Suggestions for helping family go vegetarian gradually?!
Suggestions for helping family go vegetarian gradually?
I am married with 2 kids, ages 7 & 9. I'm extremely interested in going vegan, but am wondering if there is a gradual approach I could take? My son and dh are pretty picky eaters (dh basically eats no veggies other than corn or potatoes). But I'm wondering if there is a gradual way I could do it. Any suggestions? Also, after you've gone vegan, do you basically not want a good steak or chicken breast anymore? (I'm not being facetious; I'm genuinely curious lol) I'd really like to learn more about it but just dont know where to begin. Thanks so much!
Answers:
I think gradually vegan is a good idea for alot of people. I think many people fail at their attempts at vegetarianism because they cut out all the foods they were used to all at once. Then they find the whole thing to difficult and go back to meat eating.
So take is slow but keep the working towards the goal of veganism.
Here are some basic ideas:
Try chocolate soy milk first! Everyone loves chocolate soy milk and then introduce regular soy milk.
Use all the vegetarian meats available. Gardenburger makes a great riblets, so try that with some homemade potato, meat eaters won't even miss the meat.
Try making tacos using beans instead of meat OR use the fake hamburger meat.
Buy both soy and milk cheese - blend them together until you develop a taste for the soy cheese and eliminate the milk cheese.
Tofu, kale, and tempeh and other less processed vegetarian foods are better for you but they take time to get used to them. Give yourself time to become familiar with them.
Try vegan baking! Everything with sugar tastes good!
*I have been vegetarian/vegan for over 14 years and no, I have never craved a steak or chicken breast. I was a huge meat eater but once you start eating this way you never want to go back to eating animals.
they're in shcool and there they will have to eat their lunch and shcool lunches are loaded with meat meat and more meat...thats why i became a vegetarian after i graduated...
http://www.goveg.com/
I am not a vegetarian but I hope this site helps you.
I am not sure there is a way to gradually go vegan, I think an all or nothing approach might be the best way to go vegan, because if some of your family is a picky as you say, then slowly adding veggies will not work, you have to get them to start loving what eating right does for your energy and your body, or else they might never give up their meat. Good Luck
You should let your kids eat meat if they want to... if you don't want to eat it, that's up to you, but you should let your family decide what they eat. I mean, you still pick your children's food because they're so young, but meat is good for kids...
I will say this again
See your pediatrician before you subject your weird ideas on children that isoff main stream thinking.
NOTHING is gained by restricting you diet except to lose weight.
Your an omnivore meat,, bugs,, grass,, anything.
Deny yourself BUT let your children choose for them selves.
Well, there are a lot of fake meat products out there - you can buy them in Walmart now - and some of them such as veggie burgers are vegan. Those might be good to start with, since at least they have a shape and flavour that kinda resembles the meat your family is probably used to.
I also strongly reccommend the cookbook "Better than Peanutbutter and Jelly" that you can buy from Amazon.com. Not all the recipies are vegan (some are just vegetarian), but a lot are, and they are soooo yummy. It's geared towards vegan and vegetarian kids.
Edited to add: I'm just vegetarian, not vegan, but after a couple years, I just quit thinking of meat as food. At first I would cheat every fewweeks and eat meat that looked tasty, then for a few years I would eat fish a couple times a year, but meat seems to have lost all appeal at this point.
Since the kids aren't veggie eaters (corn & potatoes are the two worst veggies to eat) I would try to start working veggies into foods that they're used to. You can add veggies to almost any dish. This is a good idea whether or not they become vegans or not.
I know so many people who act like eating veggies is the worst thing that could ever happen. Some guys seem to thing that it's an affront to their manhood. Not eating any veggies is such an unhealthy way to live.
Elle, vegan is a way to go! But you will HAVE to eat more veggies than just corn. Being a healthy vegan is not only about what you dont eat (like meat, dairy) but also about what you eat, like variety of vegetables.
I read so much about meat/dairy industry, and have seen many clips about mistreatment of farm animals, and endagered species, that I never crave meat. If you do, you really need to explore more vegan recipes, and get all the nutrition you need.
Only supplement I take is B12, and the rest comes from vegetables, fruit, beans, coldpressed veg oils, seeds, nuts... (flaxseeds are powerful nutrition). I stick to organic as much as possible.
Of course you and your family can go vegan. I wasnt born a vegan, so if I was able to make a change anyone else can do it too,
There is so much info on the internet regarding veganism. Google "raising a vegan child" or similar or look for a free starter kit. There are vegan women who have been vegan during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and then raising of a vegan child, so there is absolutely nothing to worry about.
But like I said, you have to change your diet completely and be open to new foods. Choose fresh and natural (like fresh fruit) over processed stuff.
You're making the right choice for yourself, your family, animals and enviroment! Good luck!
all the parenting magazines and sites recommend involving picky eaters in the meal process in your home. have them help you cook, plan meals, things like that. they are slightly on the young side, but you should try to involve them in your descion to be a vegetarian. my kids are about the same age, 7 and 10, and i think that with some explaining, they could understand most things. but you totally have to up there protein intake. this is essential for a growing child. and they need plenty of vegetables and fruits. you might want to start by taking meat out of two of there three daily meals for a few weeks, then down to a couple days a week, and then totally remove it. let them get used to it. but i think you need to pay a lot of attention to their health during the transition, and make sure they are still getting a healthy, balanced diet. good luck.