My dad knows I'm vegetarian...?

Question

He tells me that when I get older I'll get smarter and actually understand why I should eat meat.. I tell him he is wrong and this is what I believe is right.. What should I tell him in situations like this? It's not like I'm making him eat the food I make...

Answer 1

My sis is a vegetarian.  Her mother in law just CANNOT understand how she cannot eat meat. I told her to describe it like this:

Everyone has a line they won't cross.  If you put "meat" on a line similar to this you will see my point

The scale would go something like this:

Fish

Chicken

Pork

Beef

Those are all pretty common.  People cannot understand NOT eating those meats.

However, there are other people that eat

Lamb

Goat

Duck

Rabbit

Then there are probably even fewer that eat

Horse

Rat

Snake

Alligator

The line gets more and more obscure.

This sounds a little extreme, but some people eat

Cat

Dog

Where does your dad draw the line? Does he eat all of those things? Every single kind of meat available, he eats it?  I doubt it.

So you draw your line earlier than he does. Does it make one of you right and one of you wrong? No.

Meat is a source of protein. As long as you are fulfilling your diet with a sufficient amount of protein found in eggs, beans, legumes, etc. you will be healthy.

Answer 2

Another book to check out is "Living Among Meat Eaters" by Carol J. Adams.

Answer 3

tell him you are old enough to be making your own choices in food. and that while you understand his concern (all vegetarians run the risk of certain sickness if they do not take care of protein needs properly) you are taking care of yourself. or my favorite when my parents are being over the top we know better than you do. i say "then we'll see won't we?" when they say that when your are older and understand something. because while with age comes wisdom it also brings forgetfulness when it comes to how it was to be young.

Answer 4

There is a book called "Vegan Freak: Being Vegan In a Non-Vegan World" that might help you, even though you are vegetarian. I suppose you should just tell him everyone has different views and you aren't harming yourself by being vegetarian. You could ask him to please respect your decision because you feel hurt when he says things like that. Don't worry, you'll eventually meet people who are vegetarians too...you could try looking for a group in your area or look for a vegetarian restaurant.

Answer 5

I started when I was a teenager and now I am 37. It was an uphill battle with my family and others who just insisted I was wrong. Over time my parents understood and respected my convictions. I have never had illnesses any different from my carnivorous friends. There are plenty of protein, iron and essential fatty acid substitutes out there, you just have to do research, have an open mind, and ignore those who would stomp on your convictions. Humans do not need as much protein as they think and you will not have all that undigested meat rotting in your colon.  If you try soy products, just choose highly digestible, non GMO soy and stay away from the soy concentrates and isolates. Although they won't hurt you anymore than real meat will, and some of it is very yummy! My guilty pleasure. Pick your battles with your Dad and others though, because after 20+ years of this I still get the same arguments from people who think they know whats right and it's just not worth my time to argue with them. Good luck and good job with the choice you have made. It's not only good for you, but also good for the environment

Answer 6

Just say, "You may be right, Dad," and drop it.

The faster you say something to at least let him know you respect him, the sooner he will let it go.

Be well.

Answer 7

Print this out and read it to him:

Frequently Asked Question:

Aren't we made to eat animals?

Answer:

No!!

We don’t have claws for flesh-ripping: Our flexible fingers are made to pluck pears and pick potatoes. Our so-called “canine” teeth are puny compared to those of true carnivores like tigers and wolves, better for biting into strawberries than into sinews.

Our “inside plumbing,” which includes a super-long, winding digestive tract, is designed for slowly breaking down veggies, fruits, and grains. (Carnivores have a short, straight digestive tract in order to get the meat through quickly, before it does any damage.)

It’s because humans aren’t designed to eat meat that many chicken chompers and burger lovers end up suffering from heart disease, cancer, and other ailments.

Your body is like a car — it needs the right fuel to keep it running smoothly, and for people, the right fuel comes from plants.

If a person poured Pepsi into a Pontiac’s engine, they’d have to have their car towed. No wonder so many people who try to fuel themselves with meat end up in “the shop.”

Answer 8

Does he say it seriously or in a joking way? I ask because my parents do a lot of good-natured ribbing, and the best response is to laugh along with them... say something like "Well, when you get even older, maybe you'll understand the health benefits of vegetarian diets!"

If he says it seriously, you could ask him, "What do you mean; why is it that I should eat meat?" See what he says and then have a conversation about it. It's better to have a dialogue than a monologue. Good luck.

Answer 9

Your dads right! Eating meat is actually a really important part of your diet and I don't care what veggo's say....You can not substitute it! Nothing is the same.

Answer 10

He just doesnt understand.  Your body doesnt NEED meat , its just a really e z way of getting nutrients. Most people will say you need it becuase they  really dont have a clue what they are talking about.  If you have ever taken a health/nutrients course you would know.

Also because there are 2 points of views when a person sees meat

1: Food

2: A animal who was totured and killed for a person taste buds.

Answer 11

You feel guilty for eating a living thing and he'll say "You're not killing it" and you can say "But by eating meat i'm supporting it."

Answer 12

It's a complete misconception. Many cultures thrive on vegetarian diets. It's hard to supply a healthy vegetarian diet when your family won't support it. I would suggest just researching into it but wait till you get older to drop meat. Until they allow it, trust me, it probably won't be wise to start.

I tried when I was younger, it's nearly impossible to do. Just because you DO need to replace the meat with other foods.

Good luck. Your heart is in the right place. :D

Answer 13

Its no wonder "Skye" has her email disabled - she probably doesn't want to actually learn anything !

He might think its a fad. You sound like you might still be living at home maybe ? So he probably thinks its soemthing you'll grow out of.

Often, like Skye and your dad, people make assumptions on vegetarianism without basing it on any foundation.

Yuo cannot argue with facts, so why not get an information pack from the vegetarian society adn let him read it. That way, he can digest the info without having to think he has to respond.

Maybe show him this info:

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/goingveg.html

or this:

http://www.vegsoc.org/newveg/kickstart/f...

The second one y is designed to help explain things to parents and friends - its got some great ideas for you.

The whel veggie soc website has great nutritianal, recipe and advice pages - definately worth spending an hour gathering info from there.

If he doesn't want to read it, there is probaly little you can do, just show him you are eating healthily.

Answer 14

i would say ur right father and ask him to get you a 16 oz steak cooked rare still bleeding you need the protien to help ur body heal and carry out natural processes u cant get high amounts of iron and protien from anything besides meat