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THE VEGETARIAN/CARNIVORE CONNECTION - MAKING IT WORK

By Parker Westbrook

So, a member of your family has decided to go vegetarian. While the veggie in  question may be excited about their new healthy lifestyle and all the benefits to follow,  the remaining carnivores in the family are surely thinking "here comes trouble". I say this from cruel experience, as these were my thoughts when my husband went from King Carnivore to Veggie Supreme. That was eleven years ago, and we still eat dinner together.

Here are some tips to help you fellow carnivores navigate your new landscape:

1. Go with the flow. Vegetarian cuisine has come a long way, baby. You won't have to live on rabbit food, and neither will your Vegetarian Loved One (VLO).
2. People adapt to major changes more easily if they come about in stages. Instead of driving yourself crazy making two dinners every night, start by serving everyone the same dinner, leaving the meat out of your VLO's meal, and giving him larger portions of everything else. One night a week make it total veggie night for the whole family. One night won't kill you.

Parker Westbrook - 2

3. Try grabbing one of the many food oriented magazines available today as a low-cost way to learn new recipes - or get them free off the web.
4. Explore some of the many "fake meat" options in your grocer's freezer. You'll find that you like some things more than others. I love "chicken" nuggets and corn dogs.
5. Make dinner together as a family. Kids (and adults) are much more likely to get on the "Eat This" Express if they've had a hand in its creation. Psychologists call this "taking ownership". I call it "tricking my children".

Accommodating two eating styles in the home is not nearly as difficult as it appears it will be in the beginning. With so many easy recipes available, and so many non-meat options in every grocery store today, the vegetarian choices can seem almost endless. And, as I was relieved to learn, they taste good, too.