Want to be a vegetarian, but dad says no.?

Question

My dad always tells me I want to lose weight, and me, being the animal lover that I am, wants to be a vegetarian, but he won't let me. He tells me that meat holds tons of vitamins...bla bla bla..

He is seriously against letting me be a vegetarian. What should I do?

Answer 1

Do the research and determine the exact areas that may be of concern to your father. Also, try to avoid the special identity or desire to judge others that too often is the foundation of many people's decision to become vegetarian. As an example, my friend stopped being a vegetarain when he became a serious zen buddhist student. It may seem ironic but he discovered that his vegetarianism was all about his ego and his identity and had some judgement of others in it. It's helpful to keep in mind that love for animals includes the human animal and one should avoid the temptation to feel better than others or as if you're doing something special.

Answer 2

I don't know how old you are but my son became a vegetarian ten years ago he was sixteen. You have to take a lot of responsibility in this matter to make sure you get the right nutrition in your diet It can be hard some times. The last few years he has gone vegan. And he really has to work at what he eats. He is 27 now has no body fat and very healthy. I am a meat cutter watch what I eat pretty good but still have high blood pressure and other problems that could be corrected just with diet alone and that would include a lot less meat

Answer 3

I have been a vegitarian since I was 3 years old, becuase I have always been very stong willed! But I aquired a lot of health problems a few years ago simply because I was eating a normal diet minus the meat. Recently, due to all these problems I was getting, I went to a nutritionist and she found that I was dificient In a lot of things including Protien, Iron, Calcium, Zinc, Essential Fats and Magnesium. This just shows how important meat in your diet is really. Anyway I haven't given up vegetarianism! My bad diet has been replaced with a healthy one, and I am now eating things such as nuts and seads, salads with olive oil instaid of Salad Cream, Natural Yoghurt, Kidney Beans...The list goes on! My diet is now roughly 60% raw fruit and veg!
If you become a vegetarian I think you should learn how to prepare your own meals because processed foods loose a lot of their goodness; and cook meals with the night amount of nutrients in so that you are not deficient because I found out that you really do need them!
Maybe to demonstate that you can be mature about the whole vegetarian diet, you should ask him if you could try it for a month and then demonstrate to him that you can cook healthy meals for yourself. For the best Ideas get a vegetarian or Vegan cookbook, which can cost as little as a few measly pounds (or dollars, i'm in the uk!) as the meals in there obviously have to have the right amount of nutrients in. If not, explain to him why you want to try it and how strongly you feel about it. Also explain how you are growing up now and maybe he should let you have a little bit of responsability for yourself.
If your dad does not allow you to do this still then ask him why he doesn't allow you and explain calmly how you would resolve this problem.
If however, he just will not give in, then I'm really sorry and although it's not fair, he is your parent and you need to respect him, you can always become one when your older though! Good Luck!

Answer 4

I don't know how old you are but try giving your father some resources about vegetarian life. There are plenty of other sources of protein. Tofu, Nuts, Cheese, and eggs. Then there is the Vegan Market-which has no animal bi-products whatsoever. Perhaps if you spoke with your doctor or logged onto your health facility site, you could pull some information there.

Vegetarian diets are backed by many health organizations, but for a variety of reasons.
Check out www.vrg.org

and since you are under age, here is a link explaining the pro's and cons to vegetarian diets in children http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/nutrition/vegetarian_diets.html

Additionaly, you might want to try to research mideast religions and several middle eastern religions think that it is inhumane to eat animals.

Also, FYI: Meat doesn't contain tons of vitamins-vitamins mainly come from fruits and veggies.

Bottom line, I'm not going to tell you to disregard your fathers concerns, but perhaps a different approach would be through educating your father and then having a heart to heart.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

I think that so long as you are eating healthily, what's his gripe? You can actually get a lot more necessary minerals and vitamins with a vegetarian diet. And if is still worried about, ask him if you can supplement your diet with vitamins. This is an old book, but has a lot of good recipes for you to start with:
http://www.amazon.com/Diet-Small-Planet-20th-Anniversary/dp/0345321200

My daughter watched the movie "Babe" when she was about four and never touched meat since..it was surprisingly her decision..even at that age. I have just been very careful to make sure she gets proteins through other means. Good luck!


"If you want a friend, feed any animal.."

Answer 6

Get some cookbooks and show him the recipes. Offer to cook. A balanced vegetarian diet contains all the nutrients you need, protein and all, and is better for you than eating red meat. Just a note, you can still get fat on vegetarian food, there are lots of oils and butters, nuts, dried fruits and things that have high calories.

Answer 7

i think the reason he doesnt want you to be a vegan is because he cares about your health, not because he wants to be bossy. It is possible to get all the protein you need from a vegan diet but you have to be prepared to make a life long habit of taking certain vitamins like B12 and iron which are found only in meat. dont forget: although some vitamins are found in veggies and meat, in meat they are in a form that is better absorbed by your body. do your homework if your serious about this and learn that you MUST combine your foods very carefully to get complete proteins when on a vegan diet. are you also giving up all dairy products and eggs? i hope not because eggs are natures most perfectly balanced protein and chock full of vitamins. i personally know several vegans and in my opinion they lack the vigor of meat eaters, they are mostly underweight, nearly always sick, tend to have a poorer immunity system, and look slightly anemic. remember, human beings are designed to eat meat. but if you feel very strongly about you decision, you CAN make it work, but it will require effort on your part. i personally think you should continue to eat some meat until you are well past your complete growth cycle. How old are you? it doesnt have to be a lot--a bit of fish, a bit of poultry, and red meat just a couple times a month to boost your iron levels. especially as a female it is important for you to receive adequate iron. do your homework on this subject, show dad that you are mature enough to understand what its all about and convince him that your ready to be responsible and make the effort neccessary to make sure your health wont suffer. i think that if he understands how important it is to you and he believes your welfare will not suffer, then he will eventually let you try. but be an adult about it! dont just whine that your not getting your own way--show him your ready and mature enough to make responsible decisions for yourself and that he doesnt need to make all your choices for you anymore PS: be patient with him, this is very hard for a dad to do(i know because i am one) PSS: its WRONG that someone said meats dont contain tons of vitamins and minerals, in fact the ONLY vitamin not found in an all meat diet is vitamin C

Answer 8

Show him some literature that explains the benefits of being a vegetarian and how vegetarians can have a healthy diet. Also try to cook vegetarian food that doesn't look too 'strange' and he might try it and like it.

Answer 9

It's your choice. Don't eat meat if you don't want to. I know someone who's parents didn't want them to be a vegetarian and they would even put meat in the food without telling them. My friend just stopped eating what his mom gave him. I know that it's not healthy to do that, but it will prove how serious you are about not eating meat...

Answer 10

my friend also wants to be a vegetarian (and i'm thinking about it after this kid told me how cows are killed, but anyways,) but her mom won't let her, and for the same reasons. But once she turns 18 shes gonna become a vegetarian, because then her mom can't do anything about it. I think you should wait too, unless he approves of you become all ''meat is murder''. Or, secretly try your best to stay away from meat, like when you go out to dinner, order something meat-free, and request for something like homemade cheese pizza for dinner when your eating at home. you can also get tons of vitamins from vegetables, but don't become like a strict vegetarian where you don't eat anything, ANYTHING, from animals, like milk. A friend of mine was one, and her hair started to fall out, so don't put protein completely out of your diet. Good luck, and let me know how it goes! have a happy turkey day!