any vegetarians out there?

You can do it. Just have a meat option for the non vegans. And maybe start out with 2 meals a week that are vegan and then slowly add another each week, turn them without them knowing. lol j/k Find lots of tasty stuff online that your family will enjoy and good luck.

Start out slow, a couple days a week vegetarian and increase from there. I was the only vegetarian, but I never cooked meat. If my husband wanted meat he would cook it up himself or if we went out to dinner. But now he switched and is a vegetarian as well. My children eat 99% vegetarian, but when they are out or with grandparents they can eat what they like.

I just made the decision to become a vegetarian too! It's not easy, as I have grown up on meat and potatoes. I would suggest cutting down first with your family, like meatless Monday's! Also start adding new things like fish, and maybe really lean proteins like turkey. From there you may slowly see everyone's eating habits change. Then you can start experimenting with fun things like tofu and soy protien, which really absorb the flavor of whatever they are cooked with. You can also try meaty vegetables like portobello mushrooms. If you're husband isn't on board, throw a burger at him and tell him to fire up the grill himself!! Good luck!

I became a vegitarian a few months ago. My husband is very suportive of me and he is happy to eat vegitarian dishes. My son on the other hand will love what I make until I tell him it's tofu... then he says it's gross lol. I ocasionally cook them meat (mostly its because I still have meat in the freezer). My son loves edamame in the pods, he thinks its fun to get the bean out of the pod. I don't find it hard at all to aeat a vegitarian diet, and it really doesn't take much extra time. I'm excited that it's getting into the cold season because I'll be making a lot of soups and those are super easy.

I have a few vegitarian dishes I can share with you if you'd like. (Spaghetti squash is amazing).

I've been a vegetarian 12 years, (half my life!) I'm the only veggie in my entire family (close, extended.) Even my boyfriend (who I live with) eats meat. It's totally do-able! My parents weren't happy when their 12 year old decided not to eat meat anymore.

Just be prepared and non-meat options on hand for meals. It is much easier now with the variety of meatless products, and practice the art of preparing tofu, it is REALLY good when done right. When my boyfriend needs his meat fix we often cook vegetables for both of us, and on the George Foreman Grill he'll make chicken and I'll make chicken-less chicken.

When we go to friends/family for dinner I always bring my own meatless meat to make with their dinner - I hate having non-vegetarians fret over what to feed me. (Friend and family will appreciate this!)

I'm a vegan in an omni house. This is how it works for us: I cook vegan meals and my husband eats that along with some chicken or lean red meat he cooks. Everyone's happy :happy: .

I'm proud to say he has eliminated all cow's milk and most cheese from his diet. Also, often I find him eating my vegan goodies and he thinks I don't notice!

I have been veggie for almost 5 years now ... wow ... anyway, my husband still eats meat. I wouldn't force it on him ... tell him it doesn't have to affect the way he eats at all. The way we do it is we eat all the same side dishes - I just make me something non-meat and he has meat. So, if we make spaghetti, he adds meatballs to his portion. As he gets more comfortable with it, you could try to get him to try other things. Mine is actually very open to try anything I make ... well, once. If he doesn't like it, he will tell me he would rather not have it again, which is fine. He is very open minded about it. My family didn't think I was serious and made it a joke. Now that I have been for years, they are taking it more seriously. I just being my non-meat dishes to family gatherings because I don't expect anyone to buy food especially for me.

Feel free to add me!!! Us veggies need to stick together!

I am mostly vegetarian, with two kids who are total vegetarians, and there are so many options out there that do not involve meat. Way more than there were 15 years ago when we first went down this road. It seems most every place you go offers meat-less alternatives these days.
Be careful though and be sure to read labels. Even if something like a soup says "vegetable" they may sneak some beef or chicken stock in there ... for some stupid reason! Even flavored chips such as Doritos can add meat products to the mix. And watch out for tortillas that can have lard, which is beef fat, in them.
At family gatherings, some eat meat, of course, and that is fine. Just be sure to not "preach" at the meat-eaters. If asked "why don't you eat meat?" just say "personal choice" and leave it at that. I learned the hard way that talking about the un-healthiness of meat or the plight of factory farmed animals just makes people angry and defensive.

I was a vegetarian for a few years before becoming vegan this past year and family members are without a doubt the most critical and take any change the worst. My advice (as posted) would be to slowly incorporate vegetarian dishes, i.e. more beans, rice, pasta, quinoa, cous cous, and of course veggies into dinner. Most people think they need to wake up one day and just cut meat out completely - well it does not work that way. Minor adjustments to daily meals is your best bet.

Breakfast and lunch tend to be relatively easy to adapt to given most people eat some sort of bread/cereal/yogurt/fruit, etc at breakfast and either a salad or sandwich for lunch. Dinner is the toughest to tackle since you generally will share this meal with others. Your plate will look different while everyone else has meat, a veggie and some other side. I would just double up on veggies and tell them you want to feel better about yourself and that eliminating meat from your diet is your choice, not theirs.(and also that it does not effect them, because they can still eat meat).

One big tip would be to make it clear on whether or not you are a strict vegetarian - meaning some people still continue to eat seafood while claiming they are a vegetarian - this further confuses family members. Just be sure to make it known what you prefer to include/exclude in your diet.

Becoming vegetarian in the real world is not difficult, as most restaurant menus and other food places almost ALWAYS have some sort of vegetarian version of a dish that would normally contain meat, i.e. most pasta dishes, chicken parmesan (eggplant), veggies wraps with hummus, etc.

Remember to stick to your guns if you really want to become vegetarian. People will adjust, my family did eventually. For example, I would just bring a veggie burger to a family BBQ (and no one minded cooking it for me). If you show that you are serious about it and provide your own options rather than making them feel responsible that you have less on your plate than them, they generally will respond in a positive manner.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

Most people think they need to wake up one day and just cut meat out completely - well it does not work that way. Minor adjustments to daily meals is your best bet.

That actually is how it worked for me. I was reading a book trying to get motivation to lose weight and it shocked me into vegitarianism. This book had a couple chapters that went into great detail about what goes on on the farms (I'm not talking about a small family owned farm (although it could) I'm talking about the massive farms where most of our meats and dairy come from). I was grossed out. So, the next day I went out and bought a ton of fruits and veggie's and other vegan products (including the vegan cheese) and on the way home we (me, my husband, my son and my nephew) were all starving, so we went through the drive thru at Carl's Jr (we had a coupon). I got a burger... I ate it when we got home, and then about a half hour later I was relaxing and started reading more of the book. I almost threw up... at this point I was completely grossed out and I was thinking about what may have happened to the meat I just consumed and what may have been in it/in the cow... I have no trouble not eating meat now, and I don't feel deprived. There are so many non meat options out there that are so similar to the meat they are imitating that they are completely satisfying.

I do still eat eggs ocasionally, and I will have some milk in my coffee or when I cook. But I only purchase Organic milk and eggs (and I hope they're as "clean" as I am trusting them to be).