I just recently became vegetarian, MEAT IS EVERYWHERE!!?

Question

I started a Vegetarian diet like 5 days ago[[animal rights]], and my parents are cooking my [ex]favorite food CHICKEN and all kinds of REALLY GOOD meat dinners, as if that wasnt bad enough Christmas is coming up and my family is big on Christmas dinners... THE WORKS. I need some good alternatives that are just as delicious excluding the animal cruelty. Because i cannot bring myself to eat an animal because of what happens to them in thier lifes, but still that doesnt mean i dont think meat is good, it just saddens me. What do i do? Also how can i get my family to stop calling me a tree-hugger?

Answer 1

It's awful what some of these answers you've gotten so far.

It seems your parents want to tempt you back into eating meat, because of some reason or another. Find out why they think you should eat meat. They probably will say something about it being more healthy. A vegetarian diet can actually be healthier than a meat-inclusive diet because of the decreased amounts of bad fat and cholesterol (if you do it right and not eat only tons of cheetos).

Go to google or yahoo or something and type in "Vegetarian recipes" or "vegetarian diet" and you'll find tons of websites that will help you work through this, even forums of people who have gone through this same thing. My dad has been a vegetarian for pretty much all of his life (save for the first few years he was in America, thinking you had to eat meat to survive), so it wasn't hard for me to switch over when I was 9 years old. But I realize typical American families think you can't live without meat.

Even my professor when I took a nutrition class in college, who thought I was crazy for being vegetarian, did admit it was healthier if done right, and he did approve of my diet.

Stay strong. Maybe find a friend online or at school who is vegetarian to support you and help you. Spend some time researching it and be more confident in your choice.

About the tree hugger thing, don't worry about it. It's just a word, and it doesn't really apply if you're not doing the whole environmental friendly, recycle thing (I consider myself a tree-hugger, I try to recycle and do my part and I donate to causes to save the environment). Ask your parents "What makes me a tree-hugger?" But it's not a bad thing. It means you care. They're not too keen on change, but you can show them it's okay.

Please don't be discouraged by your family. Work with them, learn from eachother. Stand by your beliefs, even if it's difficult. I promise you'll be proud of yourself in the end. Good luck with everything!

Answer 2

Your family will get bored of calling you a tree-hugger, just ignore them or laugh it off.
Ok. Meat is gross. Maybe you should start focusing more on that aspect of it than just animal rights. As for finding alternatives that are just as tasty? Good luck. You can still have all the extras with XMAS dinner though. The stuffing is the best part anyway, just have your mom cook you some that's not in with the turkey. You can make really good gravy with a couple of vegetarian vegetable bouillon cubes. As for a turkey substitute, that I can't suggest because all of the faux meats I've tried have been pretty hideous.

To the person who said you can care about animals and still eat meat- how the hell do you care about something, and then eat it? Sure you can care about cats and dogs, but once you start eating a species, it's pretty hard to convince anyone you still care about it! Either you love pigs or you love bacon. You love cows or you love ground beef.

Answer 3

Congrats on making the switch to vegetarianism! There are a lot of delicious faux meats out there, but not all of them are equally good... so you might want to buy a bunch of different brands and do some taste testing. Here's a list of some of the best products... http://www.vegcooking.com/guide-favs.asp

My favorites are Boca Chik'n Patties, Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik'n Strips, Nate's Meatless Meatballs, and Tofurkey Deli Slices.

Here are a few veg recipe sites:
http://vegcooking.com/searchRecipes.asp
http://www.cok.net/lit/recipes/
http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-recipes.asp

About your family, make an effort not to say things that will make them feel guilty or defensive about their own food choices. Go along with their "tree hugger" jokes... show them that you're comfortable with who you are and that you don't take yourself too seriously. Eventually the novelty of your veg diet will wear off and they'll (hopefully) find other things to talk about.

Good luck!

Answer 4

I'm sure you can numerous recipes on line for vegetarian Christmas meals. There really is no substitute for turkey, or ham physcially, but you can always go to the grocery store, and get some vegetarian meat meals to eat while they are chowing down, too.

As for being called a tree-hugger, what's wrong with that? My mother and husband respect my values, but I still get strange looks from my mother's fiance and my aunt and uncle. I deal with it. My convictions are strong, and I know in my heart that what I do and feel is right.

Answer 5

Good for you for making your decision.

Now, there are plenty of alterntatives out there. Check out www.vegweb.com for recipes. If you like hearty meals, check out "The Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook" by Robin Robertson. Work with your family to ensure all the sides are vegetarian and make a hearty tofu or tempeh dish as your main item. Learn to make your own seitan, a.k.a. "wheat meat," which you can use in place of meat in many recipes.

Yes, you're going to have to do your own cooking. For budding veg*an cooks, check out "How it All Vegan!" and "Garden of Vegan" by Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard and "La Dolce Vegan" by Sarah Kramer. Most of the recipes in these books are fairly simple. You can also check out "Conveniently Vegan" by Debra Wasserman--it uses common items found in mainstream grocery stores if you can't get to a Whole Foods or a natural foods store.

Since you still have a desire for the taste without the cruelty, you might want to check out some of the analogues out there. There are veggie burgers, veggie crumbles, veggie deli slices, veggie sausages, etc. You are certain to find some that you like.

And ignore it when they call you tree-hugger. Or you could always say that by being vegetarian, it's guaranteed you'll eat your vegetables! If it's really bad, check out Carol J. Adams' "Living Among Meat Eaters."

Good luck!

Answer 6

Okay, your parents shouldn't be calling you a tree-hugger because your a vegetarian, not a enviromentalist. I personally like rice but I don't try to eat it too often, if your parents don't stop making meat then you should just not go to dinner when they want you to. You don't have to eat it, and if they make you eat it then you can call the cops for child cruelty. That's like making someone who is lactose-intolerant eat cheese.

Answer 7

I am not a vegetarian but I can feel you on this one. I have been on a diet since I get to see my husband on the 19th. Its the worst time of year to stop eating anything because it is the season of food. I dont know much about meat sustitutes but Ido know that things are easier if you focus on finding sustitutes for your favorite foods. I love a lot of really fatty food so I have taken to eating more vegetables that I really like. You cant make it painful or you wont sick to it. As far as your family al you can realy do is tell them that it bothers u. My grandparents are still giving me hell for wanting to lose weight (after a month) so it might just be something u have to get used to. Its a bad thing to say but maybe u just need to think of them as savages in that area of life.

Answer 8

that is mean that they are calling u tree hugger ask them to stop but if they don't tell them that they are not 2 any more it's immature to call names. ok than just go to the store and ask your mom or dad to buy u some vegetarian.

Answer 9

Well, you can't expect your family to just change their habits because of your choice. First, I would suggest surfing the internet/reading a cookbook to find recepies that you could make. Also, try not to get too fed up with the comments. Parents and friends might tease you about it but you just gotta ignore that. This is your choice and they might not understand. Just be sure to take care of yourself by adding in what you gave up (proteins, etc.)!

Answer 10

o god i had the same problem when i first became a vegie head! now i have been so for four years! there are these things called meal starters, aka (fake meat) these things really taste like meat and they also are better for u than real meat and are made out of all vegies and soy products! try those!