I told my family i went vegetarian!?

Question

a couple nights ago i was out to eat at a restaurant and my sister was like "do oyu want some?" it was meat, and i said "ummm no thanks im not eating meat anymore", the whole table of my family was silent, and ttheree was an akward silence the hole time, and my little brother was like laughing under his breath.

-i dont know what to do? what were they thinking?

-now im afraid to them i want to go vegan, they probably dont even know what that means, and im 16 and still live at home! what do i do? helppppppppppp

Answer 1

My daughter became a vegetarian as well at 14.  What helped us help her, was her willingness to get in the the kitchen with me to make dinner.  I would make a stir-fry and pull her veggies out before I added the meat.  If I made a chicken dish, she would take the same ingredients, put it in a small dish with tofu, and bake it along with ours.  Her grandmother was very worried about her growth (lack of protein) but we saw her eat way better through this than she ever did in her life.  She stayed very healthy!

Just remember to respect your family's decision to eat meat as you expect them to respect your decision not to eat meat.

Answer 2

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, it's not really about the food.  It's about the culture.  It's about the way you were raised.  Your parents raised you one way, fed you, taught you, etc. and now you are saying, "I don't agree with the way you have raised me and I think it is wrong and bla bla bla."  Basically, they take it very personally and as an insult.  Sure, that's not the way you see it, but people make assumptions and try to read between the lines etc., so just make sure that you are very open and straightforward about the fact that you are not going against your parents, that it is just a personal choice and has nothing to do with them and how they raised you and you are not trying to insult them or their way of life and you are not saying, "You have been feeding me this c**p all my life and now I'm not going to eat it any more."

Well, that's the way most parents take it.  Not all, but most take it very personally.  Why?  Because most people don't sit back, relax, think things through etc before jumping to conclusions.  Humans are very emotional and reactive.  And look at you, you are already trying to get into their brains and analyze what they are thinking and what it all means etc.  Well... stop that.  Open your mouth and speak to them.  Spit it out. "I noticed there was a silence at dinner the other night when I said I don't eat meat anymore.  What do you think about that?"  Keep in mind, this is how marriage words too.  Open communication and not making judgements or assumptions etc. and not keeping everything inside your head, because we are not mind readers.

Answer 3

I'm only twelve and i became a vegetarian about a year and a half ago. My grandparents hated the idea, and still said "o come why dnt you treat you self to some meat just this once" You need to remember just say no and the topic will just wash away. also remember somtimes people will think you're not going to stick with, or you're just doing it to be cool. as soon as they know that this is a permenent thing, most people will just let it go. also it is good to be prepared to tell them why. it will only get easier. hope this helped. oh and by the way if some one were to say..."why to you eat vegetables?, they're living things." just remind them that they are grown so that people can eat them... animals are not.

good luck with your family!!!

Answer 4

before u announced to r family do u know exactly your intentions of going on vegetarian,If you are clear about it then u be at ease as gradually your family members may be glad to have a all-vegetarian meal with u. Stay cool and their silence could be they are feeling awkard taking meat, Too!

Answer 5

Hi.

  I am 14 and I went vegetarian a couple of years ago, I would just say the reason you want to go vegetarian or vegan and tell them what you plan to eat to get protein.

  Also, it is ok to have meat like 4 times a year and still be vegetarian.

Hope this helps!!! =D

Answer 6

they were probley just surprised! who cares what they think! this is your life and that is your desicon! you are 16 and can choose your own lifestyle! inform them on vegetarian and vegan, and the cruletys factory farm animals go through! it is HORRIBLE! You should say when the whole family is an a room" I want to be a vegetarain! it's my choice and .......................( state why)! go for vegetrain first before vegan to get used to not eating meat! then you can drop the dairy products if you want! find vegetrain recipes and encorge your mom to make healthy foods or make some on your own.you did a great thing!!! IF YOU HAVE A WILL DON'T LET WHAT ANYONE SAYS PUT YOU DOWN! if that is what you want to do than great, you are an unique person! good luck!

p.s.  a magazine " vegetarian times" is cool!

Answer 7

When my daughter was a teen, she chose the "animal lovers" path to being a vegetarian. She was on a bandwagon to make a statement. Now - before everybody throws tomatoes at me - your family was probably thinking the same thing. That you're an impressionable teenager and now they'll have to put up with the "looks" and "lectures" of why eating meat is so wrong. Maybe that's true and maybe not. But those things usually happen when a vegetarian is not respectful of other people eating meat if they so choose.

If this is your choice for *whatever* reason, do your research thoroughly so you can stay healthy and get all the nutrients you need that you normally get from meat products. Talk to you parents and let them know what and why you've made this decision so they can at least try to understand adn that will make it easier for them to support you.

BTW - my daughter's "statement" didn't last. She went back to eating meat on her own. It was a teenage rebellion thing.

Good luck with your decision and your family.

Answer 8

Justs tell them you don't want to be eating a helpless animal that was killed for someone to eat. And don't let it bother you if you get made fun of for it from yur friends or family, I did too once.They'll all get over it :].

Answer 9

The problem is that, when you're living at home and someone else is buying and preparing the food, you can't just "announce" what you are and expect everyone to read up on it and cater to you (I'm not saying you're like this, but it happens frequently).

And on going vegan, you say they don't know what that means...but do you?  Vegans (and strict vegetarians) cannot eat any processed food with the ingredient of "natural flavors" in it.  These flavors generally come from egg and protein products and don't need to be identified.

Tons of processed foods have natural flavors, including many tomato based ones.  If your mom makes spaghetti with basic Ragu sauce, you can't have it, nor can you have ketchup.  And that's just the beginning.

This is where it gets tricky, because someone is going to have to purchase and pay for the organic ketchup and everything else.  

So when you say your family doesn't even know what it means, make sure you do, because a true vegan diet will mean lots of things have to be purchased especially for you.