How to Be a Vegetarian and Still Have Meat-Eating Friends

You thought it was hard cutting meat out of your diet and sticking to a vegetarian meal plan, but that has been simple compared to the issues you have with friends who still eat meat and don’t understand what you’re doing. Follow these guidelines to help make it easier for you to keep old friends who still eat meat without having to become a carnivore yourself.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Friends are honest with each other, so there’s no reason for your beliefs about vegetarianism to be any different. If you stopped eating meat for health reasons, tell them the truth about how meat is a cancer-causing agent and is linked to most cases of heart disease and adult-onset diabetes. If you cut out meat for moral reasons, be honest about the pain and privation that animals go through during their short and miserable lives. If your friends respected you before because you were straightforward with them, then they should do the same about your new-found dedication.
2. Many friends might make jokes with you about vegetarianism because they don’t yet know how to deal with it. This is usually done with good humor, and will eventually die down. But some people will continually make comments disguised as jokes in order to express their confusion or discomfort about your choice. With enough exposure, you’ll be able to tell the difference. If your friends can tease you about anything else, than this should be the same. But if the comments are intended to make you feel bad or different, then maybe it is time to have a private conversation with that friend about how they feel.
3. There’s no better way to know which friends are truly your friends than to change something in your life with which most people are not comfortable. True friends will remain friends, even if they don’t agree with you. But you have to be willing to let go of the people who can’t get past your decision, because the truth is, they weren’t very good friends to begin with.
4. The best bridge between vegetarians and meat-eaters is through the world of snacks. Most snack foods are vegetarian, and your friends probably already like them. When they come over to your house, let them see that being a vegetarian doesn’t stop you from eating chips, pretzels, pizza pockets, and nachos. This level of comfort will help them to realize that you’re not becoming a different person, you’re just adjusting your menu.

Tips & Warnings

• Sometimes, taking a dish that would normally have meat in it and making it with vegetarian meat substitutes (such as tacos or chili) can be a great way to show your friends that you haven’t lost anything in your choice to be a vegetarian.
• Making a rule to not eat meat in your house is fine, but even a friend shouldn’t have to listen to you complaining about the meat in their own home. Know your boundaries.