My vegan friend preaches to me about eating meat and it offends me, what should i do?

Question

Every time i go to lunch and i have a meat sandwich my vegan friend always looks at me like i'm stupied and starts to tell me how horrible it is for my body. She says that she is the healthiest person out of our friends. So I just sit there not saying a word because I don't want to offend her but on the other hand she is offending me.

Answer 1

Just tell her how you feel. If she gives you attitude or gets mad shes not a real friend. Friends understand.
Good luck!

Answer 2

Ask her, "would you decide to eat meat if I badgered you enough?" When she says no, tell her that she has as much a right to make you feel bad/wrong/etc for eating meat as you have of demanding she give up being a vegan.

If it's something that you could just roll your eyes about and not get offended, it's not really a bad thing that she's harping on it, particularly since on some level, she may be doing it in the interest of helping you live a healthier lifestyle.

However, if it turns to constant patronizing, she has no right to do that. Eventually, you'll probably start avoiding her at lunch if that's all she can talk about, so being honest about it could preserve your friendship, even if she feels put-out at the time.

Just make sure you do it kindly. Snapping at her won't have the effect you're looking for. Remember, you both have equal rights to your diet choices, and you have no more a right to say she's doing it wrong as she has putting you down.

By the way, I had something like this happen, and I think you could remind her that unless she's gathered complete medical histories of your friends, her claim that she's the healthiest is just her opinion. I had a close family member get on to me about this, and I was on a doctor supervised diet for a medical condition I have. I have to eat an OBSCENE amount of protein a day, and a chicken breasts has something like 32 grams of protein, while most vegan stuff have a lot less than that. The standard rule of thumb is to talk to your doctor to make sure that you can handle the vegan lifestyle. Some folks can't, and they probably would not care to tell her that.

As a last resort, order a hamburger, and when the waiter brings it to you, look at it seriously, go "mmmoooooooooooo?" and then tell her that the cow said it was okay, and chomp right in.

Answer 3

Okay, I recently became a vegan(I've been vegan and vegetarian on and off a lot, it's kinda weird... I take a couple months with each one) and I didn't even think about my health when I became one. I just thought about the animals. But even if my friends were eating meat, I wouldn't tell them to become a vegan! I can't control their lives! I mean, if everyone was a vegan, then the animals would still die and accumulate on Earth, and without anyone eating them, they would just... rot. I just think you should talk to your friend and tell them you're sticking to meat, and if they don't respect that, they're not really your friend. Vegans cut down the meat demand, but some people would still have to eat meat anyway.

Answer 4

You should tell her it is my choice what I do to my body. Then tell to prove that she is the healthiest out of your friends and it is a balanced diet be it vegan or meat based, a vegan diet is just as bad as a meat based one if its full of oil and junk food crap. If she keeps going about about it say "look I rescept your choice but you don't seem to rescept my choice, you either rescept my choice or come back to be my friend then you have done so."

Answer 5

find a new lunch mate...I can not stand when ppl do this. I have been on both sides of the coin a vegetarian and now a happy meat eater. I never pushed my beliefs on ppl either way but they would always do it to me. Ohh you should be eating meat... whatever.

Tell her that you respect her choice but that you find it rude that she ruins your lunch everyday. If she doesn't like your food choices then it would be best to eat separately.

Answer 6

Joe Sweetie: Its time to stand up like the "meat eater" you are.
You both have your own right to eat whatever you want. My personal opinion is that you eat any form of meat or fish you want--only leave out the hormones, antibiotics, pesticides and small feeder lot beef. Remember, you ingest whatever the meat animal ate before you.

Answer 7

It sounds like "she' needs a lesson in manners. Let her know politely she is over stepping her rights. Explain you do not agree with her & do not apperciate her preaching & rudness. If she wants to be friends she needs to respect your right to choose just as you will hers.
To be fair, You have not let her know what you think so she is not totally in the wrong.. is she suppose to be a mind-reader? Communcation is the key.

Answer 8

Really just let it go. If something has to be said just tell her how you feel. Tell her you have the right and the privilege to choose your choice of preference of foods that you find are just as healthy. If foods are fixed properly and with great respect it will be good for you

Answer 9

the vegans that i know in South Africa are all thin and sickly with lots of disease's.
the body needs a balanced DIET ,
to be healthy ,maybe it wont affect her imediatly but in the long run her body will miss out on many nessecarly nutrients ,or her brain will deteriorate

she wont have to eat dead cows ,but she should at least eat grasshoppers,worms and beetles ,as well as flying ants to get some of the required protiens

just tell her that

Answer 10

Honestly? Just tell her to shut up.
Tell her that if it really offends her to the point where she's preaching you, then she doesn't have to watch you eat the damn thing. If it was my friend, I'd just eat it in her face and call her a wussy.

Answer 11

Just tell her that meat is a natural food. It contains proteins and those are good for you. Infact, you need to have proteins to survive and meat is the is one of the best sources so let her know she is not the healther person, but infact the people who eat meat are.