Teen trying to be vegetarian but the family not too keen on the idea.. help/advice please?!

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

Offer to shop and cook. By going vegetarian, you're putting more work on whoever does the shopping and cooking in your house.

If you do some research, find some recipes they might like and offer to cook a couple of nights a week, they might be more receptive. You could make extra the nights you cook and eat those when the rest of the family is eating a normal meal.

I don't know what you can do about the extra cost, though. Unless you're living on beans and rice, a vegetarian diet is more expensive than normal eating.

I wouldn't pressure your family into changing their eating habits if they don't feel the same way you do. Tofu, legumes, nuts are all good proteins to substitute for meats. You can prepare stir-fries with tofu and another with chicken to make everyone happy. Pastas are something everyone can enjoy. It may be easier to only ask them to try your vegetarian meals a couple days a week so you're not always preparing separate meals.

Vegetarian foods aren't really more expensive. In fact, you're buying no meat, which is one of the most expensive things at the store.

Write up some simple recipes and research the cost of the items. Do the same with the meals your family tends to eat often. Compare them and show to your family so they will see that it's not more expensive.

Of course, if all they ever eat is hamburger helper and crap like that, of course a vegetarian diet is going to be more....any healthy diet would, even one with meat.

Meat is more expensive, what are your parents on?
Vegetarianism is simple, and if done right, very healthy.
It's all about balance, right?
As long as you live under your parents roof and not pay for your own groceries,
then you pretty much have to eat what they give you.
However, if you start paying for your own stuff (not sure if you do or not, just example)
Then you can buy/eat what you like.

Here's a few starting points:

http://allrecipes.com//Recipes/everyday-…
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/cooki…
http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/vegeta…

It isn't more expensive, and it needn't be a complication. You simply have to learn to cook. If you avoid all of the processed convenience foods, like veggie burgers and quorn, and focus on whole foods, then it's really cheap.

A good website:
http://www.vegetarianteen.com/

There are NO high prices. Believe me = meat is the most expensive thing on the shopping list always.

Beans- pinto beans, fava beans, chickpeas, spilt peas, lentils,
black eye peas, black beans.
All these are like the cheapest food on the planet! They are FULL of nutirents, protein, etc.
You can buy canned, or cry, and soak them. They are SO tasty, and can be added to anything-
rice salad, pasta salad, put in stews and soup.
Very very versatile- legumes are one of the best things anyone in the world can eat.
If you put them in water, they sprout a little bit- that is HEALTHY food.
They are also the cheapest food .

Buying specifically labelled "vegetarian " food, is such a con in my opinion.
All those pre-packaged meals are really expensive and for what?
A vegetarian burrito?
A vegetarian lasagna?
A vegetable hot pcket?

You can easily MUCH cheaper make your own.

I always have beans soaking, and always have some cooked, ready to eat in the fridge. They are so easy.
Quick recipes?
Hot sticky rice, with chickpeas, broccoli and grated cheese.
Baked sweet potato with poached egg and soysauce ( ever had a soft egg yolk with soysauce? It is OMG good!!)
Pasta with green peas, cheese and herbs.
Tofu kebabs with peanut butter sate sauce= so easy.

There is no need to buy Morningstar patties- they are REALLY tasty, and very expensive. Don't get me wrong, I love them, and all the Light Life products, but they are very expensive.

I make vegetarian pies- goat cheese, almonds, roasted leeks and asparagus tart.
Fava bean, potato and spicey root vegetable casserole with a cheese crust.
Fettuccini with oregano and tomato sauce.
Baked macaroni cheese
Brown rice salad with kidney beans, sweetcorn, onion and apple, tastes great from the fridge.
All kinds of soup- with garlic bread and baked tofu chunks.

Spicey vegetarian curry with garlic naan and cottage cheese.

You will get SO much more nutrition by eating different forms of protein and vegetables.
Root veg- turnips, yams, rutabega, carrots, they are all very very cheap and can be used in stews, bakes, all kinds of stuff.

Lower priced vegetarian food is found in the veg and fruit section of a good big local Mexican marekt, where they pile the food high and sell it cheap.
If you like tofu, find a local Asian or Thai market, they are VERY cheap and have lots of different types, like baked tofu , and marinaded tofu.
TOfu is just one idea, many people, like in India, don't eat it at all and they are cheap eaters, believe me!

Do your homework.
1) Tell your parents you will be responsible for making all your own meals so it won't inconvenience them.
2) Show them your data that shows how healthy this can be in case they are concerned about health issues.
3) Do a cost analysis of how much things would truly cost. Ie. raw cashews cost me $7.99 a pound which sounds expensive. But a serving size is 1 ounce. Their are 16 ounces in a pound, that means they only cost me about 50 cents per serving. Food is only expensive if you buy the prepackaged kind. Cook your own beans, grains, vegetables, etc.
4) As for getting them on it, why don't you try it first and see how it goes and they might like your results and want to try it for themselves.

Vegetarianism isn't expensive as long as you buy the right foods. Sure, if you buy a bunch of mock meats and treats, then it can get expensive. Just buy a variety of the basics; fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, beans, and grains. Try eating foods in their natural state (ie whole grain bread, nuts that aren't roasted or salted).
Make a big list of foods that you can eat on a word document. If you already have a list prepared of cheap foods, money shouldn't be an issue. There honestly isn't any complications. Just eat a variety of good foods, drink water, stay active, take a multivitamin every now and then if you'd like (just in case, but it's not necessary). Try following the vegetarian food pyramid: http://www.vegetariannutrition.org/food-…
I wouldn't recommend pushing your family to do it with you. I went vegetarian when I was 12, now I'm 15 and vegan and my parents still cook their steak every night while I eat my own separate meal. Of course they've tried some of my meals but they've never considered giving vegetarianism a try. Focus on yourself and your own health first, then encourage others along the way.
Here is another site that may help: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/nutshell.htm
Congrats on going veg!

I'm 13 now and when I went veg at 11 my family didn't like it so much either. Now they're very supportive of it. First of all vegetarisnism doesn't come with high prices. Nuts, seeds, tofu, tempeh, leafy greens, beans and soy all have protein so milk and cereal, peanut butter jelly sandwiches, omelets, oatmeal and so many other daily foods can get you protein. There's no complication just eat eggs, beans, hummus, crackers or veggie meat when every one else is having meat and maybe your family can find sone vegetarian recipies. Talk to your family about why your going veg. Explain the health benifits and show them videos on YouTube about how factory farms treat their animals. Refuse to eat meat when they put it in front of you. That worked for me.

13 year old vegetarian

What high prices? If you are looking at the fake meat products and pre-packaged stuff, that's going to be expensive. However, if you look at whole foods, it's cheap. Beans and grains are really cheap and easy to make. A giant pot of beans, made on Sunday, can last you all week. Let's say you have black beans. A black bean burger on Monday night. Make two and you can have the other one for lunch on Tuesday. Make a small pot of chili on Tuesday night. (Leftovers are great on a baked potato for lunch the next day.) On Wednesday night, make yourself a quesadilla or a soft taco. Thursday, pack yourself a salad with beans for lunch. Thursday night, make black bean soup. There are a number of ways you can do this. Friday, mash up the beans with some seasonings and liquid (you pick... salsa will make a Mexicanish one), and you have a great dip/spread for pita and veggies. On Friday night, go out with your friends. On Saturday, realize that you still have some black beans left. Either make whatever you liked the best, or hang onto them and mix 'em in with whatever beans you make next week. Just use them during the first day or two.

Whole grains are also a great source of food for you, but it's best if you get them in their dry form. (Whole wheat pasta is pricier than the regular kind.) Quinoa can also be pricey, but if you find it on sale, get it! It's wonderful.

Below is a link to some fast and relatively easy recipes. If you want to eat differently from your family, you really should get used to doing your own cooking. It isn't fair to mom/dad to have to make something else for you.

http://webecoist.com/2008/10/28/14-quick…