A vent about stupid comments

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-02-2005
A vent about stupid comments
6
Wed, 12-21-2005 - 2:12am

I asked my mom if she had dinner yet because I hadn't and wanted to eat something while we were downtown Christmas shopping. She said yes, saying she ate some God awful (lol) fatty porc/beef/whatever sausages. My parents think that they eat healthily, but they don't really. They don't eat tons of veggies, they eat white bread allll the time, hardly ever try new things etc... So I told her that those sausages have lots of cholesterol and fat and that she should eat something healthier. She's also a cancer survivor, so I wish she would just make healthier choices. Anyway, she starts getting all upset and says "Fine, well, you're a... "vegetarian" (I love how she says it almost seeming embarrassed)" and says that "If I wasn't eating meat, I wouldn't be eating anything." LOL Ok, so is 90% of your diet meat? Have you ever heard of beans, lentils, tofu, soy milk, veggies, grains... helloooo I am still living at home and cook these foods all the time. It's hysterical how she's almost scared to admit that my diet IS balanced, she's also scared to try some of the foods I make. If I offer her something her first reaction is "What is it?" For God's sake, it's not poison, LOL. I wouldn't even think of talking about my diet with my dad because he's 10 times as stubborn. I'm not trying to "convert" anyone, I just think that it's stupid to make uneducated comments about a diet that is different and not as common.

Ok, I'm done my vent now!

 

 

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-20-2003
Fri, 12-23-2005 - 1:41am

My father asks "what is it?" for every new dish, too. But I've figured out that for him it is mostly that he likes to have some idea of what flavors to expect. Just remembered a time when the only thing he knew was that I'd asked him to get the honey off of a top shelf (I am the main cook now, since Mom's stroke, and things are now all reachable by the 4"11" chef). Now, the honey was a minor ingredient that balanced the spicy/savory elements in the sauce. I don't remember precicely what I made, but he hadn't prepared himself for it! After he recovered, he did like it.


You may know that I also cannot eat wheat. My body thinks it's a germ and sends antibodies that end up attacking my colon. It's genetic, and Dad's sister has it, I have it, and he has symptoms that fit the diagnosis. The antibodies can cause damage that can lead to major illnesses and open the door for colon cancer. He has a Ph.D in biochemistry and did his research in the type of reactions that, what do you know, are exactly what happens with Celiac Disease. So he has explained to me the whole chemical chain of events that leads to "my" problem, but he refuses to be tested because he will not give up wheat, barley, and rye. He knows the facts. He knows scientifically why my vegetarian diet works and is content that I am getting my amino acids in to let my body make complete protiens (being the child of a Ph.D is interesting). He accepts that this is my choice and he isn't going to change it. He deals with the fact that if he wants meat with a meal he has to make it himself.


He even has, in carefully chosen words, said that, while Mom cooked more of the type of food he likes, I am the better cook.


But he is sure that my 2 servings of Coke a day are too much sugar (I didn't eat much in the way of sugary snacks and desserts before the wheat thing. There are alternatives but I only have them a few times a week in reasonable quantities) and that I'm not getting enough fruit. BTW, his lunch is regularly cheese flavored crackers and one of those little boxes of raisins and he leaves the house without more than OJ more often than is good for him, even if it's a day he has time to put a Chef Boyardee (or equivelant) tub in the microwave. I don't want to look at the nutrition facts on that but it has to be slightly better than snacking and/or starving. They have to at least put some vitamins in it to placate the parents into buying it! He has a mini fridge, but it rarely has more than soda in it.


He is overweight, which can be in part from the celiac disease (complicated explanation). I am at my ideal weight. I eat balanced meals for most lunches (a side dish of fruit or veggies, the works). But the man has been known to sit at the table and lecture me- at least until Mom joins me in turning the tables!- about his perception of my diet. But his blood pressure and cholesterol are extremely good, as are Mom's. They eat vegetarian several days a week and Mom uses meat as a side dish. She does eat a very balanced diet.


I will say that, after a few years,

Jaseann

co-cl-Celiac Disease

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2005
Sat, 01-14-2006 - 12:03pm
If they honestly think they eat healthy and you don't just point out to them how many time meat has been recalled b/c of diseases, it causes high blood pressure, or the fact that our bodies weren't made to break down meat so you end up walking around w/ dead animals rotting in your body (I forgot the actual temp. but I know it's in the high hundreds the meat need to break down and our average body temp. is only 98.6), plus meat is a major cause of obisity. I'm the only veg. in my family and the healthlist out of everyone... one day my dad came home f/m the doctors and just sat at the table thinking, after awhile he looked at me and said "you'll never guess what the doctor told me" expecting it to be really bad I asked what and he said "He told me to become a vegetarian". Don't worry about it when people talk about you being a veg. it's just b/c they don't understand.
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-25-2005
Sat, 01-14-2006 - 12:51pm

People like this, I think they just haven't been informed about the perks of being a vegetarian.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-02-2005
Sat, 01-14-2006 - 9:53pm
Actually, I'm not trying to "convert" them, I just want them to be more respectful and educated about my eating choices.

 

 

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-21-2003
Sun, 01-15-2006 - 9:58am

Yeah, you know it's just hard when it's the people that you love and you would like them to make more healthful choices. One would think that with the cancer thing, your mom would be more interested in making some lifestyle changes but for some people this is just not possible.
I get stupid comments on a daily basis about what i'm eating for lunch. Have some of people never even seen vegetables before???LOL! and yes! I do eat french fries but I prefer to make my own at home in my deep fryer so I know what kind of oil I'm using and what's been fried in it. Usually I just tell them what it is and the many different ways you can prepare it. I also mention that if it didn't taste good I wouldn't be eating it.

I think that some people are just very resistant to change and can't even imagine trying something new.

It sounds like you would be happier( and less worried about their health) if they were just making better choices in their diet.... such as avoiding the fatty, gross stuff and incorporating more fibre, vegetables and fruits.

Nathalie

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-25-2005
Sun, 01-15-2006 - 3:36pm
I see, but either way the pamplets will let them see the facts.
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