How do I tell my parents that I want to be a vegetarian? What to say about their concerns?

Question

I am a young teenager who wants to become an Lacto-ovo vegetarian.

My mom will probably say that it would be "too much trouble". My family practically eats meat for dinner every night. I started on Sunday, and have avoided meat since them with "i'm not in the mood", etc. She will probably also be concerned about my pickiness (to food) and how I will get enough protein.

Help?

Answer 1

As easy, and scary, as it sounds, just tell them. You need to first research vegetarianism and especially nutrition. That way when they ask you things like "well, what will you eat" and "how will you get enough protein" you will have the answers. Because they are your parents they love you, and they are concered with your well being and your health. So you'll want to make sure that you have answers for their questions. In order to educate yourself I suggest that you check out some web cites and even books at the library. I highly suggest the following sites...

www.veggie123.com read the free ebook...it may take a while but it has tons of great info on nutrition and even how to deal with living in a non veg house.

www.goveg.com ran by the PETA, lots of great info on animal rights and animal cruelty

and www.vegweb.com there are tons of great vegetarian, and vegan, recipes on this site

Your parents might also be worried about the cost of you being a vegetarian. Well I dont know how old you are, but if you are old enough you could get a job to help with the food bills. And offer to help or completley make dinner. I do this often when I am staying with my mother, and she quite likes the vegetarian foods that I make. I even got her to like tofu. You could also make big batches of soups, and other easy veg foods, that you could freeze and then re heat them anytime that you want.

I congradulate you on your new life. And good luck. It can be hard, but it will be worth it. And who know, you might even change your family into vegetarians.

Good luck!

Answer 2

I am a young teenage vegetarian who started somewhat recently and was a picky eater.

I suggest that you prepare your parents a few pages of information. Copy 'em from http://GoVeg.com/ and print them out. Include a list of where you can get protein (nuts, beans, soy products, etc.) and also where you can get Vitamin B12. Write down why you want to be a vegetarian. Discuss it with them in a civil voice. They probably will say no- don't throw a tantrum, just reexplain why you want to be a vegetarian. You can also ease into it- one day say "red meat is bad for you, my teacher says", then a week later "fish smell bad. I won't eat them." and then do the above plan. You can mold what you do to the type of parents you have. Heck- if they really get bad, threaten to call the child protection services because your parents aren't safeguarding your health- they're making your colon rot.

When you are a vegetarian, congratulate yourself, but the work ain't done yet. You must prove to your parents that YOU can grocery shop with them and cook by yourself for the first few weeks. Always keep a stash of TVP, veggie dogs, whatever in the freezer. And when your parents cook food for you, say you want to help out. While helping, WATCH and see if they sneak meat in your food. Chances are they will. But if you should leave http://GoVeg.com/ open on your computer one day, then it'll never happen again. :-) Then, you meet the greatest challenge- the acceptance of your peers. It's not unusual for you to get a couple "think fast"s on the first day or two, as hot dogs are thrown at you. It would be great if you can find vegetarian friends, even if they're grown up.

It's great youre on Yahoo Answers. The more you ask and answer throughout the way, the more you will grow and help the animals, the environment and your own health.

Answer 3

Ha ha I was just looking up Lacto ovo vegetarian to make sure I understood correctly and found this website that seems to almost answer your question on steps to take:

http://www.kidzworld.com/article/3002-becoming-a-teen-vegetarian

Also, I have been a vegetarian (Lacto-ovo) apparently for a year now and my parents are still in a bundle about it! I'm 30!! LOL This wouldn't be such a problem except that they think they are my daughter's "other parent" so I am trying to also figure out how you "break it" to them! They dont' want my daughter to be a vegetarian! They've even thrown bible verses at me and insinuated I'm child abusing my kid!

I thought one particular powerful thought is this. Meat eaters do not ever need to explain why they eat meat and whether or not they are healthy so why do vegetarians? Just a mind bending thought I think.

You could just not even mention the word vegetarian at all. Don't even bring it up. Let them say it if they have to. Just say you've been researching ALOT on HEALTH and NUTRITION and you're finding a lot of information that is leading you away from meat. Don't give them too much information. Let them digest it slowly (no pun intended).

Here is a GREAT website from a Dr. He is NOT a vegetarian, however he only eats a very specific kind of fish. I don't agree that he should eat fish at all, but I think it is very interesting that most of his research concludes to not eating meat. He will give you the ups and downs on french fries, soda, pharmacy drugs, splenda, and so on. You name it and he's probably researched it. He's not against eating meat per se, but he is against eating all the unhealthy foods out there. If you approach your family with a more subtle way like this, perhaps it won't be such a problem and shock. Instead they'll slowly get used to you being healthy. Also, if you show them this website (and you do your homework) you should be fine. Try not to worry about it too much. It takes time to completely change your habits that you've spent your life developing. I'm a year in and still making changes!

Good luck and I wish you the VERY best with your family!

Answer 4

Its a difficult one to overcome such narrowmindedness.

Most veggies turn veggie when they get the opportunity to do all thier cooking, typically early teens.

I would try to always remember why you want to be veggie. Is it for animal welfare ? If so, its worth a few weeks or months of grief for a lifelime of change you can provide these animals.

Maybe suggest some dinners that are veggie ? try to find a few suggestions on the internet.

Maybe find a couple of dinners on the net and see if you can make them. Tell your parents you want to try cooking, don't make a big deal its veggie, just cook your own meal and show them how good it is and tastes.

Also, if you go veggie your life is likely to be much healthier and 10 years longer. Surely every parent would want that for thier child ?

remember a veggie diet can also be bad, so make sure you get a good balance of veggies - not just the meat-replacement products like fake burgers etc.

The vegetarian society, www.vegsoc.org.uk, have some great advice for new veggies and teen veggies.

Best of luck, keep at it in the least confrontational way you can.

remember for every meal you have without meat there is an animal that really appreciates your efforts

Take care.

Answer 5

You've been given a lot of good advice. You may also want to show them the ADA/DC position on vegetarian diets (linked below). ADA & DC are the most respected source for nutrition information in the US and Canada (respectively). The paper was written by dietitians. Show this to your parents so they will feel comfortable with allowing you to maintain a vegetarian without worrying about your health.

With that said, I encourage you to find alternate foods for the meat you have been giving up. You need to replace the meat with something, such as beans, legumes, nuts (including nut butters), tofu, veggie 'meats', etc. www.vegweb.com has lots of great recipes.

Answer 6

Knowledge is power. Make sure you know how you're going to get all your nutritional requirements without meat. Better yet, plan out how you will do it without her having to go out of her way to cook special food for you. Tell her how meat is expensive and she will save money with one less meat-eater in the house. Peanut butter is a lot less expensive than meat, for example.
But know how you're going to get the nutrients your body needs, so when she starts firing questions at you, you will actually have answers instead of the "I dunnooooooo." She'll see that you really are serious and realize it must be important to you if you put this much thought into it, and she'll be more likely to listen, and who knows? Maybe she'll even help.

Answer 7

Rather than profess knowledge about nutrition that you may not possess, I would suggest an appointment with a licensed nutritionist to discuss your options and to give you recommendations. If your parents have concerns, you can then refer them to a professional.

As long as you are eating eggs and dairy, there shouldn't be any major concerns. The nutritionist may want you to take a vitamin or mineral supplement as part of your meal plan, but that is an easy accomodation for you to make.

Your parents might find your decision an inconvenience, or they might surprise you. They may be delighted and supportive.

If not, there is still hope. Because if you are mature enough to make this decision for yourself, then you are also mature enough to take responsibility for getting the food you need. You should be willing (if necessary) to cook you own meals, or to buy your own groceries. As long as you are willing to take responsibility when needed, your meal plan will not be a burden.

Answer 8

Tell them this is my body and NO one else decides what I put in it, only ME. Also, tell them if u want to fight about it, let's go, cause I am not giving up on this one, say it just like this. I think they will back off. Stand up for something or u will fall for anything.
It would be a good idea to take vitamins too.Good Luck with them.

Answer 9

You just say "Mom - Dad... I been giving it alot of thought and I want to try being a vegetarian.... just that simple... they can't force you to eat meat. And as far as protein... you got peanut butter and plenty of dietary supplements that can make it up for you.

Answer 10

You can get protein from eggs and some beans. As far as your parents go, just tell them. Make sure you do your research before you talk to them that way you'll be able to answer their questions.