The hour has come: you, young man, will learn the harsh truth about what is happening in the slaughterhouses, about the unreasonable consumption of the Earth’s resources, the indigestibility of animal protein and a lot of other information that opens your eyes to the real state of things. All this resonates in your caring heart, and here he is – a newly-made vegetarian who has radically changed his outlook on lifestyle and nutrition. Yes, that’s bad luck: parents are in no hurry to support your “enlightenment”. Moreover, those closest to you are likely to strongly insist on the need to eat meat (the age-old question: “Where will you get protein?”), Which can lead to disagreements and misunderstandings. And they can be understood, because worrying about a child is a direct obligation (perhaps even a need) of a parent. Proving to a caring mom that a balanced vegetarian diet contains all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients minus saturated fat and cholesterol is often not an easy task. However, the situation is not hopeless and has every chance of success to explain his choice! #1: Be information savvy. Before making a choice in favor of “green” food, you, of course, studied the car and a small cart of high-quality and reliable literature. If you need to answer a question or defend your point of view, refer to reliable facts, books and articles (scientific) that can explain and confirm the adequacy of your choice. You can just as unobtrusively suggest watching a movie like “Earthlings”, which, perhaps, few people can leave indifferent. It’s important to make it clear that being a vegetarian (or even vegan) will benefit your health. After all, this is the main thing your parents want to be sure of in terms of nutrition. #2: Calm during the discussion. Aggression, irritation and high tone have not yet helped anyone prove their case. Action equals reaction, an emotional conversation is unlikely to generate anything other than more misunderstanding and distrust of your choice. On the contrary, a serious, restrained and calm dialogue is more likely to be heard. So, argue your position, but with dignity and in an accessible form. #3: Important! Do not impose! Let your loved ones know that the change in diet is your personal decision and no one else is obliged to follow you. In no case do not give value judgments in the direction of meat-eaters, because parents have the right to think, “Well, are we now also bad people?” Remember that judging people by what they eat is a road to nowhere (With all due respect to the infamous quote “You are what you eat”!). #4: Give examples of famous vegetarians. In addition to a number of Hollywood stars who are hardly an authority for your mother, cite as an example the father of the Indian nation or a person respected throughout the world. Don’t forget the great Russian writer! supported the vegetarian movement, and some sources claim that by the age of 20 he became a strict vegetarian. Such information may be of interest to especially inquisitive parents to study the issue in depth and, who knows, maybe this will lead to the most pleasant consequences! #5: Be specific with numbers. For especially caring (read: meticulous) relatives, you can draw up a meal plan, say, for a week in advance. For each meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner), list the number of calories you will receive, as well as the nutritional value – protein (!), fats, carbohydrates, and so on. This item, by the way, will help you organize a truly balanced vegetarian diet at first. Good luck!
2022-11-11