How to convince your parents that you want to become a vegetarian?

Question

I'm 13 and I have eaten meat all my life but recently I saw this PETA thing and I feel so guilty!!! How do I convince my parents that I want to be a vegetarian? They think its just a "stage"?

The thing is that they heard this thing about how if teens dont eat meat then their brains won't work as well and they'll do bad in school so now they won't listen to me

Thanks everybody for your help!!

Answer 1

I know where you are coming from. As long as I can recall, I wanted to go veg. My dad always told me that when I turned 15, and was responsible enough to drive, I would be responsible enough to make that decision. He, too, thought it a stage, and figured I'd have forgotten all about it by then. Well, I have not eaten a bite of meat since I was 15. I'm now 26, and am very healthy and in great shape. My doctor contributes my strong immune system and low cholesterol to my avoiding meat. In fact, more and more doctors are encouraging a meat-free diet.

I am guessing you watched "meet your meat"? Maybe you should try to get one of your parents to watch it, too. Tell them that they have taught you to be a compassionate person, and a person that has respect for life and wants to avoid causing suffering. Tell them that this is important to you. Lean a few good vegetarian recipes and offer to prepare a few meals. Help show them that this is an intelligent and health choice.

Answer 2

Being a vegetarian is not hard. You can eat vegetable cooked right with all the spices instead of your meats, you can order all kinds of food without meats on it.

You can ask your parents that you do not want to eat any meats because it use to be something live that was killed just to put in on your platter. Being Vegetarian also will give you more Vitamins etc fromt the Greens.

Answer 3

I think it's best to not become a vegetarian. If u compeltely stop eating meat, you'll have to take pills and I also think it's kind of bad for ure body, because ure body needs vitamins and calcium or whatever it is that meat gives us, to survive. You'll also have ALOT more restrictions on food; u wunt be able to eat so much yummy food!! but if u really feel that u cant eat meat anymore, just stop eating whatever's meat, and im sure that youre parents will get worried, and probably buy u pills or something. I used to be vegetarian, but I think that eating meat is better. I started getting dizzy because of lack of meat and I just felt really different. Im a meat luver now :D

Answer 4

are you serious?i am the same. I am 13, I saw a PETA thing. My mom said "it's just a stage"...well...that was about 9 months ago.I've been a vegetarian for 9months,and at first my mom wouldn't listen,constantly sneaking meat into my meals. so i stopped eating what she served,and i started making my own meals,i check the labels and stuff. and to make her happy i take vitamins.So,try convincing that it's healthy and okay,and that you Can take vitamins and still get protein or whatever.

Answer 5

MMMM... People Eating tasty Animals!
Kidding
Easy answer: Don't eat meat. It is really that simple. Hopefully they can't force food into your mouth so you shouldn't have a problem.
Just make sure to get the proper proteins and other nutrients that you'd normally get from eating meat. And watch out for food that use animal parts but you might not realize that they do. Jello is a good example of that (cow bone marrow is in Jello).

Answer 6

Just tell them, when I was 17 I gave it a try, and my parents actually started making family vegetarian meals twice a week, and made sure that I got all the right proteins the rest of the week, they supported me. When I did eat meat again, they took care of me, because I was sick as a dog.

Answer 7

Talk to your parents about your feelings. Tell them you really feel strongly about it and would like to try it for a while. You might even offer to cook a veggie dinner for your family once or twice a week, and when your mom or dad is cooking a meat meal, go to the kitchen and make your own veggie alternative. Most importantly, try not to be judgemental of other family members for eating meat.

Answer 8

Tell them this:
"Vegetarians are more intelligent, says study

Frequently dismissed as cranks, their fussy eating habits tend to make them unpopular with dinner party hosts and guests alike.
But now it seems they may have the last laugh, with research showing vegetarians are more intelligent than their meat-eating friends.
A study of thousands of men and women revealed that those who stick to a vegetarian diet have IQs that are around five points higher than those who regularly eat meat.
Writing in the British Medical Journal, the researchers say it isn't clear why veggies are brainier - but admit the fruit and veg-rich vegetarian diet could somehow boost brain power.
The researchers, from the University of Southampton, tracked the fortunes of more than 8,000 volunteers for 20 years.
At the age of ten, the boys and girls sat a series of tests designed to determine their IQ.
When they reached the age of 30, they were asked whether they were vegetarian and their answers compared to their childhood IQ score.
Around four and a half per cent of the adults were vegetarian - a figure that is broadly in line with that found in the general population.
However, further analysis of the results showed those who were brainiest as children were more likely to have become vegetarian as adults, shunning both meat and fish.
The typical adult veggie had a childhood IQ of around 105 - around five points higher than those who continued to eat meat as they grew up.
The vegetarians were also more likely to have gained degrees and hold down high-powered jobs."


Vegetarianism can be perfectly healthy as long as you understand what you need, something anyone should be doing anyway. You'll need to be sure that you get enough iron and protein.

Answer 9

don't try to convince them about something you want to try. will lead to disagreements unnecessarily. just try it for a short period of time, like a month, and see how you feel about it. make sure you adjust your meals to include enough proteins and fats for a balanced diet. at your age your body must have them to grow and build with. calcium too is major important for young ladies. don't just junk food it. look on the allrecipes.com for some wonderful veggie ideas. do not skip breakfast either. fruit and/or protein drinks are great for energy in the morning with toast or cereal.
my daughter(at age 15) tried veggie for a couple months and did well even lost some weight. she did eat some meats for a while after that and now is all veggie again. ha and she works at McDonald's. she used to order Big Mac's, no meat and extra everything else. now she doesn't eat fast food either.
tell your parents that they might even try some meals with no meat too. it's not the end of the world. we do it all the time around here now. we really like to make veggie stir fry and bean enchiladas. my daughter and i really like homemade hummus w/flatbread and cheese on top..yummmeee

Answer 10

I agree with others, TELL them you want a months trial with it:
Don't forget you're still youngMy sis became a veggie when she was your age, now she's 26 with a child, she HAS to feed her and cringes at the thought of raw meat she has to cook for her child, it's difficult. plus when she goes out for dinner with friends, she can't choose her restaurants, so her menu is limited to 2/3 items. I'm not trying to put you off.
And PETA seems to do this to a lot of people, thats brainwashing! They've also sent death threats to Head Chefs in San Francisco because they sell Foie gras, Thats worse than killing an animal for food.
MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION