My family thinks that Im extreme and nuts.

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone. It has taken me a while to get to this style of

eating, which Im sure is the case for everyone. I have 5 children

ages 3-16 and most of them are vegetarians. My older daughter and

myself just started eaten a Vegan lifestyle.

 

I slowly evolved to this point...first cutting out red meat, then

pork, etc...When I started eating organic, my parents flat out

thought I was crazy because as they put it " no matter what you eat

you can get sick from it! " So I of course had to debate them...at

38 when will I learn that it is a no win situation?

Anyhow..Yesterday was the first thanksgiving I had eating this way.

It was THE BEST I ever had. I wasnt sick feeling afterwards, no

headaches, etc. My daughter and I were ready to run a marathon

while everyone else looked like they were going to throw up.

 

How do you deal with the comments about being extreme etc?

[Guest guest]

>How do you deal with the comments about being extreme etc?

 

Hi Paula;

 

Well, I've been eating vegan for about 20 years. I think it depends on the

situation.

 

One way I like to use when I am feeling in a very up-beat mood, is to sort of

pretend that the person has just given me a compliment, smile happily and say

" THANK YOU! " It sort of implies " Why be " ordinary " when you can be EXTREME??? "

It's a way of helping myself feel comfortable with letting other people have the

freedom to think whatever they like about me, because what really matters is

what *I* think about me.

 

Another response can be something sort of compassion-focused on the other

person, like when someone accuses me of being extreme, I might ask softly " Oh.

Are you OK with that? " It implies that being " extreme " is actually totally OK,

and puts the focus on the other person to reframe any judgements they may have

been holding about that.

 

A completely different approach is the perspective flip. What I mean is, asking

the other person if they knew that the MAJORITY of the world's population is

mostly vegetarian simply because that is the way they eat in their culture? ...

that western culture being so based on animal products is actually the " extreme "

in terms of the world population. So, one can explain that to the person who is

accusing YOU of being extreme. It can be an interesting little wake-up call to

look around at the larger picture.

 

Then there's the health-oriented responses, like " Yes, I want to have the best

health and energy possible for myself and I find that eating a plant-based diet

gives me the best results! " One needs to be willing/able to follow this sort of

line up with some handy, incontrovertible facts, like quotes from the American

Dietetic Association or the World Health Association about the healthfulness of

properly planned vegan diets.

 

Another option (very neutral and maybe a little off-putting to the other person)

is to just acknowledge them having stated their OPINION (because that's all it

is) and maybe say politely " You are intitled to your opinion. "

 

Anyhoo... there's a smattering of options. Welcome to the Extreme Club! :-)

 

Deborah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I usually just say something along the lines of ....'I feel great/my best

eating/living this way, so why wouldn't I?' The convo can go anywhere from that

point, lol.

 

Paula DiMeo-Hobbins <pdhobbins wrote:

 

 

Hello everyone. It has taken me a while to get to this style of

eating, which Im sure is the case for everyone. I have 5 children

ages 3-16 and most of them are vegetarians. My older daughter and

myself just started eaten a Vegan lifestyle.

 

I slowly evolved to this point...first cutting out red meat, then

pork, etc...When I started eating organic, my parents flat out

thought I was crazy because as they put it " no matter what you eat

you can get sick from it! " So I of course had to debate them...at

38 when will I learn that it is a no win situation?

Anyhow..Yesterday was the first thanksgiving I had eating this way.

It was THE BEST I ever had. I wasnt sick feeling afterwards, no

headaches, etc. My daughter and I were ready to run a marathon

while everyone else looked like they were going to throw up.

 

How do you deal with the comments about being extreme etc?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take Mail with you! Get it on your mobile phone.

 

 

[Guest guest]

Have you seen Super Size Me? It's great. It will convince you that it's not

vegans who are extreme - it's our crazy culture (tho I wish I could say that

veganism by itself will solve a weight problem.) I have an identical twin

sister. She eats as many high-saturated fat meat & dairy foods as she can get

her hands on. She has to take cholesterol-lowering medication at 47. My

cholesterol is in the 150's. My glucose & triglycerides are good, too. Many of

the world's cultures eat a vegan diet, or close to it, as well. Read John

Robbins, ( & watch his videos), John McDougall, Neal Barnard, etc., & you'll feel

a lot better.

 

-Amy

-

animatronica84

Tuesday, November 30, 2004 4:43 PM

Re: My family thinks that Im extreme and nuts.

 

 

I usually just say something along the lines of ....'I feel great/my best

eating/living this way, so why wouldn't I?' The convo can go anywhere from that

point, lol.

 

Paula DiMeo-Hobbins <pdhobbins wrote:

 

 

Hello everyone. It has taken me a while to get to this style of

eating, which Im sure is the case for everyone. I have 5 children

ages 3-16 and most of them are vegetarians. My older daughter and

myself just started eaten a Vegan lifestyle.

 

I slowly evolved to this point...first cutting out red meat, then

pork, etc...When I started eating organic, my parents flat out

thought I was crazy because as they put it " no matter what you eat

you can get sick from it! " So I of course had to debate them...at

38 when will I learn that it is a no win situation?

Anyhow..Yesterday was the first thanksgiving I had eating this way.

It was THE BEST I ever had. I wasnt sick feeling afterwards, no

headaches, etc. My daughter and I were ready to run a marathon

while everyone else looked like they were going to throw up.

 

How do you deal with the comments about being extreme etc?

 

 

 

 

Take Mail with you! Get it on your mobile phone.

 

[Guest guest]

P.S. I also point out to people what I learned from John Robbins - that concerns

about health, ethics, & the environment, all point to veganism as the best

choice.

-

Amy Fried, Ph.D.

Wednesday, December 01, 2004 10:10 AM

Re: My family thinks that Im extreme and nuts.

 

 

Have you seen Super Size Me? It's great. It will convince you that it's not

vegans who are extreme - it's our crazy culture (tho I wish I could say that

veganism by itself will solve a weight problem.) I have an identical twin

sister. She eats as many high-saturated fat meat & dairy foods as she can get

her hands on. She has to take cholesterol-lowering medication at 47. My

cholesterol is in the 150's. My glucose & triglycerides are good, too. Many of

the world's cultures eat a vegan diet, or close to it, as well. Read John

Robbins, ( & watch his videos), John McDougall, Neal Barnard, etc., & you'll feel

a lot better.

 

-Amy

-

animatronica84

Tuesday, November 30, 2004 4:43 PM

Re: My family thinks that Im extreme and nuts.

 

 

I usually just say something along the lines of ....'I feel great/my best

eating/living this way, so why wouldn't I?' The convo can go anywhere from that

point, lol.

 

Paula DiMeo-Hobbins <pdhobbins wrote:

 

 

Hello everyone. It has taken me a while to get to this style of

eating, which Im sure is the case for everyone. I have 5 children

ages 3-16 and most of them are vegetarians. My older daughter and

myself just started eaten a Vegan lifestyle.

 

I slowly evolved to this point...first cutting out red meat, then

pork, etc...When I started eating organic, my parents flat out

thought I was crazy because as they put it " no matter what you eat

you can get sick from it! " So I of course had to debate them...at

38 when will I learn that it is a no win situation?

Anyhow..Yesterday was the first thanksgiving I had eating this way.

It was THE BEST I ever had. I wasnt sick feeling afterwards, no

headaches, etc. My daughter and I were ready to run a marathon

while everyone else looked like they were going to throw up.

 

How do you deal with the comments about being extreme etc?

 

 

 

 

Take Mail with you! Get it on your mobile phone.