I’ve been thinking a lot about what being a vegetarian will mean for me. What are the boundary lines? Why am I doing this? What will this mean for my children?
While I will admit that the whole eating meat thing has always bothered me a little bit – that I have had to try to disassociate that chicken on my plate from the chickens in my father’s coop (yes, my father raises chickens) that really has little to do with my choice to stop eating (or really buying) meat. My beef has more to do with the meat industry in general. The way the animals we eat are treated on their way to our dinner plate. I liken it to torture.
Humans have been eating meat pretty much as long as we’ve been around. At one point it was a hunt for survival and generally, from what I understand, we tried to make that kill worth it. We used their skins to make clothing and blankets, the teeth and bones were put to use also I think. We didn’t waste for our wants and those animals had a somewhat fair shot at a good life before their end. It was, you could say, the circle of life.
Now money is involved. And ethics, in my opinion, aren’t being met. And there are the hormones and drugs being pumped into the animals. And the diets they are being fed that are unnatural and unhealthy for the poor things (But cheaper!) is just another bullet on the list of why I decided to say no more to the whole thing. Because we do live in a society with other options. The sheer popularity of the veggie / vegan lifestyle has given us a lot of options, entire aisles devote themselves to it in your grocery store and entire grocery stores have cropped up to give even more choices. It’s out there man.
Which is not to say it will be easy. It’s not to say it will be inexpensive (it might be, I’ll let you know). But I think like any diet, there will be more expensive and less expensive options depending on your price range and cooking skills.
And then of course there is what to do when we’re at a restaurant or a friend or family members house. I know several vegetarians of several different varieties (because not all vegetarians follow the same rules). Anyway here are the rules I am establishing (at the moment) and the protocols we will follow.
- If I’m paying, it won’t be meat. So if we are at a restaurant or the grocery store, it’s vegetarian.
- However, for the time being we will still eat fish as long as we are mostly sure it’s wild caught.
- And if we ever find a good deal on meat that was raised in much better circumstances (think your idea of a family farm) I might splurge for it, for the sake of my poor carnivorous husband.
- When we are at a friend’s house or a family member’s I will probably eat whatever they put in front of me. It was their money and their choice – their house, their rules. If they want to cook vegetarian for me, I’ll be honored – but this isn’t about “the very idea of eating meat disgusts me” so I won’t pretend it does. It’s a choice I’m making. End of discussion.
- The same goes for my kids.
- We will also not be going vegan. Eggs, dairy, all that jazz – it’s still in the mix. I have switched to organic milk for the time being and I can tell you if we were still in New England, I’d be buying my eggs from my father whose chickens are seriously living the good life.
All of this, of course, is subject to change. But that’s how I see it going down for now.
Also, in case your curious here are some resources I’ve read, watched, etc. that ultimately led to all of this for me:
- The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan was the first book I read on the subject. It was a real eye opener for me.
- One of my favorite celebrities, Ellen Degeneres talks about being vegan frequently on her show. Here are some of her reasons.
- But what about Thanksgiving??? Here’s a recipe that Ellen’s personal vegan chef Roberto Martin has made for her.
- I haven’t read his book but hearing Jonathan Safran Foer’s interview with Ellen discussing his new book Eating Animals was basically the straw that broke the camel’s back for me. I also read this review of the book at the LA Times.
- After watching his interview, I thought, “But seriously Ellen, what about protein?” And her website told me, “Seriously Jen, it’s easy.” The following are all excellent sources of protein: Tempeh (a common meat substitute), Seitan (a common meat substitute), Soybeans, Lentils, Black Beans, Kidney Beans, Chickpeas, Pinto beans, Black-eyed peas, Tofu (firm), Bagel with Peanut Butter, Almonds, Soy Milk, Soy Yogurt, Sunflower Seeds, Spaghetti, Cashews, Brown Rice, Broccoli and Potatoes.
Confused about terminology?
- Vegan: A person who does not eat or use animal products of any kind (including meat, dairy and leather items).
- Vegetarian: A person who does not eat meat products.
- Pescetarian: A person who eats no meat products with the exception of fish. A lot of people will use this as a bridge to convert to vegetarianism.
- Tofu: A soft, high-protein food made from soybean milk.
- Tempeh: A food that originated in Indonesia, made from cultured soybeans. Since it retains the whole soybean (unlike tofu), it is a source of higher protein, fiber and vitamins. It also has firmer texture and stronger flavor, and is a widely used meat substitute.
- Seitan: A meat substitute made entirely of wheat gluten. It is an alternative to soybean-based substitutes like tofu, and has texture and consistency very similar to meat.
Read more: http://ellen.warnerbros.com/thoughts/#ixzz0WZjeojPM
Mommablogsalot 
9 responses to ““So now you don’t eat meat?””
Make fruit fresh smoothie for the kids with a vita-mix blender, they’ll love it. Throw in 5 bananas with strawberries and ice for a starter. Make sure all the fruits ripe… Scramble tofu with onion, mushroom, and bell pepper…Vegan ham sandwich.. Vegan pizza with vegan pepperoni, vegan cheese (Daiya brand), vegan sausage, olives, etc..Mash potatoes with vegan gravy along with vegan battered fried chicken (Vegefarm brand). Veggie burger with vegan bacon and vegan cheddar cheese…Just ask the kids what they want to eat and look for that recipe online, not that hard to go veg. Remember to feed them enough healthy calories. The end.
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@ Maria : I’d try getting her to drink soy milk (my son really likes the light chocolate variety which only has 90 calories) as it’s a good source of lean proteins and especially during her teen years it’s supposed to possibly help prevent breast cancer. You might also try some of the different nut butters – maybe she will take to a different flavor? Also boca crumbles are great in a spaghetti sauce – they don’t necessarily taste like ground beef but they taste good and seem to go well in it. Beans of course are always good – does she like baked beans?
It’s definitely a little harder with little kids as they can be so picky – especially with no peanut butter! But my advice would be to try lots of new things and see if anything appeals to her and try to have her work with you on it so she feels like she’s a part of the decision process. Tell her that she needs to eat foods with good protein and you need her to help you find things she likes.
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My daughter was told in Kindergarten in science class where meat comes from and now she refuses to eat any meat because it’s an animal. She was eating shrimp but then when we went fishing and used it for bait she now refuses to eat that as well. I am struggling with her because she is under weight according to her school testing. I don’t know what to do with her because she is soooo picky with food. She inspects everything she eats. I tend to give her snacky foods because I can’t let her starve. She will eat some vegetables though and occasionally salads. She does not like peanut butter either. Does anyone have any advice?
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My daughter became vegetarian, then vegan (way too hard), then back to vegetarian. She’s pretty happy. Having seen her doing this for years, I’m so close myself.
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Good luck on going meatless! You’re a better woman than I.
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I’m seriously considering having Hubby read this post. I’ve been bugging him since we moved here to get a calf that we could raise & then have processed. At least that way I’d know that our beef was treated decently & was hormone free.
I still can’t give up meat though. I’ve lived on a ranch & one of my grandpas was a pig farmer. Raised properly the animals can have a decent life & still provide for us too.
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I have to tell you, about 3 months ago my almost 15 year-old daughter decided she wasn’t going to eat meat any more because it was “disgusting.” Some idiot friend of hers pointed her to some videos on YouTube (Thanks, YouTube!) about slaughterhouses, animal treatment, etc, and now she will no longer eat meat.
What this new lifestyle of hers has been mostly? Is a pain in my butt. She doesn’t like eggs, never has, so that’s out for protein. I had a conversation with her about some things she needed to eat if she wasn’t going to eat meat, like peanut butter, beans, cheese, yogurt, milk. Protein foods. Oh, and did I mention that she doesn’t so much care for vegetables? It seems to me that right there would make the whole vegetarian thing a little difficult. She is basically eating a totally carb diet. Lucky for her she’s naturally skinny, because if she wasn’t, I think she’d be gaining weight like crazy. She did actually eat a Morning Star black bean something burger tonight…finally got her to try it and she liked it with melted cheese on a bun and some ketchup. But for the most part, it’s been annoying as crap. Everytime I try and make a meatless dinner for her (spaghetti with no meat in the sauce, cheese enchiladas, a vegetable bean soup that *I* thought was really good…) she doesn’t even try it. Enjoy those little ones while you have them…teenagers are hell. *sigh*
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I wish you well on your (mostly) meatless endeavor, I could never do it.
Be aware that once you stop eating meat, your body will most likely protest greatly if you do have it occasionally. You may rethink your 4th bullet up there about eating at a friend or family member’s house if it means not getting sick!
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This will be challenging, I’ll have to look and see if I have a recipe for veggie pizza so your hubbie can take a turn in the kitchen as above you say he love to cook pizza!
Happy WW!
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