How to Date a Meat-Eater
Once upon a time, I was a happy, little carnivorous human, munching on burgers. One day, a handsome Russian man came along who was not only captivated by my weird, Australian ways – but finally celebrated the end to his vicious cycle of dating vegans. And so we embarked on our fairy tale journey of holding hands, while staring deeply into each other’s eyes and of course, eating burgers. Little did he know that for him, this unfortunately had an expiry date.
In December 2017, my life cast some sort of strange spell on me and I wound up with ulcerative colitis. But what I didn’t know at the time, that this new narrative was in fact a superpower was about to give me the key to health and longevity, and path my way to a purpose greater than I could have ever imagined.
In July 2020, I spent a dark and depressing two days in my bed reading a book (Fiber Fueled) that was about to transform my illness into a superpower, while reshape my life forever. In the room next to me, sat my handsome Russian man happily mapping out our next steak night.
Once I had evolved into what was a new beginning for me, I sat my husband down and said ‘I’m becoming a vegan and this is what I need to do for my health. I understand that you love meat and I’m not going to stop you from eating it. But I will no longer be cooking it, so if you want meat, you’re more than welcome to cook it but I will only be cooking plants from now on.’ Although he was perplexed by this new chapter, he knew how serious I was about healing my body from the inside out.
So how did the transition go?
Since then, I became a plant-chef of my own kitchen. I became committed to serving up 2 x meals per day (which he did not complain about at all). And I also committed myself to teaching him about why eating more plants was key to health and longevity. When we eat out, he treats himself to animal proteins, but since he has been eating more plants he admits that he ‘feels so much healthier and energized than he ever has before.’
What advice can I give you?
- Show, don’t tell: Just cook amazing plant meals instead and allow them to experience the changes themselves. Or take them out for amazing vegan experiences.
- Don’t push your beliefs down their throat: Instead, speak their language. Steve loves facts, so I read him my favorite passages from Fiber Fueled and other leading experts. If they like documentaries, ask if they’d be interested in watching one about plant-food with you.
- Choose your battles: If they still eat meat, but have been incorporating more plants, or if they’re more open minded to listening to new information, then that’s progress!
- Don’t judge: People are so judgemental of others and their choices. Be curious instead and respectful instead. Ask questions about their beliefs with an open mind, so you can have an educational conversation that isn’t attached to emotions.
- Understand what is important to you: What are your core values? If you can’t date someone who eats meat, then connect with those who can.
- It’s all about your attitude: Everyone knows that eating plants is good for them, so rather than labelling is as veganism, try the soft approach of talking about why eating more plants is beneficial to their health.