I need advice from vegetarians...?

Question

I am not ready to call myself a vegetarian, I read something last week and have not been able to eat meat since. It has been litterally making me vomit when I try. Here is my problem, my family is having a rough time with this, laughing, telling me to just get over it, but I can't. Any suggestions on how I can deal with this? I am the last person I thought would become a vegetarian, but I think thats what is happening.

Also, anyone have any good recipes??

Let me clarify a little, my husband is getting down right MAD at me about this... when I really can not help it.

I have not made a fuss... infact I havent said anything about it until they noticed, thank you very much... Its not a choice.. I am not chosing to get sick.. its just happening.

Answer 1

That's what happened to me also. I suddenly found it really gross to eat meat. Just looking at the bones, veins, etc., and I was like No Way Am I Eating This. I've been veggie ever since, (for the last 14 years). It's not a bad thing. There is no reason for your family to react like they are. They choose to eat what appeals to them, and you can choose to eat what appeals to you.

Answer 2

Good on you for caring! I was the same. I became a vegetarian not that long ago. It was strange but it just hit me. I was sick of meat and found my inspiration in that animals die when I eat meat.

I wouldn't want my pets to suffer so what makes any other animal different? When I first said it to my boyfriend he was so angry and thought less of me which really p!ssed me off. I had a long sit and talk with him time and explained why. The main reason being animals suffer when they are being bred for meat. Ok some MAYBE not but I am not going to take the chance just because it take "good". I also explained that he can eat what he wants but if he is going to put down what I am eating and say "eeww gross. How can you not eat meat? There's no taste...." then he has to try it first. I swear it was like training a child to eat something new!

But where are we now? I am still a vegetarian and he mostly eats what I eat at home. When he is out to lunch he gets what he wants. But as I see you have kids explain to them your change of thought and that they will have to try what you are eating before they can say they don't like it. If they do end up eating with you you all will be so much healier. It just takes research into knowing what's good and what is not. Just like some meat-eaters should do!

Remember you are going to be blamed for lecturing and preaching but ignore it. It will happen a lot but stay strong.

For ideas on cooking try www.allrecipes.com Their vegetarian recipes are great and for info try http://www.vrg.org/index.htm and www.peta.com.

Answer 3

If you want to become a vegetarian just do it. Why would your husband get mad? Your family can still have their regular meals and you can just make an extra veggie and skip the meat. What's the big deal? There's alot of good vegetarian recipes at allrecipes.com.

Answer 4

I was once in a similar situation, only for me the trigger was that I without intending to stop eating meat in fact had no meat for a month, and I simply could not go back to eating the stuff. (That was in 1979, and I have been happily meat-free ever since.)

First, you need to stop feeling that you are doing anything wrong. You can't control your own revulsion, and why should you? You will be a lot healthier without meat! For a while I cooked meat for everyone else in the family and just ate extra veggies myself with as little fuss as possible.

My husband's main concern was that I would influence our daughter to not want meat - she was five. So I kept it very low-key and never said a word about what I was or was not eating. When she was twelve, she went away to a three-week summer program and came back a vegetarian! (And now she and her huisband are happy, healthy vegans.) As long as I was cooking for two meat-eaters, I cooked meat, but once my daughter was also repelled by the stuff, I quit cooking it. But, as you will be able to tell by subtraction, that took seven years. Now my husband sometimes eats meat in restaurants and also buys frozen dinners with meat in them, but there is no raw meat in the house. And sometimes he orders veggie when we eat out!

Anyway, just take it one day at a time. For a while I forced myself to eat meat at other people's homes, but I felt so sick after doing so that I eventually just stopped forcing myself to do something so much at odds with what my body wisdom was telling me.

I have found it generally not a good idea to talk about it much. I simply tell people who needle me that I don't tell them what to eat, and I expect the same courtesy from them. "End of discussion - I don't want to talk about it any more - what's on TV?" What you put in your mouth is an extremely personal decision, and I don't think anyone should feel they have the right to make that decision for you. Insist on your right to make your own food decisions - it's really a matter of respect.

Things are easier for vegetarians than they were back then. You can make hamburgers for everyone else and nuke a Morningstar Farms veggie burger for yourself. Everybody has something in a bun, so you don't look like you're eating "funny food." Get Morningstar ot Bocca "Crumbles" - you can use them in any recipe that calls for crumbled ground beef - chili, spaghetti, Spanish rice, etc. If the rest of the family insists on meat, just add the meat at the end after you take out your portion.

Good luck! And hang in there - it gets easier!

Answer 5

Don't worry about being a vegetarian and just do it. I'm not a vegetarian in the least bit, but I don't eat meat all that often. It doesn't really make a damn bit of difference, just don't tell other people about your dietary choices. Remember to consume plenty of beans/legumes/nuts to make up for the loss of protein in the diet, and avocados and olive oil are some of the best sources of fat. People don't like vegetarians because vegetarians tend to guilt trip other people about eating meat, not because the vegetarian doesn't eat meat. If the idea of eating meat disgusts you, fine, just don't tell your husband that what he's doing is disgusting or try to dissuade him or anyone else from eating meat.
Human beings ARE built to eat meat, just not as much as most of us consume(meat was meant to be a supplement to our diet-not the main part of it).

Answer 6

First, being a vegetarian is not a disaster.

Second, there are tons of vegetarian recipes over the net try http://allrecipes.com/recipes/vegetarian/main.aspx

http://vegcooking.com/

http://www.vegweb.com/

http://www.recipesource.com/special-diets/vegetarian/

http://www.ivu.org/recipes/

and many other just google the word (vegetarian)...

Don't worry, you are on the right way to a better health.

After all, it's just a matter of choice, no one should be bothered for being a vegetarian or a meat-consumer.

Hope this helps.

Answer 7

www.vegweb.com for recipes
www.veganoutreach.org for free pamphlet to give the family members that will help them understand what's making you ill.
www.vegsource.com health information
You don't have to label yourself a vegetarian. Dance around it. Give your husband the Vegan Outreach brochure. Eat beans, nuts, seeds. Since you are new, maybe eggs and dairy don't gross you out so keep them in the lineup for now. Many pasta dishes can be made meatless. Set aside a portion for yourself and then put meat in for the rest of the family.

Answer 8

Awwww.. I understand. I have been a vegetarian for 11 years. I STILL get made fun of by members of my family. Meat is gross. I dont blame you for not wanting to eat it. You may even feel better for not eating it. There are a ton of good recipes on the vegweb. I like black beans and rice. It is my favorite thing to eat. Hope it goes well for you.

Answer 9

We all have the right to eat whatever we want. Our bodies let us know what we need. We have to listen. People who love you will understand eventually.
This is not about them. It is about our decision to eat what we want and
what our bodies need. The hardest part is cooking meat once you can't
eat it. We eat out often and my husband eats frozen meals. Sometimes
i give him the veggie meals i make and he doesn't even know the difference!
Just don't let anyone tell you what to eat. That is ridiculous. I think people feel judged and obviously guilty too. Be strong.

Answer 10

I agree with one of the people that said "See your doctors". But you know what it's your choice! Don't worry try takling to your husband...tell him how you feel. My family did the mocking too...but now they are more than ever supportive. Give them some time to accept the change
Sam