[lizajane30]

When I met DH five years ago, he had been on a vegetarian diet (with occasional fish) for many years. I had been known to go meat-free for years at a time since childhood, but I wouldn't call myself "vegetarian." A few months after we met, I decided to follow DH's diet.<br><br>
Then I got pregnant. And I wanted to eat meat! I ate meat every once in a while during my pregnancy, at a restaurant or someone else's house, but have remained committed to keeping our home vegetarian since DH is very sensitive to meat products and will get sick if he accidentally has something. Our son, now 16 mos, does not eat meat (and doesn't really like fish) and I really don't have any desire for him to begin eating meat. But... I have come to realize lately that <i>I</i> really do like meat, and I am now what I would call a very reluctant vegetarian.<br><br>
My question is, does anyone have a family where one parent eats omnivorously, but the other parent and the kids are vegetarians? Does this work? I know DH is concerned that DS will want to eat meat if he sees me eating it, and I'm okay with telling DS that he and Papa don't eat meat, but Mama does and when he's older he can decide if he wants to eat meat or not. (This is the tack DH and I have discussed using if and when DS questions our diet, even assuming I remain vegetarian, so I know DH would be okay with this too.)<br><br>
Should I just come to terms with a meat-free diet, or is there a way to make this work for our family?

 

[irinam]

<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/orngbiggrin.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="orange big grin"> DH, myself and DS are omnivours and DD is a vegetrian since 4. Her choice. No promting. Go figure <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"><br><br>
DH and I actually get embarrassed sometimes because if before she did not eat meat because it's "yuck", now she also adds "poor animals"<br><br>
I cook veg for her and DH and I are moving closer and closer to being veg ourselves.<br><br>
I'd vote for letting your DS choose. In our example all three of us did not influence DD's choice <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile">

 

[shantimama]

If you feel better having some meat in your diet then you should be as free to include it as you need just as your dh is free to be vegetarian. If having meat products makes him feel unwell, then it is good he is a vegetarian - likewise, if you don't feel as well on a veg diet as one that includes some meat, you need to respect that need in your body.<br><br>
I feel healthier on a diet that dh doesn't care for - I love eating lots of legumes and feel healtheir when I do, but dh cannot stand them. I tend to make them for lunch, when he is at work. Often I have some homemade soup in the fridge that is full of things that only I like so I have a bowl of that with supper. Could you do something like that with meat based soups or stews? Or make and freeze a big batch of meat based taco filling or something that you could use while the rest of your family has something vegetarian? Everyone around the table does not have to eat exactly the same thing at every meal. It isn't the same as making a completely separate meal.<br><br>
If you and your dh are in agreement about your little one not having meat, that is great, but that shouldn't mean that you don't get your nutritional needs/wants met.