How do I convince my parents that being a Vegetarian is the right thing for me?

Question

I've only been a vegi for a month and my parents are against it. They think that it's wrong and that I'm hurting my body and they forced me to eat chicken today...I wanted to barf!

What are some good arguments?

Answer 1

Come up with a complete, healthy meal plan for a whole week.  Show that you understand your nutritional needs and what you plan to eat.

Answer 2

Ok first, no one can FORCE you to eat chicken.

My parents were against me turning vegan at first but I just did it anyway, problem solved. They eventually just gave in and accepted it though.

There are a number of arguments for vegetarianism and not a single valid one against it so you should be set.

You can say it is healthy for you, cite the number of diseases that are more common in omnivores than vegetarians.

You can say you do it for the animals... This one requires you to play a bit of a guilt card, try to force their hand by insinuating you are a murderer if you eat meat, which is nothing but the truth.

If your family is environmentally conscience at all you can try it, but they don't sound like the type who would bite at it...

If that fails I find it best to just do what you want, they don't own you.

Answer 3

I have been a veghead for a month now too! It started as a little competition with this girl, but became much much more. I started Reading about the health benefits and environmental benefits and am so glad I commited. My mom was a little hesitant at first. She thought I wouldn't be able to get sufficient protein. I told her all the foods I could eat and get more protein than even meat could give me. I also told her I was helping world hunger, one cow at a time ( for one lb of meat, it's about 7 lbs of grain that couldbe used to feed others) Soon enough she was out buyng me all the vegetarian options. Even my sister has gotten really enthused about vegetarian cooking. It's so fun to be able to broader your food horizons and palette. I'm 15, and I'm making a difference. I'm saving the world. How's that for an arguement?

Answer 4

Tell them that it's healthier for you and the planet.  Show them a youtube video of the things that they do to those poor animals!!!  It convinced me.  They should be supporting you for your GREAT decision!  Tell them that you can get the same nutrients from nuts.  :)  Or you can DEFY!!!!!! just kiddin, added twist, eh???  :)

Answer 5

Research all of the health benefits that come with being a vegetarian.. Go online and look for tons of studies and evidence that promote vegetarianism. Also tell them that you are your own person and you can eat what you want to eat.!! No one has the right to tell you what to eat and not to eat!!!.

here are some sites!! hope this helpss!!

http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/upd...

here are some excellent videos and lectures on how healthy plant based diets are for the body. I recommend Dr. Harris

http://vsh.org/videos.htm

Answer 6

you just gotta be firm and stand your ground no matter what they say. even if they shove chicken in your mouth they cant force you to chew and swallow

Answer 7

-There are vegetarian foods out there that contain the same proteins & nutrients that you can get from meat.

-98% of chicken contains their p**p

-Your risk of cancer goes down by 40%

-Vegetarians live 6-12 years longer

-Vegetarians have clearer skin

-33% of teens are obese and only 2% of vegetarians are obese

Answer 8

tell them that you think that eating an animal is wrong

also tell them that becoming a vegetarian will make you healthier and keep you fit

your parents should understand :)

Answer 9

don't kit yourself. its not a good thing for you.

Answer 10

allveggielinks.com

goveg.com

vegweb.com

vegconnect.com

veggieconnection.com

ecomall.com

vegetarian books:

1. 15-minute vegetarian : 200 quick, easy, and delicious recipes the whole family will love / Susann Geiskopf-Hadler and Mindy Toomay.



  

2.    

Amber waves of grain : traditional American whole foods cooking & contemporary vegetarian, vegan & macrobiotic cuisine / Alex and Gale Jack ; foreword by Michio and Aveline Kushi ; illustrations by Rod House.



  

3.    

American wholefoods cuisine : 1300 meatless wholesome recipes from short order to gourmet / Nikki & David Goldbeck ; preface by Barbara Haber.



  

4.    

A beautiful bowl of soup : the best vegetarian recipes / by Paulette Mitchell ; photographs by William Meppem.



  

5.    

The best of Lord Krishna's cuisine : favorite recipes from The art of Indian vegetarian cooking / Yamuna Devi.



  

6.    

The best vegetarian recipes : from greens to grains, from soups to salads : 200 bold-flavored recipes / Martha Rose Shullman.



  

7.    

Betty Crocker easy everyday vegetarian : meatless main dishes you'll love!



  

8.    

The big book of vegetarian : more than 225 recipes for breakfasts, appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, main dishes, sides, breads, and desserts / by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley.



  

9.    

Cafe Flora cookbook / Catherine Geier with Carol Brown.



  

10.    

Carb-conscious vegetarian : 150 delicious recipes for a healthy lifestyle / Robin Robertson.



  

11.    

Classic vegetarian cooking from the Middle East & North Africa / Habeeb Salloum.



  

12.    

Compassionate cuisine : gourmet vegetarian recipes & the philosophy and culture of caring / Vrnda Devi.



  

13.    

The complete book of vegetarian grilling : over 150 easy and tasty recipes you can grill indoors and out / Susann Geiskopf-Hadler.  



  

14.    

The complete idiot's guide to being vegetarian / by Frankie Avalon Wolfe.  



  

15.    

Complete vegetarian cookbook / Charmaine Solomon.



  

16.    

The complete vegetarian handbook : recipes & techniques for preparing delicious, healthful cuisine / by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley ; illustrations by David Pollard.



  

17.    

The contented vegetarian / Matthew Drennan and Annie Nichols.



  

18.    

Cook 1.0 : a fresh approach to the vegetarian kitchen : breakfast, lunch + dinner / Heidi Swanson ; foreword by Art Smith. (



  

19.    

Cooking the Cuban way : culturally authentic foods, including low-fat and vegetarian recipes / by Alison Behnke and Victor Manuel Valens.



  

20.    

Cooking the Vietnamese way : to include new low-fat and vegetarian recipes / Chi Nguyen and Judy Monroe.



  

21.    

The enlightened kitchen : fresh vegetable dishes from the temples of Japan / Mari Fujii ; photographs by Tae Hamamura ; translation by Richard Jeffery.



  

22.    

Entertaining for a veggie planet : 250 down-to-earth recipes / Didi Emmons.



  

23.    

Ethical markets : growing the green economy / Hazel Henderson with Simran Sethi ; foreword by Hunter Lovins.



  

24.    

The ethnic vegetarian : traditional and modern recipes from Africa, America, and the Caribbean / Angela Shelf Medearis, author of Ideas for Entertaining from the African-American Kitchen.



  

25.    

Everyday Greens : home cooking from Greens, the celebrated vegetarian restaurant / by Annie Somerville.



  

26.    

The flexitarian table : inspired, flexible meals for vegetarians, meat lovers, and everyone in between / Peter Berley, with Zoe Singer ; photographs by Quentin Bacon.



  

27.    

Fresh food fast : delicious, seasonal vegetarian meals in under an hour / Peter Berley and Melissa Clark.



  

28.    

The gluten-free vegetarian kitchen : delicious and nutritious wheat-free, gluten-free dishes / Donna Klein.



  

29.    

The healthy hedonist holidays : a year of multicultural, vegetarian-friendly holiday feasts / Myra Kornfeld ; illustrated by Sheila Hamanaka.  



  

30.    

Hope's edge : the next diet for a small planet / Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe.



  

31.    

How to cook everything vegetarian : simple meatless recipes for great food / Mark Bittman ; illustrations by Alan Witschonke.



  

32.    

How to cook everything. Vegetarian cooking / Mark Bittman ; illustrations by Alan Witschonke.



  

33.    

India's vegetarian cookery / Monisha Bharadwaj ; photography of India by Jenner Zimmermann ; food photography by Will Heap.



  

34.    

Living among meat eaters : the vegetarian's survival handbook / Carol J. Adams.



  

35.    

Living in the raw gourmet / Rose Lee Calabro.

  

36.    

Low-carb vegetarian / Margo DeMello.



  

37.    

Low-carb vegetarian cooking : 150 entrees to make low-carb vegetarian cooking easy and fun / Sue Spitler with Linda R. Yoakam.

  

38.    

Mediterranean harvest : vegetarian recipes from the world's healthiest cuisine / Martha Rose Shulman.



  

39.    

Mediterranean vegetarian cooking / Paola Gavin.



  

40.    

New vegetarian cooking : 120 fast, fresh, and fabulous recipes / Rose Elliot.

  

41.    

One-dish vegetarian meals : 150 easy, wholesome, and delicious soups, stews, casseroles, stir-fries, pastas, rice dishes, chilis, and more / Robin Robertson.



  

42.    

Passionate vegetarian / by Crescent Dragonwagon ; illustrated by Robbin Gourley.

  

43.    

The PDQ (pretty darn quick) vegetarian cookbook : 240 healthy and easy no-prep recipes for busy cooks / Donna Klein.

  

44.    

Quick-fix vegetarian / Robin Robertson.

  

45.    

The Real Food Daily cookbook : really fresh, really good, really vegetarian / Ann Gentry with Anthony Head.

  

46.    

Regina's international vegetarian favorites / Regina Campbell.



  

47.    

Silk road cooking : a vegetarian journey / Najmieh Batmanglij.



  

48.    

Twelve months of monastery salads : 200 divine recipes for all seasons / Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette.

49.    

Vegetable soups from Deborah Madison's kitchen / Deborah Madison.



  

50.    

Vegetarian / recipes, Dana Jacobi ; general editor, Chuck Williams ; photography, Bill Bettencourt.



  

51.    

The vegetarian bible / Sarah Brown.



  

52.    

Vegetarian cooking for beginners / Fiona Watt ; illustrated by Kim Lane ; photography by Howard Allman ; recipes by Catherine Atkinson.



  

53.    

Vegetarian cooking for dummies / by Suzanne Havala.

  

54.    

Vegetarian cooking for everyone / Deborah Madison ; [photographs by Laurie Smith ; illustrations by Catherine Kirkwood].



  

55.    

The vegetarian family cookbook / written and illustrated by Nava Atlas.

  

56.    

The vegetarian meat and potatoes cookbook / Robin Robertson.

  

57.    

Vegetarian recipes from around the world / by Sue Townsend and Caroline Young.



  

58.    

Vegetarian sandwiches : fresh fillings for slices, pockets, wraps, and rolls / by Paulette Mitchell ; photographs by Ondine Vierra.



  

59.    

Vegetarian suppers from Deborah Madison's kitchen / Deborah Madison.

  

60.    

Vegetarianism and teens : a hot issue / Kathleen Winkler.

  

61.    

The wild vegetarian cookbook : a forager's culinary guide (in the field or in the supermarket) to preparing and savoring wild (and not so wild) natural foods, with more than 500 recipes / "Wildman" Steve Brill ; foreword by Arthur Schwartz.



  

62.    

A year in a vegetarian kitchen : easy seasonal suppers for family and friends / Jack Bishop ; photographs by Richard Jung



  

63.    

Yoga kitchen : recipes from the Shoshoni Yoga Retreat / Faith Stone and Rachael Guidry..  



  

64.    

You don't need meat / Peter Cox.