALL night, until finally they gave up. After that, I told them that I wanted to be a vegetarian. Noone can force you to eat meat if you don't want to, unless they use physical force, and at that point it is abuse. Hopefully your parents won't do that. I think that they will start to understand when you explain to them why you don't like it. They will come around. My parents had issues with it all throughout my life, but they totally understand now. After all it has been 15 years! Yikes! Just try to be patient with them, while at the same time not compromising your beliefs.

It also may help if you agree to go to a (well informed on vegeterian/vegan lifestye) nutritionist, since the nutritionist can help ease their fears on you getting enough protien etc.
also: congrats on finally putting your foot down and going for it!

It took me months to convince my parents to allow me to stop eating meat. Try to make a comprimise with them. Mine was basically *you can be a vegetarian if you cook your own dinner and take responsibilty for the health consequences that follow* obviously there were no health consequences, but once my parents saw that i was dedicated enough about it to make my own meals every day at the age of 14 they realized i was serious about it and now support my decision. Just try to show your dedication to your cause.

I stopped eating meat without my parent permission. Animal's lives are more important to me than my parent's approval.

As a mother, and a semi-vegetarian who used to rant about how vegetarians couldn't be getting enough protein, I understand how both you and your parents feel. Try educating them about modern nutrition (most qualified dietitians will show you how to eat a well-balanced, healthy plant-based diet). I have found it much easier to reason with people by speaking to facts about nutrition, rather than ethical choices, which are value-based and harder to sway.
Good luck!