I want to convince my parents into being vegetarian, any suggestions?

Question

Not only are they heavy meat eaters they say I can't afford to do it because I obviously have to get my own food. Is there any way that an eighteen year old can afford to be a vegetarian?

Answer 1

I'm just 16 years old but I've been a vegan for 3 years. It's not very expensive and there are tons of delicious things to eat.

If you are 18, you can most likely find a job in your area and you can then afford to buy your own foods. (most veg foods don't spoil for a LONG time, so you can store some for later if you buy too much.)

Prove to your parents that you are responsible and smart about your diet. Tell them you can get high levels of protein from tofu, legumes, green veggies, beans, and nuts (check out this site for more info on veg protein: http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm... Show your parents some pro-vegetarian videos on YouTube. Tell them about all the health benefits, such as the fact that vegetarians live on average 5-8 years longer than omnivores and vegetarians are 40% less likely to get breast, colon, or prostate cancer!

Hope that helps =]

Answer 2

Eating vegetarian can actually be less expensive than eating meat.  I think you have to make your own decisions, not make decisions for your parents.  Certainly you can just adjust your diet based on the food that is offered at home, plus what you can afford to contribute.  It might help if you plan and prepare a delicious vegetarian meal for your family to share.  There's lots of info on the net about that.  Whatever you do, don't just sit back and make demands on what YOU want that will create difficulties for everyone else.  Do your homework and lead by example.  If worse comes to worst, you can make the switch when you leave home.  Be careful to balance your diet!