The KInd Life Community Forum

Kristen E. I'm having the same thoughts as Easter is coming up next week. I have always taken the education route. Most nonvegan people look at the ethical reasons and dont give them the credit they deserve. I often say to my sister " i wouldn' t eat my dog so i dont eat other animals." With her replying with some response about well that cow/ chicken wasn't your pet. Because of this I am brushing up on my health and environmental facts for the holiday. Nonvegans respond well to the choice to eat healthy and no one can deny helping the global environment. But in the end if all else fails i just ignore the negative comments and point out the positives. Good luck and happy holiday!

I would say I feel more comfortable living my life in a positive way and I don't think the standard American diet is positive in any way.

I've been going through this as well. Two close relatives haven't been very supportive at all. When I first switched to veggie, they made it very clear that they didn't approve. My natural instinct was to fight back and try to make them "see the light," so to speak. But the harder I fought to get them to try going veggie, the more they resisted. So I stopped fighting them. I stopped trying to get them to eat healthy foods and change their ways. Instead, I led my life the way I wanted it to and let the changes come out in me- I became happier, healthier, and more positive and upbeat. It was hard to ignore the criticisms, so I just calmly and politely said one day after a particularly snarky criticism "When you make comments like that, I feel down. If you have a legitimate concern about my health or wellbeing, let's talk seriously about it and see if I can ease your mind and address your concerns. Otherwise, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from making those comments." It brings in a few things I've learned from a few "how to deal with people" type of books. 1) Using the words "I feel" makes the person less defensive and more open to listening since it doesn't directly accuse them. 2) Inviting an open dialogue shows your concern about their feelings (and it also opens a potential opportunity to promote veganism). 3) By not going on the defense, people are more likely to respect your request. After that, the comments and criticism stopped. Now that the changes in me are really starting to show, the very same two people who used to criticize me for veganism are now asking questions positively about veganism and requesting to try the vegan food I make! When it comes down to it, I don't think any amount of force will change a person- they have to want to change or they never will. Being an example has seemed to work pretty well- one relative (another not previously mentioned in this post) has switched to vegan, another relative is vegetarian and thinking of going full vegan, and two others are thinking of going to vegetarianism (which is a step in the right direction) and have already reduced the amount of red meat they eat.

Best of luck, Kristen!! I hope Easter goes well for you. :)

I've sort of learned they don't want to hear my point of view but...that said, I drop a few things like amazing stats on global warming, or the fact that animals are skinned alive. That is lol before they ask me to dinner. My family is not accepting but my husband is and my granddaughter is vegetarian...support does grow, even if it grows slowly.

I have the same problem. Passive aggressive coworkers constantly ask me questions about my dietary practices. When we get free lunches, they always ask why I do not partake. I always have my own food. Sometimes I will eat alone, other times I do not engage, and other times I ask them if they have read The China Study. I have also replied that "animals are too cute to eat".