Well, I'm 17 and I want to become a vegetarian. So far, I've cut out all red meat from my diet, though cutting anything else out may pose a problem. I still live with my parents, and I make my own breakfast/lunch, but my mom or dad usually makes dinner. They're not too into this vegetarian thing, so I'm not exactly sure if they'd be willing to make a vegetarian dinner, or if I should make my own dinner, or what I should do! Also, my mom is the person who usually does our family's grocery shopping. I would go with her and pick out some meat alternatives, but she tends to either shop while I'm in school or late at night (she's a night person). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Well,even if there's meat on the table,just don't eat it and stick to the other things--veggies,etc. Maybe go to a book store or good health food store and you'll find some helpfull books.Good luck.
I feel your pain. I'm currently 16, and went vegetarian a few months ago, and my parents were basically the same way. My mom was totally against it, though my dad said he'd support me no matter what decision I made. I started by just refusing to eat red meat. (I think we were in Lent, a Christian holiday that I never celebrated until that year, ) Then I took away poultry, and finally fish. I did this over about a two month period. Hmmm... You should probably talk to them about why you want to make the decision to go vegetarian and really show them how much it means to you. Also, flat out refuse to eat meat. They can't really force you to eat it, and if they do, just keep refusing. (If you have the totalitarian parents, this may not work) Do you have any friends who are vegetarian? They might be able to help talk to your parents too. About the grocery shopping/cooking, you should probably offer to help cook when you need to replace something with non-meat alternatives. It's also a good idea to make basically the same thing the rest of the family is eating. (like spaghetti with meat sauce, make up a pot of tomato sauce for yourself, or make a veggie lasagna if they're having regular.) I've found that sorta puts you on a level playing field and it keeps the younger siblings from complaining. I hope this helped! Good luck! ~Night Owl
