Saturday, March 29, 2008
Sound Off...
For the last three years we have been vegetarians, eating only a small amount of seafood on occasion. We made the switch because of health reasons which have been resolved now. We don't mind being vegetarians, but we also don't really think there is anything wrong with eating meat. It was just a lifestyle we chose. But lately we have noticed our oldest (M) has become very obsessed with this. This might possibly be because I have had to tell people (teachers, other parents, etc.) that we are vegetarians in order to make certain he didn't consume meat products and upset his stomach (because he hadn't eaten it in so long). M has a tendency to obsess about things anyway and we are concerned that us being vegetarians is just giving him one more thing to worry about. Also, I have lately become concerned about Z since he is starting to be a very picky eater and unwilling to try new things. These reasons combined with my desire to make sure our boys do not have a limited view of the world have caused numerous discussions concerning our food choices. So we bought a little bit of canned chicken, deciding that if we didn't use it we would donate to the food shelf. Tonight I put a bit on my salad and offered some to M. He ate it (I told him what it was), but then started crying that he would "miss being a vegetarian". We talked to him about it (was it because it made our family different, was it because he really liked being a vegetarian, etc.), but he just didn't know why he was so upset by this change. Chris and I think it is just because he fights change, but now I'm wondering if we are doing the right thing. Meat vs. non-meat aside, does our switching back to eating small amounts of meat make sense? I would really love your opinion on this.
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4 comments:
when you say m is obsessed with eating vegetarian, do you mean he likes it or doesn't like this?
as far as m can remember, this is pretty much the way he's always eaten. he's been told he'll get sick if he eats meat, because his body isn't used to it. that's why he's scared.
if you want to start adding a little bit of meat to your diet, i'd suggest talking about it - like you're doing - and giving him the option of eating it or not. maybe when he sees you and chris eating it and notices that you're not getting sick, he might be willing to try some. i don't think i'd push it, though.
as for whether or not switching back makes sense, that's really a decision you and chris will have to make.
from a practical standpoint, i think as the boys are getting older it might be hard to avoid being offered meat - at birthday parties, sleepovers, whatever. however, there are a lot of people who stick to strict veg diets and do fine in those situations.
He is actually the one who first brought up eating meat. We talked to him about it and explained our reasons for taking meat out of our diet. We also told him that we can bring meat back into our diet, we just have to do it slowly. He is just responding strangly to the whole thing. I almost think its going to be good for him to change his diet, just because he fights change so much.
Well if you figure it out, I'd love some tips. Aiden hates change so much that getting him to wear shorts this summer instead of pants is going to be very difficult!
I have no advice other than to leave pork for last. We've found it to be very harsh even when we're eating other meats- but that might just be our family.
Could you talk to your doctor about it? He/She might have suggestions about diet and growing boys- ie/ teenage boys and their requirements and lack of being careful.
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