Stepping Up The Commitment

[Guest guest]

I started doing this for health. It's been about a year and is going

great.

 

In the year I have been more and more exposed to the cruelty and

environmental aspects of eating animal products. I can't ignore it

anymore.

 

This brings me to a dilemma. I have been purchasing and preparing

animal foods for my kids. My wife is on board with the veg diet but

says it is unfair to the kids to enforce my beliefs. Going against

her is something no one would want to do and life is bound to become

way more stressful if I do.

 

I have weighed the pro/con equation and decided that as of Jan 1st, I

will no longer buy, touch or prepare any animal products. If my wife

wishes to purchase and prepare them, that is her prerogative, but I

will no longer do it, period.

 

This is going to get unpleasant.

 

Mark

[Guest guest]

Here's what happened in my family when I woke up to the cruelty of eating animal

products............One day I finished reading " Diet for a New America " by John

Robbins and promptly announced I would no longer be cooking meat, of any sort.

No beef, poultry, seafood, nada..........the children were 6 and 8 years old.

My husband continued to barbecue for a few months and then he decided it was

time to stop. It was at this time we told the kids they could make up their own

minds and if they felt they really needed to eat meat they could buy lunch at

school one day a week. That went on for maybe six months and then the boy, who

was 8, said he was done eating meat. The girl went on for a few months longer

until one day she came home to tell us how much grease you can squeeze out of a

pepperoni pizza! She was done with animal products as well.

 

It was at this time I introduced them to the kitchen and how to handle a knife

and a blender. Seven years ago we remodeled our kitchen and never replaced the

stove. They became quite proficient with a toaster oven and a hot plate! We

still do not have a stove or an oven and they still live at home. Hence I know

they are eating a lot of fruit! My bowl seems to be empty at the end of every

day.

 

They are now 24 and 22 and much healthier than their peers. I know they are not

vegan and sometimes I doubt they are vegetarian, but they have the knowledge and

they know what to do to feel good. Overall I would say they are vegetarian with

occasional bite of dairy and maybe some seafood (we live on saltwater with many

fresh seafood restaurants).

 

Shari

 

 

[Guest guest]

Knowing how unhealthy animal foods are...you are doing the right thing by not

preparing them for the kids. Tell them you won't make them a hamburger because

you just simply love them too much.

 

mstrong56 <mstrong wrote: I

started doing this for health. It's been about a year and is going

great.

 

In the year I have been more and more exposed to the cruelty and

environmental aspects of eating animal products. I can't ignore it

anymore.

 

This brings me to a dilemma. I have been purchasing and preparing

animal foods for my kids. My wife is on board with the veg diet but

says it is unfair to the kids to enforce my beliefs. Going against

her is something no one would want to do and life is bound to become

way more stressful if I do.

 

I have weighed the pro/con equation and decided that as of Jan 1st, I

will no longer buy, touch or prepare any animal products. If my wife

wishes to purchase and prepare them, that is her prerogative, but I

will no longer do it, period.

 

This is going to get unpleasant.

 

Mark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want to start your own business? Learn how on Small Business.

 

 

[Guest guest]

Be a parent. Guide, teach, show them the way. It may not be in vogue, but

it's still a respectable way to live!

 

And try a shift in your focus, away from " this is going to be unpleasant " ,

toward " I shall now embrace life in a whole new way. I shall express my love

for myself and for all of Nature, by no longer taking life in order to

support my own. I shall celebrate my newfound awareness each and every day.

And I shall require of no one the same. "

 

Best,

Elchanan

 

_____

 

rawfood [rawfood ] On Behalf Of

mstrong56

Monday, December 04, 2006 5:44 AM

rawfood

[Raw Food] Stepping Up The Commitment

 

 

 

I started doing this for health. It's been about a year and is going

great.

 

In the year I have been more and more exposed to the cruelty and

environmental aspects of eating animal products. I can't ignore it

anymore.

 

This brings me to a dilemma. I have been purchasing and preparing

animal foods for my kids. My wife is on board with the veg diet but

says it is unfair to the kids to enforce my beliefs. Going against

her is something no one would want to do and life is bound to become

way more stressful if I do.

 

I have weighed the pro/con equation and decided that as of Jan 1st, I

will no longer buy, touch or prepare any animal products. If my wife

wishes to purchase and prepare them, that is her prerogative, but I

will no longer do it, period.

 

This is going to get unpleasant.

 

Mark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi Mark,

 

That's interesting that your wife is on board w/veg, but feels you

shouldn't enforce that on the kids. I don't really like the word

enforce, but isn't that what parents do--provide some sort of

structure, say yes and no to certain things? Not that you can or

want to control their every move, but you can set up your house in a

certain way and get them involved and ask their input into things

when appropriate. Right? Or am I missing something?

 

That does sound challenging to raise children with a spouse with

significantly different views. My husband and I don't have kids,

but when I started getting into raw, we had some struggles. I

wasn't aware of what was really happening, but there was sort of a

back and forth of trying to change each other and resisting being

changed. We finally had a big messy talk where I realized what was

going on and I reassured him I loved him and didn't want to try to

change him. I told him how important this diet and lifestyle are to

me and asked for his understanding, and for him to not try to change

me. I said I hoped that we could both grow and change in our own

ways, and still love each other and accept each other. Although I

don't know if this kind of thing is ever " resolved " and wrapped up

in a nice, little package, ironically (well, not really...), he is

more open to my ideas now.

 

If we had kids, I'm not sure how I'd handle it. I know that would

bring up so many more of both of our issues. But I would really try

as best I could to keep focused on the positive--the love I feel for

myself, my family, animals, the earth. How I feel so much better

eating/living this way. And explain my views in those terms.

 

These are big changes you're making. And others around you are

probably just scared. Deep down, they might wonder, " What will

happen to him? Will he want to leave me/us or not have a

relationship anymore? What will we share, if not food, and these

core beliefs? Does he think we're bad people because we eat

dairy? "

 

Sometimes people do end up going their separate ways, but either

way, I think there is more chance for growth, healing, and coming

together, when the attitude of love and acceptance are underneath.

Everyone just wants to be loved.

 

I know I will have to keep working on this, too. I definitely still

have my challenges with certain people and situations. And I know I

will continue to grow and change, which will continue to " shake

things up. "

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

Laurie

 

 

rawfood , " mstrong56 " <mstrong wrote:

>

> I started doing this for health. It's been about a year and is

going

> great.

>

> In the year I have been more and more exposed to the cruelty and

> environmental aspects of eating animal products. I can't ignore

it

> anymore.

>

> This brings me to a dilemma. I have been purchasing and preparing

> animal foods for my kids. My wife is on board with the veg diet

but

> says it is unfair to the kids to enforce my beliefs. Going

against

> her is something no one would want to do and life is bound to

become

> way more stressful if I do.

>

> I have weighed the pro/con equation and decided that as of Jan

1st, I

> will no longer buy, touch or prepare any animal products. If my

wife

> wishes to purchase and prepare them, that is her prerogative, but

I

> will no longer do it, period.

>

> This is going to get unpleasant.

>

> Mark

>

[Guest guest]

Would your wife read " Diet for a New America " ? You could read it outloud to the

kids. It goes into detail about how the animals are treated while they're alive

and how they are slaughtered. I went cold turkey (LOL!) on the raw food diet

about three years ago. One day I was eating steak, and the next vegetabes and

fruit. I had so many cravings. One of the things my health coach told me to do

the first week was read that book. I couldn't get through it - still haven't

been able to - because it's so horriffic to me. Perhaps you could even share

some of it with the kids.

 

You can make raw burgers and 'meat'balls, pizza, etc. to replace those foods for

them. I don't recommend the soy based 'fake meat' products as soy is very bad

for us. Great marketing plan, though.

 

My son LOVES Alissa Cohen's " Carrot Pecan Burgers " and the bun recipe she has.

Also, he loves her pizza crust recipe. In Matt Amsden's book, " Rawvolution " , he

has a great recipe for Taco 'meat' made from walnuts. My son loves that, too.

 

Good luck! It's a hard one to deal with!

 

Paula

 

PS: my son still eats SAD, but he has been allowing me to integrate more and

more raw in. It's been a long battle.