Vegan in a family of meat eaters

[nxncy03]

Hi, im new to this forum!
Was wondering if there are any vegans who live in a family of meat eaters? I have been vegan for quite a while, however have had no luck at convincing the rest of my family To be honest i cope quite well and have not forced my views on any of them but its comments like, 'i cant stand the thought of eating tofu' that really gets to me... Like, you wouldn't eat tofu but you would eat a dead animal?? Ughh, any tips on dealing with this? The moment i bring up veganism they are all very switched off by the idea. Do any of you also experience this in your family?

 

[Emma JC]

hello and welcome to the forum

We have a number of members that have the same situation as you, I wish I knew a way to suggest being able to search all the answers as there are lot of good suggestions that have come up in the past.

One that I recall is the suggestion that you cook as much as you can and share with them. Lead by example.

I am not a huge tofu fan myself and so I do have some sympathy for your family and yet I bet if you good them a recipe with tofu ricotta (see Edgy Veg's shell tofu ricotta recipe) I'll bet that they would change their tune.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Lou]

We have a number of members that have the same situation as you, I wish I knew a way to suggest being able to search all the answers as there are lot of good suggestions that have come up in the past.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

Well, yeah, there is. Click on the search command and search for "parents". check the search titles only box.

I just tried it and got like two dozen different threads. You can sort of figure out from the titles which ones you want to look thru. Some of them might be duds but I think you will find some good stuff too.


OH, yeah, Welcome! @nxncy03 c

 

[Dougrus]

When I joined I had the same question. There were so many great ideas. I will link the thread below.

What has worked well for me is working to cook the best possible food that I can which has meant Iots of reading/internet research. I cook some transition type foods that non-vegans can easily enjoy like chili made with Impossible, vegan lasagna, hearty potato vegetable/bean stews etc and those always go over well. To be fair, my family is open to trying things so it makes it a little easier.

It has been tough at times as I have had to accommodate them with meat because I am the cook of the house. I know some might disagree on here but I don't feel inclined to preach veganism to them because the way I see it, I ate meat for 45 years and Im not really in a position to judge people wanting to do so. If I am asked I will certainly share my point of view and I like to think that I am slowly gaining some ground in that regard.

I just try to have as many pure vegan meals on the table as possible. Sometimes it goes over and sometimes there are two dinners happening at the same time. I can say the shift is working though. We have more fully plant based meals than non plant based at this point. Of course mine are always plant based but sometimes they add proteins of their choice to things.

Here is the thread that I started when I joined and the community and, as usual, they totally stepped up with some great insight.

Mixed household and cooking | Vegan Forum

www.veganforum.org

Best,

Doug

 

[silva]

I let my adult son cook meat- he has his own Instant Pot, but I'm ok with him just switching the lid.
They were teens when I quit meat, but I did still make it now and then--probably what make my one omni learn to cook well!

There are tons of plant based foods everyone likes, and often they never bother to discover them, or remember them
My friends who say they don't like tofu always forget when they finish my tofu quiche bites, or spinach dip at pot lucks, and me to make them again. When I remind them their response is "oh yeah, but that's different"
I know many omnis who've told me they tried the Beyond Burger (at better restaurants-not fast food) and really enjoyed them, and will have them again. A HUGE problem I see happening is places are offering vegan foods but not preparing them properly, or charging more, or combining them with non vegan foods

Are you the cook?
Try coming up with foods everyone enjoys that happens to be vegan--soups, pot pies, casseroles, chili

 

[nxncy03]

Thankyou all for the replies, really appreciate it! Its great to find like-minded people on here.
I will definitely look at the articles and some more recipes for them to try. Unfortunately im not the cook in the family, however i will try!

Thanks again

 

[Dave hardrockmaster]

Hi, im new to this forum!
Was wondering if there are any vegans who live in a family of meat eaters? I have been vegan for quite a while, however have had no luck at convincing the rest of my family To be honest i cope quite well and have not forced my views on any of them but its comments like, 'i cant stand the thought of eating tofu' that really gets to me... Like, you wouldn't eat tofu but you would eat a dead animal?? Ughh, any tips on dealing with this? The moment i bring up veganism they are all very switched off by the idea. Do any of you also experience this in your family?

Bear in mind that people can change their attitude and opinions once they wake up and realise how good an option going vegan really is. I was a meat eater with my older step kids being vegetarian. They have now left home but my other children and my wife are vegetarian and I'm vegan. I thought I'd always be a meat eater but I've seen the light. Keep on being vegan and who knows they might follow.

 

[Danielle]

Some can be defensive
I was lucky, when I told mom I wanted to be vegetarian (and eventually vegan), she just told me to find recipes. No waiting until I move out, or having to buy my own food. She was very supportive.

 

[Lou]

Here is a good article. Hot off the presses, too.

How to Get Meat Lovers to Eat More Plant-Based, by Nutritionists | The Beet

thebeet.com

 

[Suzanara]

Hi, im new to this forum!
Was wondering if there are any vegans who live in a family of meat eaters? I have been vegan for quite a while, however have had no luck at convincing the rest of my family To be honest i cope quite well and have not forced my views on any of them but its comments like, 'i cant stand the thought of eating tofu' that really gets to me... Like, you wouldn't eat tofu but you would eat a dead animal?? Ughh, any tips on dealing with this? The moment i bring up veganism they are all very switched off by the idea. Do any of you also experience this in your family?

Hi I live with my partner and adult son , both meat eaters,although my son eats mainly fish chicken and vegetarian food. We all make our own food but will sometimes make a stir fry and add our own protein, my partner and son have roast dinner and I have a vegan version. What's annoying is when they accidently eat my food grrr!lost my applewood 'cheese'last week and all that was left was animal cheese, still maybe it means I can just buy vegan. My son has asked for more veggie foods so that's brilliant. My partner is a sweetie and makes vegan treats like millionaires shortbread OMG!!!

 

[VeganRachel]

Hi, im new to this forum!
Was wondering if there are any vegans who live in a family of meat eaters? I have been vegan for quite a while, however have had no luck at convincing the rest of my family To be honest i cope quite well and have not forced my views on any of them but its comments like, 'i cant stand the thought of eating tofu' that really gets to me... Like, you wouldn't eat tofu but you would eat a dead animal?? Ughh, any tips on dealing with this? The moment i bring up veganism they are all very switched off by the idea. Do any of you also experience this in your family?

Hi. I hope all is well with you. Yes, I like 99% of vegans, grew up in an omnivore family that does not want to change. You have to believe in what
you are doing and keep going and eating healthfully. Its' not easy if family members do not listen and make immmature jokes.
There are other approaches than food, First off, you can get the family together and watch "forks over knives",
"cowspiracy" and other vegan documentaries. There are also video's on youtube that show the truth about how animals are treated, and most
humans are horrified to see this. "Dairy is scary" by Erin, and her other video's are really direct. You can buy a copy of the Blue Zones, book, which shows that the longest lived humans eat a lot of plants as well as beans (and that the Okinawan diet is traditionally 70% sweet potatoes, rice, veggies, plus a small amount of fat and a small amount of animal protein). You can mention some of the medical studies that Dr. Greger hilights, such as one that
shows people in countries that consume the most dairy have the highest rates of fractures and breast cabcer, ro another that says women having twins is a riskier pregnancy, and that vegan women have 5X LESS twins than omnivore women do. You could find a farm animal sanctuary near you where you can arrange to bring people so they can meet the animals they casually eat. Its' up to you what you do. Best wishes.