How to Tell Your Best Friend That You’ve Gone Vegan
We’ve all heard this played-out joke: “How do you know if someone is vegan? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.”
While it’s perfectly understandable to want to tell everyone you meet about your vegan diet (you are saving the world, after all), many more of us are unsure how to break the news to friends and family.
Here are five tips for telling your friends (and family) about your vegan diet:
1. Keep it simple.
Tell your friend honestly why you decided to eat differently. They don’t need to hear every reason to go vegan, and you certainly shouldn’t rattle off all the facts you’ve probably read in various articles online. Just keep it simple and trust that they will ask any questions they may have.
2. Don’t expect them to change.
Just as you don’t want your best friend to tell you what to eat, they don’t want to be told what to eat. Share your reasons for going veg once or twice and leave it at that.
3. Let them know why it’s important to you.
When our friends (and family) find out that eating vegan food is important to us and why, they are more likely to understand.
Use “I statements” like “I saw a video about how animals are raised for food, and I was horrified. I just don’t want to support this cruelty.” Or “I found out it’s actually healthier to be vegetarian, and I really want to try eating more veg foods.”
4. You don’t need to know everything.
You may get a lot of questions from friends after your decision to become vegan, and it’s OK if you don’t have all the answers. Be honest and speak from personal experience.
5. Don’t make them feel judged.
Remember that most of us grew up eating meat. Your best friend may not decide to go vegan with you, but that doesn’t mean they’re not the same person you’ve known and loved.
While nobody likes to be judged, pressured, nagged, or told what to do, some people get on the defensive at the mere presence of a vegan. Don’t let them get to you.
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Want more? Click here for four things that may just get your friends to go veg.