I think I want to become a non-meat eater.....?

Question

I am only 13 years old but I don't like the idea of people killing helpless poor animals just to pleasure our taste buds. I dont know what my parents will think but Do you have any advice on how to tell them?

Answer 1

That is great that you are trying to live your life compassionately. The best advice to give you is to know as much about the subject before you try to speak to your parents about it.

There is a huge amount of unfortunate misinformation that your parents were taught by their parents (because they cared about them and wanted them to be as healthy as possible of course) and even by their teachers in school. As a result, there is a ton of information you should have ready to convince your parents that your decision will be a healthy one.

Be sure that you NEVER try to accuse them of anything for eating meat if you happen to get upset by their arguments against you. That will make it way more difficult for you to spend your coming years with them the way you believe is right. I hope that the following will help you be prepared for the fight that may be ahead of you:

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If you want to become a lacto-ovo vegetarian(consume eggs, dairy products, etc.) , the transition should be quite simple. Almost all meats have widely available commercial replacements. All that you have to do is replace any flesh in your diet (beef, pork, poultry, fish/seafood) with meat analogs or just leave it out altogether.

BECAUSE YOU ARE YOUNG AND STILL LIVE WITH YOUR PARENTS, PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS PARAGRAPH AND LINK UNLESS YOU JUST USE IT TO GET AND IDEA
OF HOW MANY ANIMAL DERIVATIVES THERE ARE
Technically the term does imply that you don't consume anything that comes from the body of an animal that requires killing it. Many ingredients such as gelatin and glycerin are found in many candies, Fig-Newtons, and many of other foods as well as rennet found in many cheeses.
http://www.happycow.net/health-animal-ingredients.html

The best thing to remember is to take your time so that for example: when you are comfortable not eating beef and pork you can then give up chicken when you are sure you can make the commitment permanently.

You should keep in mind that a journey such as this this can be quite short but should just be the beginning of a longer one to a plant-based diet with no animal products. This is because of the reality of factory farming in which animals that are kept alive to produce milk, eggs, etc suffer much more than animals that are raised to a certain weight and then slaughtered.http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/
Some people use the word "vegan" in reference to this idea, but be aware that that applying that label to yourself should always come with the inclusion of wise activism and advocacy.http://www.veganoutreach.org/advocacy/index.html
Two extremely important examples of this are that you should never speak to someone about vegetarianism/veganism without their consent and genuine interest or as a comment on what they are eating AND your dietary beliefs should never be used as an introduction or explanation of who you are as a person. Veg*ism should be something that comes up AFTER people get to know you and they offer you something that you choose not to eat or you are
ordering food/eating together somewhere/picking the best place to eat.

When you you hold off on the subject until it's necessary and then act like it isn't a big deal at all, people are usually surprised and WAY more interested and curious than if you were to bring it up when someone's eating or just using it as a conversation starter.

A balanced plant-based diet includes grains(breads, pasta, rice,cereal), legumes(soy, beans, peas, lentils), fruit and vegetables.
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/food_groups.html
http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/eating.html
Being vegan can be an art, one whose challenge is to take things that involve the suffering of the innocent and change them into something free of cruelty.

If you meet someone that talks down to people for eating meat, dairy, etc or to you because they think they are "more veg" than you, laugh in their face and tell them they are a disgrace to the entire philosophy. People like this only hurt the idea of veg*ism AND the animals. The point of all of this is to live compassionately and and as free from cruelty as you can, all the while maintaining your health and a positive attitude. People who don't maintain either, need not open their mouths and represent our beliefs.

REMEMBER BABY STEPS CAN BE KEY!!

If you actually choose to read all of this, I hope it helps. If not, feel free to e-mail me if you have questions.

Answer 2

Tell them the truth and offer to help make you own meals. Here is my basic tips on going veg:

1. Take your time - my journey from meat eater took about a year.
2. Start out using some basic substitutes for the meat you are used to in foods where you won't even notice - ground meat replacements are available in the frozen food sections.
3. Leave meat off things that don't need it - pizza, salad, spag, etc.
4. Get some good cookbooks when you are ready to branch into more interesting foods - Moosewood books and New Farm Vegetarian are two of my favorites.
5. If you are worried about what to eat check out the book "Diet for a New America" it will cover many of the health questions.

A good start is to pick one or two nights a week as "veggie" night. Then work your way from there stopping wherever you feel most comfortable which might be 2 nights a week or 7 nights a week up to you.

Answer 3

you need to research eating veg and learn about complete proteins and make sure you like a lot of different foods. My daughter decided to go veg for a while but she doesn't really like veggies. She researched it on the net and found different sites that tell you how to eat veg and vegan. If they are like me an think that certain animals are bred to be food they should still understand your choice. You may have to go to the grocery store and help your mom shop for the foods you want but don't expect them to change with you. I used to get a list of what my daughter wanted and then would buy that in addition to what i usually shopped for till she moved out. Look in the veggie section there are alot of substitute foods there like veggie hot dogs or vegan cheese and in the frozen foods look for Amy's and morningstar farms they are both vegetarian foods. You should go to the grocery with your mom when she shops and ask her to buy some of the stuff you want and then tell her you would like to eat veg and go from there. Check out the website below on the left side they have a vegetarian starter kit to get in the mail. My daughter got that and i still have the goveg.com stickers on my monitor. Personally i don't eat vegetarian because i can't stand the meat substitutes but i have always respected my daughters choice to do so and helped her to be able too.

Answer 4

Through the design of creation of happenstance or evolution (which is a different argument, for another time) I am at a certain place in the food chain, as is the rabbit. So as a direct result I will allow the rabbit to eat his food, and I will in-turn eat the rabbit.

Answer 5

Go to peta2.org or Animalliberationfront.com.

Either place is a good idea to look for how to tell them.

Just flat out saying it is fine and all its what I did, but maybe if you were to avoid meat discreetly as long as possible they will think itll be less of an issue as they didnt even notice.

Answer 6

hmmm that sucks another poor soul following the road. now if u don't agree with the way they treat and kill animals then raise ur own the way u want to like get fresh organic chicken eggs and u can be as nice as u want to the chickens we have chickens and the whole family loves them and they always hold them and stuff like that i can garentee that the chickens are living a great life... next go hunting get a deer or something i mean seariously they are living a perfectly fine life with no cruel humans abusing them all u do is pull a trigger and the dear goes from happy to even more happy when it goes to heaven and its over that quick. just eat meat please being vegan is not worth it

Answer 7

Just say that you want to become a vegitarian for ethical reasons.

Previously look up a whole bunch of health facts, that way when you tell them they will be impressed at how much research you did.


And if that fails, just refuse to eat meat.

If they are 'parent' parents, and start to only buy meat, go on a hunger strike.

And if THAT fails, call social services.

=^.^=

Answer 8

If they won't go for the animal benefits, then hit them with health bebefits. Maybe they won't turn down something that can help with your health. Good luck. I was 13 when I became a vegetarian.
http://www.goveg.com/
http://vegetarianteen.com/
http://www.peta2.com/index.aspx
If you sign up for peta2, you can get advice from people on the boards. They help wonders.

Answer 9

Do your homework before you talk to them. Show them foods you will eat that give you the same nutrients as meat. (I heard broccoli has more protein, pound for pound.) I think if they know you have researched this and are taking it seriously, they will be more understanding.

I wish you the best :)

Answer 10

my parents flipped and i still here it after half a year from my dad but i showed them these site and they should help a lot


www.peta2.con

and

www.goveg.com


the sites are great and it talks a lot about vegetarianism and how to stay healthy just be sure you eat wheat bread, a variety of fruits and vegetables, and last nuts for protein