My boyfriend argues with me for wanting to be a vegetarian?!
I just don't have any support right now
Answers: He argues with me all te time, saying that meat is essential, yadda yadda but I would love to go veg.
I just don't have any support right now
Your boyfriend is being ignorant, controlling, a jerk or some combination thereof. Do what you want, he doesn't get to make these decisions for you. If I were you I'd dump him, because who wants to be with a controlling meat-head anyway? But that's up to you of course.
Its YOUR choice! Tell your boyfriend that. He wouldn't like if you told him what to do would he?
so whats your question????
its a fact that some omnivores dont know about veggies and some veggies dont know about omnivores..
if he doesnt understand...show him..but whatever you do dont try and disprove the need for meat as this will piss him off and if hes even slightly intelligent..you saying we dont need meat...he will simply say you dont need to be vegetarian....so educate him....but dont be preachy about it.
no offence but what flash suggested is wrong...DONT give him books that are only going to hype veg and hate meat...DONT take him to veggie activities as every1 will be pro veggie......tell him to look up impartial information to understand you..not be converted.
ah sexy babe the ignorant abusive person lol....why do you feel the need to be right and your bf wrong he is entitled to his opinion as im sure you dilike people who eat meat
so think before you open your big mouth
ok heres somthing to think about...we dont need meat yes..thats true.....we also dont need apples, bananas, grapes, carrots, potatoes, tofu, nuts or beans we dont need 90% of the fruit and veg thats eaten...we could easily live off just a couple...so why eat what you dont need then condem us for doing the same????
Meat provides a lot of vitamins, minerals and nutrients that are essential to a healthy diet. However it is easy enough to have a balanced healthy diet without meat (but vegan diets are much more difficult to do).
So, what can you do? You should be in a relationship where your partner respects you, just as you should respect someone who chooses to eat meat.
If you don't respect maybe you need someone else in your life.
Personally I don't see any point in going vegetarian in one hit, better to reduce the amount of meat that you eat. Ie, have one vegetarian dinner a week, then 2, then 3 then next thing you know you are only eating meat once a week or fortnight.
I would recommand you to ask your boyfriend to read a book about vegetarianism or about animal rights (example: "Animal liberation" from P. Singer, or "A diet for a new America" from J. Robbins). There, he will learn that meat is not essential and also what eating meat mean in term of suffuring for animals. You can also explain him that millions of humans are vegetarians and in good health. You can go with him to vegetarians activities, where he will meet some other people like you and find that you are not the only one who is concerned by vegetarianism.
In my opinion, if your boyfriend love you, he should do this small effort in order to understand your motivation. After that, he can choose to be or not a vegetarian. But he will have all necessary information to not be anymore worried for you and respect your choice.
If your boyfriend dont want understand anything about you, just ask yourself if he is really the man you want build your life with.
Good luck. And congratulation to become a vegetarian.
What you buy at the grocery store or the farmer's mkt or a restaurant and put into your mouth is your business. His opinion is just that the way he feels about it. Most vegetarians eat eggs and/or cheese. So he won't be feeling deprived. He's probably imagining heaps of veggies with tofu . Make use of the vegetarian recipe sites alot of them include menus. My guy is a meat and potatos person. I cook for vegans and he's actually enjoyed some of the menus. like lasagna roll ups with garlic bread. or enchiladas with black beans and Spanish rice. As long as it tastes good most guys will eat food unless it is a personal dislike such as brussel sprouts or something. Cook what you like but try to be a little accomadating.
Your boyfriend is being quite controlling though he is probably just worried about you, he is however, wrong in saying that meat is essential, there are many meat replacement substances and also iron tablets will be readily available at your doctors should you need more protein. I speak of this through my own experience as i have been a vegetarian for many years and find that i have a full and varied diet, also my family enjoy's the wide range of vegetarian meals that we would not have even discovered had they not let me become a vegetarian.
Good luck in persuading your boyfriend, just show him all the facts and he will soon have no choice but to let you.
when i told my friends that i was going veg the told me i was an idiot and that i couldn't do it. so i had lots of fun proving them wrong! i've been a vegetarian for 4 months now, and trying to prove them wrong was my motivation.
I don't know you and I don't know your boyfriend, so it's hard to comment on these interactions.
You know full well that meat is not essential; that's simply not a good argument on his part. The nation of India wouldn't have a population of a billion people if meat was essential since a significant portion on the Indian population has been vegetarian for generations.
You don't *need* the support of your boyfriend; I assume you're a fully functioning adult who can choose what she eats even if it isn't popular. But it would be nice to have it. When you're NOT in the middle of an argument about it, ask him what his specific concerns are. Then address his specific concerns. If it's protein, for example, you can refer to this flyer: http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/prote... If it's that he fears you are going to pressure him to make the same choice, assure him that you're just looking for some respect for your decision and that you will respect his. You just want to explain you side calmly and without judgement and flat out ask for his support. He may not even realize that you're looking for it.
Educate yourself with information and use it as an opportunity to influence him to a more compassionate lifestyle. He might be arguing because he finds it fun to rile you up. He may just want you to be more like him because he does not identify.
I'd strongly consider dating someone else if you both can not come to an understand sometime in the near future. In the least, even if you don't agree with one another you will have to respect the other for doing as they feel is best.
I am currently dating a woman who is vegetarian but not completely vegan. This does bring up some issues but is not completely detrimental. I doubt I'd date a meat eater in the future but maybe someone who was at least primarily vegetarian who had sympathies with why I live as I do.
All this is a personal decision you will have to make with him. You might let him know he is pushing you away by not even trying to understand where you come from even if he choses to be different.
Maybe go on line with him sometime and show him industrial slaughter house practices. Show him the data that vegetarians are typically healthier and don't get as often things like colon cancer or heart disease, etc. Show him that this not only benefits the animals, environment, but also his very being.
Blessings : )
You need to decide what YOU want to do. Meat isn't madatory, I've been a vegetarian for two years, and I'm fine. Just make sure to get enough protein through other things. Let him know that meat isn't the ONLY thing with protein. Beans, eggs (if you eat them), peanut butter, soy, tofu, temph, and tons other things are out there and they'll keep you healthy.