A vegetarian guide to surviving as a household’s sole vegetarian: Being the only vegetarian in a house full of meat eaters can seem daunting, but don’t let that discourages you. Here are a few tips for surviving in a household where you’re the only one on a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Help Out with Grocery Shopping
With a little creativity, you can adapt any meal you want, but since you’re the only vegetarian in the house, you’ll have to take responsibility. Taking an active roll in grocery shopping can make a huge difference.
Instead of buying your share of meat you can pick out meat substitutes and alternatives. For instance, when your family buys chicken to put in a salad, try buying chickpeas for your salad instead. If your family is making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, look for vegetarian “meat” balls or even falafel. Is everyone else buying cold cuts for lunches? Try hummus and other plant-based spreads to make your own vegetarian sandwich.
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Let DiscoverVeggie Help
If you are the sole vegetarian, you’ve probably experienced situations where everyone gets excited about going out to eat, and then pauses, turns to you and asks, “Oh wait… can you eat there?” Next time, use DiscoverVeggie as a vegetarian resource. Our search tools can help you see what items on your family’s favorite restaurants are vegetarian and which can be “flip flopped.”
Need help learning how to “flip flop” meals? Learn more: Our Tips to “Flip Flop” a Meat Dish!
Cook For Non-Veggie Family Members
As John DiGillo wrote, “A little vegetarian show and tell goes a long way!” Vegetarian and vegan food can get a bad reputation, and many meat eaters have no idea how delicious plant-based alternatives are. It’s easier than you might think to find common ground in the fact that you all love food. So go ahead, show them!
Tip: If this is intimidating, start by baking some vegan sweets. Those are sure to win a few taste buds over to the green side.
Suggest Everyone Else Join You For Meatless Mondays
The Meatless Mondays trend is catching on across the world, and in the U.S. some entire communities are banding together to cut meat from their diet one day each week. Encouraging your family to go vegetarian for one day a week can be a great way to show them that it is not difficult and to get some vegetarian company at the dinner table.
Don’t Miss Out
There is no reason you should. As a vegetarian you can find ways to make all family activities work for you – whether that means checking Discover Veggie’s menus before you go out to dinner, modifying family meals, planning ahead for family vacations, or convincing others to join you just one day a week.
Are you the only vegetarian in your house? Share the lessons you’ve learned along the way on our Twitter, Facebook or the comment section below!