Why doesn't he get it?

Question

My friend wants me to help him go vegetarian (I'm vegan) He asked me for websites with lists of food he can eat. I gave him a few but he couldn't seem to wrap his mind around them. Now he wants me to make him a list of food he can eat...I've told him that he can eat anything that's not meat/gelatin. But he's still confused...he hasn't eaten if 3 days. What does he want from me? to make of list of everything in the world that doesn't have meat in it? How can I help him?

Answer 1

He wants you to cook for him.  And more.

Answer 2

Tell him to go to the doctor and ask for a referral to a dietitian/nutritionist to help him set up a good diet.

I knew someone that made claims of switching over to vegan that did the very same thing to someone else.  He lives with her now and he is still 'working' on it.

Hint - the guy is after more than dietary help would be something for you to really consider and think about.

Answer 3

Like anything else, going veg is and needs to be (for most people) a PROCESS.  So let's look at bringing his diet in from the extremes of meat, sugar, alcohol, drugs, and all added preservatives or chemicals.  So he would start this process by eliminating red meat and all artificial preservatives and chemicals, let's say.  He would eat his same regular food, concentrating on adding lots more salads, beans, grains, veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds, but still eating fish and chicken for a good long while, and maybe only eating poultry or fish a couple times/week, until his body grows accustomed to this change.  A year, four complete seasons is a good time frame to look at, but he could make the change much more quickly if he had a mind to.  I see no problem whatsoever with you and he say, taking a entire Sunday and having a shopping/cooking/food assembly party so that he is set up for the entire week w/ a written menu and all the stuff he needs on hand to feed himself and to make this transition.  I recommend making with him a pot of beans, a grain dish or pilaf, a casserole like eggplant parmigiana or a baked pasta dish (so that the food is familiar and not as much of a culture shock as say a Thai green curry or some Ethopian cuisine...).  This change can be very overwhelming and off-putting for people, so as much support as you can offer will be very cool.  Show him what you do for breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks.  Do not be harsh or critical, and do not ever make him feel like he's let you or himself "down", even if he's trying to become veg or vegan for ethical reasons. Food is not, and should not ever be about guilt and punishment--there's enough of that in the world already.  Your friend will have a much higher chance of succeeding in his desired lifestyle if he gets lots of support and loving guidance at the beginning.  He may well indeed look for a bit of "mothering" or "coaching" from you.  And this is a problem because???  I also need you to know that veganism and vegetarianism are not necessarily ways of life that can or do work for everyone.  Most folks I know do very well on a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, provided it's not too high on the full-fat dairy for women who are prone to PCOS or fibroids/endometriosis/dysmenorrhea/PMS or people who are prone to high cholesterol or liver/gall bladder issues.  Most humans have enough bacteria to produce B-12 in their gut to last for about 7 years as vegans.  After that (and much sooner for some people, especially many men), supplementation is usually necessary and many people will experience the inner knowingness that they need to put some animal foods back into their diets in order to be well in the Northern Hemisphere, especially if winters are severe where they're living.  Whenever I have doubts about the wellness of something, I look to the Native Americans.  No tribe of Native Americans was or is EVER vegan in this climate, nor were they fruitatarian or breatharian.  Perhaps this diet can work in Jamaica or the Caribbean or Florida, Mexico or California.  I have yet to see it work in the Northern United States for long.  If a male is doing hard physical labor or athletics, protein consumption will become necessary in order to support work and workouts like this, in my experience.  At the point where your friend starts freezing in the wintertime and exhibits an inability to keep warm, ever, or is craving animal protein, this is the point where he needs to (and SHOULD) listen to his body over any sort of dogma.

Regarding things to make and eat, here's some ideas:  Cornbread w/ fresh corn, carmelized onions, red peppers, & Cheddar cheese baked into it, served w/ chili (red or white); a baked pasta dish w/ eggplant, onions, zucchini, mushrooms, lots of cheeses like ricotta, mozzarella, Grana Padano, Parmesan, Parmegiano Regiano, Romano, Asiago, etc.; Long Grain Brown Rice and Wheatberry Pilaf w/ sauteed onions, mushrooms, leeks, greenbeans, diced carrots cooked into it;  I'm eating Fasoulakia (a Greek green bean stew w/ onions, garlic, fennel seeds, parsley, tomato sauce, over Brown Rice w/ Homemade Cornbread, butter and jam for dessert, plus seltzer water for lunch right now).  Frittatas are very easy to put together and are good cold, too;  I love burritos, and all things Mexican, so go buy some vegetarian refried beans, tortillas, cheese, salsa, sour cream, lettuce, onions and tomatoes at the local grocery store.  Noodle dishes and pasta salads go together very quickly, too, and there's a HUGE number of them to be easily made.  This all should be a good start.  Make him a week's worth of food together.  Maybe make a party out it and invite several friends to come and help.  Good luck, best to you both!

Answer 4

I think you should give up on him to be honest. But you need to make sure that he takes a lot of vitamins and protein supplements as vegetarians (and especially vegans) can become very sick of lack of these things. I have a used-to-be-vegetarian sister, and she got strictorders from the doctor to start eating meat again because she became ill.  

Answer 5

Going vegetarian is quite simple. However, some people cannot decide if they still want to have seafood, eggs, milk etc. in their vegetarian diets.

So maybe he should look up the various types of vegetarians.

On the other hand he may have a crush on you.

Vote me best answer, thanks.

Answer 6

Sweetie, he wants a vegan cook. Some guys are just pathetic in how they try and get our attention.  

Answer 7

A book like Becoming Vegetarian might help him.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Becoming-Veget...

It's unreasonable to expect a "list of things to eat". It's up to him to plan his own diet.

But not eating for 3 days really isn't healthy. It sounds like he may have psychological issues: obsessiveness comes to mind. He should probably speak to a therapist or psychiatrist.

Answer 8

he probably really wants attention. make him a list of a few things you know he eats already that are vegetarian. after that tell him to google meals or buy a goo book like vegetarianism for dummies

Answer 9

he sounds totally clueless.

tell him to google vegetarian recipes and tell him to get off your f*cking back