How to tell vegan friends to back off?!

I get it family and friends who are vegan have their views but they always try to push it on me or others, it's like solicitors that come door to door trying to get you to take their pamphlets or switch to their internet provider. I respect their choice and so make sure to include meals they can eat during a get together. But I don't push them to eat animal products.

And I've already heard "well if you tried it you'll like it or feel better". Yeah I was vegan for over a year before but it wasn't for me. At the time I was rowing and competing in regattas which meant I was training in the gym 5 days and on the water 4 days of the week. Perhaps it was the timing but I could never get enough calories or protein from alternative sources. I felt weaker and was always tired.

I already don't eat most dairy products and during the week include vegan meals but I just like meat.

Simply saying "no thank you" or even explaining what I just did here doesn't seem to work. Anyone else experience this? What do you do?

Carry cubed chunks of chicken in your pocket at all times and whenever one of them approaches you to advise you about how you should adopt their specific eating habits just calmly reach into your pocket, retrieve the cubed meat and while listening to them begin to throw the meat at them until they stop. Guaranteed to work.

Now if in addition you want to keep these friends you could alternatively just ask them to stop doing that in a much more assertive and directed manner rather than "oh....no thank you" which is rather passive.

"No other animal drinks milk into adulthood!"


"That's because no other animal is smart enough to figure out how to milk a cow."

lol

"No other animal drinks milk into adulthood!"


"That's because no other animal is smart enough to figure out how to milk a cow."

lol

Actually a surprisingly solid argument lol. I haven't had this, but I assume loud cursing may be more effective. Sometimes people don't respond to simple manners.

If we weren't meant to eat meat, we wouldn't have omnivorous teeth. Screw em, they're entitled to an opinion, but so are you. Vegan food can actually be really yummy, and I could even be vegetarian (though I love fish and lamb too much!) but it's the lack of dairy....ugh I LOVE cheese. And EGSS! I'm sure it is possible to be a healthy vegan, but I have never seen one!

Carry cubed chunks of chicken in your pocket at all times and whenever one of them approaches you to advise you about how you should adopt their specific eating habits just calmly reach into your pocket, retrieve the cubed meat and while listening to them begin to throw the meat at them until they stop. Guaranteed to work.

Although I know (hope) this was a joke, as a vegan I've had a friend smoosh a ham sandwich in my face, I was utterly appalled. (I'm not one for forcing my views down people's throats either, he just thought it would be hilarious. apparently everyone else there thought it was as well.)

You could consider saying something along the lines of although you appreciate their view on the matter, after being vegan yourself, you found the life style not best suited to your needs, and you find their constant pushing a strain on your relationship with them.

Yes I was joking I don't think she should throw meat products at her friends. I do think however people who find passion and conviction based simply on what they choose to eat need to lighten up a bit.

This isn't to do with them being vegan it's about being stubborn and disrespectful.

If being polite isn't working then it's time to evaluate who you have in your life. If it's family you can't get away from then a firm "leave me alone!" may suffice.

They're not respecting your choices, so don't accept their actions and very strongly tell them to stop.

I've always wondered what the family of these people have to put up with. I would agree with the shotgun comment.

You mentioned that they say: You'll feel better. Are you perhaps giving them some indication that you are not feeling well?

I'm a vegan and I have the same problem with my nonvegan friends. I've simply said: We'll have to agree to disagree. Let's talk about something else...

I think people mean well, so if they are responding to your comments about health, you can take it as a sign of concern.

Adults have the right to make their own choices.

Actually, I think this would be a perfect response. Repeated as many times as necessary, in a bland repetitive tone. At some point, it will hopefully sink in that they're being rude. And even if it doesn't, you'll deaden your own emotional response to their intrusive behavior.

"No other animal drinks milk into adulthood!"


"That's because no other animal is smart enough to figure out how to milk a cow."

The Red Billed Oxpecker, a bird that perches on the udders of an Impala just to drink its milk. Elsewhere, in Isla de Guadalupe, feral cats, seagulls, and sheathbills have been observed stealing the milk directly from the teats of elephant seals.

How to tell vegan friends to back off?

If all polite attempts fail, then you really just answered your own question.


Back off.

"No other animal drinks milk into adulthood!"


"That's because no other animal is smart enough to figure out how to milk a cow."

Honestly there is a very good biological reason. Humans as a species developed a mutation in the lactase enzyme pathway that allows the enzyme responsible for the metabolic decomposition (digestion) of lactose into adulthood. All other mammals have the lactase gene regulated so that entering into adulthood the expression of the gene is turned off. Humans developed a mutation sometime in our past that spread through most of the population that prevented this regulatory mechanism so lactase continued to be expressed into adulthood. Its actually the lactose intolerant that have the "natural" genetics and the lactose tolerant that are the "mutants" although of course what is "natural" is all relative when it comes to evolution.

Regardless if you can drink it why wouldn't you unless you specifically don't like the taste or just don't want to. There is no "natural" or health reason to not drink milk that isn't based on some misguided idea of an "ideal" based on judgement of what "nature" should be.

Kick them. And if that doesn't work, kick them again. I've had vegans/vegetarian/lacto-ovos/all that weird crap in my life at one point and every single one of them respected my views. I was a vegetarian for three months, loved it, but couldn't stick with it because meat is so damn delicious and I need those amino acids. Anyway, if they aren't respectful of your life choices, I'd say don't be respectful of theirs. Maybe one time just try, not in a mean way, but pester them about why they don't eat meat and how it would be better for them if they did. Not saying that's fact or anything. If they ask you to stop say "I will when you will." It should solve the problem real quick.

But otherwise be assertive, make a point that you are tired of their ****, and just continue on with life.

tell them humans were designed to to eat meat, them smack them in the face with a hot dog!