Tips for Getting Your Man to Give Up The Meat

My boyfriend loves his hot wings.

But living with me, he knows how I feel about dead animals on the dinner table. And while he’s become pretty damn health-savvy since he met me - I swell with pride just thinking about it - there are still times when living with a carnivore can be a bitch.


Dinner Drama

Whether it's the roomies, the husband, or the kids, some people just won’t get on board with the weird tofu shit. (Can’t a guy get some steaks up in here?) While you may be far from turning the whole household on to your tree-hugging, meat-bashing style, it is possible to make a dent.

Here are some tips I’ve picked up along the way:

1. Get friendly with flavor. If your meatless dishes taste like bland, shitty cardboard, even you aren't going to eat them. If you want him to try new stuff, you gotta give it some kick. Double up on spices, fresh herbs, and don’t be afraid to make nutritional yeast your best friend. Use onions and garlic like they’re going out of style. One of my secret weapons? Cayenne pepper. When his mouth's on fire and he's crying like a little girl, he won't be able to say shit about vegan food not being "fulfilling" enough.

2. Feel It Up. Texture can be one of the trickier things to replicate in vegan dishes - rubbery fake meat, "cheese" that won't melt, etc. But it's not impossible. Did you know that raw cashews can basically make a creamy paste for anything from pasta sauce to salad dressing? It’s effing amazing. You can mimic a crispy burger by frying up falafel patties. Ricotta cheese can be replicated with crumbled tofu, butternut squash and spices. There are so many ways to get creative with texture, so don’t be lazy. If it tastes good and feels good going down, he'll eat it - even if it's not mooing.

3. Vegan Versions. Vegan taco night is like Christmas in my house. We fry up meatless crumbles with taco seasoning, shred some vegan cheese, pop open the faux sour cream, and load up on the lettuce and salsa. My boyfriend stuffs his face until he can't move, and I feel the righteous pride of domestic victory, having made a vegan version of one of his favorite foods. If you can't find a vegan version, make one up. Decide what flavors and textures you need to replicate to make a decent meat-free version. "Man" food like Mac n' cheese, chili, burgers - they're all still within reach. When he learns that going vegan does not equal deprivation, he'll see the light.

4. Allow Free Days. In our house, my boyfriend is meat-free Monday through Friday. But will I tell him he can't have his wings and beer with his pals during guys night out? Hell no. I’ll totally make fun of him when he’s constipated the next morning, but he’s a big boy and can make his own decisions. Give him a free day (or two). He can get his ass in the backyard and grill those steaks to his heart's content, but you won't go near that bullshit. Nine times out of ten, my man will forgo a turkey sandwich for my leftover tofu scramble, anyway.



5. Shopping Trip. Truth time? Men are lazy. They also don’t like to ask for help. If you want your guy to get into plant-based eating, take him shopping and show him where to find stuff. Chances are, he doesn't have a clue where to locate nutritional yeast, gluten-free bread, or even the tofu. If you can show him where to find stuff, you can send him on a grocery run with confidence, and he’ll actually know what the hell he’s doing. (This goes for your personal care and cleaning products, too.)



6. Get in the Kitchen. Remember when you were a kid and you felt all proud when you helped cook dinner? Grab your dude, don some girly aprons (and be sure to take pictures for blackmail purposes), and have him help. When he makes something close to edible, he'll be too damn giddy with pride to even remember that it's meatless. Put him in charge of dinner a couple nights a week, with the only caveat being that it has to be meatless. If he's a typical dude, he'll get off on the challenge of making something that will please you.


Do you live with a carnivore? What's your biggest challenge? Tell us in the comments section below!

Mara Tyler, Managing Editor of HealthyBitchDaily.com
Mara Tyler is a health and wellness die-hard with a penchant for sarcasm. A former public relations and marketing professional, she's helped grow bleeding-heart health and fitness startups into successful companies with the wave of her magic wand. When she’s not berating her friends for eating Big Macs or preaching to her family about the wonders of green smoothies, she can be found reading bad chick lit, scouting out new indie bands or attempting to find bliss in yoga. Mara lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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