Anyways, no confrontation at my holiday dinners.
Only a slightly awkward moment when my father tried some of the mocha/vanilla cream pie I made and then said, “Wait, is this vegan?” When I said yes, he looked slightly dissapointed like, “Oh, I wish this had more animal products in it.” Hehe.

Anyway, the pie was a big hit with vegs and non-vegs alike. Cheers!

However, my in-laws are quiet the opposite. They make everything, and I mean everything, with bacon fat, chicken stock, and two sticks of butter. Sometimes there really are no meatless options for me. The green beans share the pot with the pig! I think you are right, though. They probably don’t even notice when I just eat the sliced tomatoes (covered in sugar to make them sweeter), and the butter drenched broccoli. I can always have a bite or two, then eat a Larabar on the way home!

And I love the point you made about people just being insecure about their own eating habits. My sister-in-law proceeded to tell me that she has a friend who is a vegetarian simply because she likes the attention she gets. Hmm… I almost took this as a low hit, but next time I’ll just laugh and point out how much I love her new shirt!

Seriously. You are inspiring me to try new options. I watched Food, Inc this past weekend and was so disgusted. I don’t want to be a pendulum swinger, but it really is sad and frightening to see how altered our produce, poultry and meat sources have become. I am morbidly obese and although I own my actions in getting to this place, I can’t help but wonder how all the toxins have effected my body’s ability to process food.

I like the tips you mentioned in today’s post. It can be embarrassing to explain yourself to everyone when you’re trying to make healthy changes. Thanks for sharing what works for you.

~amy