Hi all!
I am not new to 3FC but have been lurking for a while. I have been veggie before and I am going that way again then eventually vegan. I got this book from my dad called " the China Study". Its the most comprehensive study that has been done on nutrition and disease. BAsically it states that animal protien causes cancer and other diseases pretty much 100% of the time when tested in rats, not to menstion all the data collected from observing human lifestyles. Its really good and just confirms the veggie/vegan lifestyle as the healthiest way to go. I have had Cancer twice, so natually I am taking these findings very seriously. Mind you others around me don't believe it.
Anyway, I want to know how those of you who changed to veggie delt with people commenting. How do I tell people I am going back to veggie. I take this very seriously and all i get from people is "oh one steak wont kill you" or "you can't be healthy with out meat". I don't want to be rude or incinuate that the veggie way is better ( I am doing this for my health), I need a line that will get people off my back and accept it!
Yeah, and one drink won't kill an alcoholic, and one slice of cheesecake won't kill a diet. So what? "Oh come on just have one." It's not the "one" it's what follows that causes problems.
I haven't made the change yet. I want to but I'm afraid I'll starve to death given there'd (literally) be maybe two things in my refrigerator I could eat.
I don't feel the need to announce anything to anyone, aside from my kids who will certainly want to know why there's "nothing to eat" in the house! I wouldn't suggest preaching or trying to convince those around you of the legitimacy of whatever book/study. People believe what they want to believe.
If offered something you'd rather not have, a simple "No thank you" without an explanation should do the trick. How about, "I'm not that hungry thank you"?
For the more persistent, "You're absolutely right, one steak won't kill me but the chemicals/hormones/drugs and whatever other crap they put in it just might. Maybe not, but after what I've been through I don't want to take any chances. BTW Thanks for your concern about my well being."
You don't owe anyone an explanation. You have the right to choose what you put into your body without being judged, ridiculed or harased; as do they.
For me it's a battle very day I'm 35 been Vegitarian for a year and still my mom will say what do I feed you. I just smile and say I'll fend for my self mom thanks.
I know you don't want to be rude but isn't it rude for the other person not to respect your choices and force there meat eating on you. It seems like a double standered. It's ok for me to push meat onto you not for you to push your veggies on me. No thank you respect me and I'll respect you.
If you get guff from people simply ask why they think there way is better? Then you can counter with the China Study or John Robbins Diet for a new america.
I hope this helps I'll get off my soap box now: soap: sorry this topic gets me all heated up
I've noticed that whatever "diet" I choose, whenever I share what I'm not eating with friends and family, they get defensive of their own choices or come at me with the "one won't hurt you," whether the food in question is sugar, meat, carbs - doesn't seem to matter. I think the mere thought of "deprivation" makes people uncomfortable.
I once had a vegan friend who would always say "I eat meat and cheese whenever I have a taste for it (meaning never)," and I had a co-worker who was a lacto-ovo vegetarian whom I knew for two years before I realized she didn't eat meat, even though we had eaten together in the cafeteria and in restaurants together quite often.
I'm not suggesting you be evasive or dishonest, but sometimes the easiest way to defend yourself, is not to.
I always have people come up to me and say, "If you don't eat meat, then what do you eat?" Umm, hello, how about everything else!
Another thing I get, "Where do you get your protein?" I tell them I get it from nuts, beans, etc.
The one comment that urks me the most is "Being vegetarian is unhealthy." All of a sudden they become pros at what's right to eat. Seriously, and most of the time, the person isn't in the best of shape. How dare someone, who isn't a nutritionalist, tell me that I am wrong not to eat meat.
(I have many more come backs, since I've been vegetarian for many years. People tend to be defensive, even though I don't try to argue with them)
Nobody really tries to get me to eat meat anymore now that the novelty has worn off with them...but I think the best response to 'one won't kill you' is 'Thanks, but I'm not interested.' There's not much they can say to that.
And for the people that say it is unhealthy...I refuse to argue. Just say you show me your research and I'll show you mine. It CAN be an unhealthy way to eat, just like meat eaters can eat unhealthy.
I've been vegetarian for almost eight years, and almost vegan for two. In fact, I started two years ago with serious weight loss efforts and have lost about 90 pounds just eliminating animal products. I say "almost" vegan because I'm not a front line activist, and I still wear sneakers made of leather, etc., but aside from the occasional trace item, I don't eat animal products at all.
I do have to say that though I feel WAY better, and my tastes have totally changed AND I really enjoy the more whole foods approach I take to life these days, it is still a social issue. It's almost impossible for me to go out to eat in our town. There's nothing but chain restaurants and fast food. We generally drive an hour to DC to go to Whole Foods or a vegetarian restaurant if we want to splurge and eat out. My mom finds eating with me totally annoying because she's "eaten this way for 60 years and is still kickin" and just finds my "obsessiveness" over the quality and content of my food (and my kid's food) to be irritating.
Anyway, I don't know where I'm going with this, but just wanted to share my experience. I actually kept track of my progress over the past two years on my weblog (foodfog.com), and have gotten many comments about my food choices. It's no longer even an issue for me, but I forget sometimes that I'm no longer wading in the mainstream.
I had one jerk tell me one) that pesticides were GOOD for me and two) that I couldn't possibly get all my amino acids from plants.
Stick to your beliefs. I don't hassel my friends about religion, and I jokingly say "ew" when they eat certain foods, but I did that before I went veg 'cause I'm a health nut. In return I expect them to respect my personal diet. Everyone has the right to eat how they want to eat, as long as it doesn't break any laws. Don't let your friends teasing get to you, a lot of meat-eaters feel you are judging their eating habits. Stick to your diet because it is your health(and ultimately your life) and that is what is really important. They will back off and if they don't let them know they need to because you're not trying to change their diets, you're only changing yours.
I find that if I don't make food an issue, no one else does either. You can fly under the radar, so to speak, in almost any situation, especially if you're lacto-ovo. At restaurants, you can call ahead and ask what's available if you want to avoid interrogating your waiter in front of everyone. With my family, I just eat around the animal stuff and if they question it, I don't make a big deal. Very few people are actually interested in the reasons behind the choices. Most know why, they just want to argue so they feel better about their choices. I can't stand any sort of lecture on morality in polite company, whether it's religion, politics, or even diet.
So you don't have to tell anyone. Just live your choice. Actions speak louder than words.
My sister has set a good example for me by being a vegetarian for 20 years. She got the family conditioned. I just recently started eating a vegan diet (McDougall), and I really do believe that her example has helped me a lot. I haven't announced this to anyone but a few close friends and family members, but I'm not at all worried about dealing with comments from other people. It can't be any worse than the comments I get for being an atheist. :-)
I don't get negative comments, but am surprised by some of the things people say. A friend told me about a dish she had at a restaurant recently that was loaded with vegetables and stuffed pasta, and thought I would love to try it. She said the pasta was stuffed with cheese and chicken, but since there was such a small amount of chicken and it was chopped so finely that she thought I wouldn't mind.
Ive grown up in a semi vegetarian household. My Dad and siblings eat meat but Mom and all of her 9 sisters are vegetarian.So was my grandmother. They simply dont like the taste of meat. Mom is a serious label reader. She wont eat anything that has meat in it. She gets a lot of flack from strangers. They dont understand it. Its challenging when we go out to eat but she manages.
I take spells when I wont touch a bite of meat. I dont have to have it.
I think it depneds on why you are going veggie/vegan. If you just don't like meat then just say that. Howevr if it is because of the way meat is produced and you have the welfare of the animal to heart then they should expect you to say that and serve 'em right if they think you are going on about i. Have a good think s why you are doing this and then tell them in a calm voice so they don't accuse you of being a hysterical veggie etc etc.
So many people have turned round to me and said "Well I don't eat that much meat anyway"...?????? Oh that's alright then!!!
My ex-husband used to call himself a vegetarian, but he ate fish (only certain types of fish, though--he wouldn't eat shell fish). I've seen people who claim to be vegetarian eat pork and chicken and then claim that they're vegetarians because they don't eat red meat! No wonder people are confused and give vegetarians a bad time.
I'm doing this for my health. The moral part of eating meat is an added bonus. Everyone who knows me knows that I've had trouble with my health and my weight for the past few years and that I've tried just about everything, so I don't expect to hear any negative comments. They're just going to be glad that I found something that works for me.
Going Veggie/vegan
I wouldn't suggest preaching or trying to convince those around you of the legitimacy of whatever book/study. People believe what they want to believe.
It CAN be an unhealthy way to eat, just like meat eaters can eat unhealthy. 
