How can i get my parents to let me be a vegetarian?

Question

I really wanna be a vegetarian but my parents arent sureif its a good idea. the force me to eat meat.

Answer 1

http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.html

Read this page,it's great.Or show them the page.Just show your parents how informed you are about vegetarianism and tell them why you want to be a vegetarian.Good luck! Hope it works out for you.

Answer 2

Show them you are serious. Don't whine or be immature about it though, show them how mature and responsible you can be. Demonstrate it in little ways. Also do your research. Find out how you can get enough protein and eat a healthy, balanced diet without meat in it. Dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt) is a good source of protein. Beans and rice by itself is also a complete protein. Eggs, soy protein (tofu, TVP, meatless "imitation meat" products) are also good ideas. For a more thorough understanding, google "complete protein".
Explain your reasoning for wanting to be a vegetarian to your parents. Again, be mature, well thought-out, calm, and rational. If you're trying to lose weight and you're already fairly thin, best not bring that up. Tell them the average vegetarian saves the life of over 90 animals a year just by not eating them. Look online (if you haven't already) and find out about the cruelty that often goes on in the meat industry, and share that with your parents.
Once you've done all that, let them be about it awhile. Nagging them will only turn them off to the subject. In the meantime, avoid meat as much as possible and when they serve meat at home, fix yourself a healthy alternative that still contains protein.
Good luck.

Answer 3

Parents worry ( I know, I am one) The best thing to do is ease their worries
1) Let mom know you don't expect to have her change the way she cooks for the family that you will eat around the meat and not cause a stink
2) do your research, Show your parents that it can be a healthy nutrition filled diet for a growing girl
3) offer to cook a meal each week and find tasty recipes that no one would know were vegetarian to show them just how good it Can be.
4) If possible get the family doctor involved. He should be able to let you and your parents know what you need to grow healthy and what isn't so important.

Plenty of children all over the world are raised vegetarian and grow to be healthy adults. You can too. Oh, BTW, I'm not vegetarian but do enjoy several meat free meals a week for my health, maybe your family will too.

Answer 4

Hmmm...maybe they just don't think you are old enough/mature enough to make a life changing decision. Being a vegetarian or vegan or whatever is an absolute lifestyle. The poeple who choose to live that way need to be well informed on how to make up for the nutrients you are missing from your diet. As others have said, being a teen and changing your diet can be harmful. I suggest talking to a nutritionist if your parents "allow" you to do this. Don't forget that you are still a child living in their home and until you are 18 AND out of their house, you are not able to make these decisions. Good luck.

Answer 5

I don't know how old you are, but often imes, young bodies can't handle a vegetarian diet. I'm a teen and some of my friends have tried to be vegetarians. A couple are very healthy and fit with that lifestyle, but my other friend got really sick and couldn't continue living that way.

Your parents might be concerned about this. In that case, you should talk to a doctor and have him give you the 'thumbs-up' to go ahead.

However, your parents might not want to cook a whole separate meal to cater to your new eating habits. In this situation, I suggest you offer to make your own meat-free meals. If you are willing to do this every meal, every day, I suppose you are really ready and responsible about this very important decision. Good Luck!

Answer 6

Put all the facts in front of them and let them see how harmful eating meat is.
Harmful to the body, animals and our environment
www.tryveg.org
www.goveg.com

Let them know that you can be healthy and have a meat free diet. You can go to those sites and get a free vegetarian starter guide! I have been veg for 7 years now and at first my parents gave me a heard time. Stick to what you believe is right and they will come around

Answer 7

I would do a few things.

First - Do your homework: Read a few books about nutrition (and not just veggie-centric ones because you need to know the answers from all sides of the argument) and talk to your parents about it in a calm way. I really recommend "Food and Healing" by Annemarie Colbin. Remember your parents are just trying to protect you and do what is best. If you can demonstrate you are making an a well thought out decision you might be able to persuade them. This is also very important for you. Being a vegetarian doesn't mean eating only mashed potatoes and pasta. You need to focus on keeping all the nutrients you need in your diet and in balance, all this research will help you figure out how you can alter your diet and remain safe.

Second - Talk to your Doctor: Everyone will tell you that you should talk to your doctor before making big changes in diet. This is even more important when you are young (and I mean through your early twenties, not just "under 18") Also, if your doctor and you can agree it is a good idea, they might be able to help you talk to your parents about it and back you up, IF they think it is a good idea. I would also say that if your doctor doesn't think it is a good idea, take that advice to heart, they are professionals. I have a friend who has been veggie since she was 8 by her own decision and she is a med student, so certainly well developed and intelligent, however, it is not right for everyone at all times in their lives (which is covered in "Food and Healing")

Third - Make it a fun experience for your parents: This really only follows steps 1 and 2. Introduce your parents to veggie cooking that they will like. Any easy start is veggie lasagna (mix tofu and the ricotta cheese and they won't even know it is in there, make/get whole wheat noodles and use spinach and eggplant) or veggie chili. Use it as an opportunity to help out whoever does the cooking and offer to make dinner one night a week! This will impress them a lot. And start with small steps, don't make them tempeh with kale and soba noodles on the first day these are tastes very different from the standard American diet and will just seem so foreign it will freak them out. Work up to that. Another point: there are a lot of really great international cuisines that has in their repertoire lots of great veggie options, I would check out Japanese, Indian and Thai cuisines. You can make this not just an adventure into vegetarianism but also an chance to introduce your family to these cultures and their dishes.

The final note is start slow, and remember that true revolution is achieved through a series of small steps over a long period of time. Your body will not react well to a quick 180 of eating habits. Try having less red meat, less grease and less sugar in your diet, pile more vegetables on your plate at dinner, and maybe ask for one night a week vegetarian (the one you are cooking if you are following step 3) This will make it easier for your parents and your body.

Don't make it a power thing. This isn't about being different from your parents or rebelling against them or them controlling your life or not. And you cannot insult mom or dad's cooking as an argument for being vegetarian. Remember you need them to be on your side and anything you do to antagonize them will just make that harder. This is about healthy eating and respecting animals, but that is your choice for you and not a judgment on them either. Don't try to convert everyone while you are just starting to convert yourself. For now, just set the best example you know how, and quietly, about what it means to be a veggie.To follow that, I would try to not make it a big thing at holidays and other family functions where meat is served and everyone plus their brother is there. Just pile on the veggies, offer to even make a dish that will provide you with the protien you would be missing (like lentils or bean salad) and once your parents are behind you, it will be much easier to convince grandma and uncle Steve to serve a tofurkey :)

Good luck, may your veggie dreams come true!

Answer 8

Not sure how old you are but, if you're in your teens, being a vegetarian is not good for you. Your body needs the proteins to help build strong muscles, and your brain needs the B12 found mostly in red meats, if it's going to develop properly.
If you can find out how to get complete proteins elsewhere (example - beans and rice), besides in meats, then you may be able to convince your parents that you've researched the idea and are serious about staying healthy.

Answer 9

Refuse to eat the meat. Use some of your money to buy fake meat and learn how to make yourself a few meals. You might not be old enough to leave yet but they don't control your life.

Answer 10

I have a brother 8 yrs younger who went through this, as did my husband, before he was my husband. If you go vegi, vegan, fruitarian, etc. etc.....you need to replace mainly proteins in your diet. It can be very hard. Most replacements for proteins come from nuts, and they can be hard on digestion (getting caught up in the appendix), hard to just digest and it takes much much more of them to provide the protein a human needs. Also, nuts are higher in the fats we dont need.....kinda of a catch 22. Have you considered fish or chicken? If you are religious at all - even god sent man to fish......don't know where u want to go with this, but you should decide why you are making the decision.............