the vegetarian news that annoyed the crap out of me

August 1, 2013

I'm going back to the roots of re•solve today and crying foul on something I saw in the media.

I was scrolling through my facebook feed when a particular article caught my eye: it looks like the newest executive in my county is a vegetarian! Cool. Right? You can check it out here.

I thought it was a little odd that such a thing would be "news," but this was a local story, and obviously I was taking the time to read it, so no biggie. I also thought it was odd that people were able to confirm she is the first vegetarian to be elected to the position. I mean, who keeps track of the dietary preferences of elected officials? Oh, well. That's neither here nor there.

See, she's eating corn! She's legit. Image via the article.
What is cool, or at least I thought was cool, was that someone in our local public eye shared a lifestyle with me. I thought it was cool until halfway through the article when I read this:

"She said she advocates a healthy lifestyle in general, but not eating meat isn’t “intentional.”
“I’m not trying to be a vegetarian,” Neuman said.
Neuman said that when she was pregnant with her first child, Alex, now 8, she developed an “aversion to (eating) anything that has a mother.”"

"Now, Neuman said, she’ll eat meat occasionally if she craves the taste, but has developed a general preference for fruits and vegetables. She won’t eat imitation meat products because she’d rather have some of the real thing.
“My body doesn’t choose (to have meat),” she said. “If I develop the taste for meat again, I will eat it (regularly).”"

I mean, to each their own. I don't eat any meat. My husband tends to eat meat only once a day. Some people eat it all day. Eat what you will.

my creation. via
What gets me is the whole "I'm not trying" thing. It almost feels like a judgement on those of us who are vegetarian by choice. Why is this even a story if you don't eat meat simply because it doesn't agree with you?  If the whole story is your diet that you are willing to change on a whim (and the story goes on to mention she takes bites of meat here and there), then sorry, but I don't consider you a vegetarian and there really is no story here.

Then there was this little gem:

"Her children, on the other hand, are not allowed to be vegetarians - she cooks crockpot chicken and grills steaks at home, she said. When Avery was 5, she decided to be like mom, “but I told her that’s not acceptable. She can be a vegetarian at 18 if she so desires.”"

Not allowed? Lady, if your kids wanted to eat cupcakes and Cheetos for every meal, then I'd be right with you on the whole "not allowed" bit. But setting rules that they can't eat healthy? Really? 

my creation. via


While it doesn't specifically say why they aren't allowed, I'm guessing it's an argument I've heard before: "I can go vegetarian, but my kid is still growing and they need the protein/calcium." Sorry, but that's just ignorant. Just as ignorant as the argument that fish isn't meat (eat fish if you want, but I seriously don't get that argument). 

We non meat-eaters have generally done our homework and know that we can get the majority of nutrients we need via plants. My brain is flashing back to this boy I knew in elementary school who was a vegetarian. I now want to find him and pick his brain apart. I don't remember much besides that he was a happy, healthy kid named Jared.

I'm not a mom yet and I know it is easy pre-kids to say what I will or won't do, but honestly, this is an "experiment" that I see no harm in. If I were to pop a little one out today, I think I would try to introduce mostly plants into his or her diet, and when the time came for the tyke to explore, I would give my argument but let them investigate and decide for themselves.

Anyway....boo, county executive. Boo on you. This article was a fail and I'm calling you out on it.

*steps off soapbox*



9 comments

  1. yeah, why call yourself a vegetarian when you aren't? kind of a slap in the face to those who are passionate about the lifestyle.

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    1. That's a great way to put it. I was concerned I wasn't properly communicating why this annoyed me, but it looks like people are understanding which is always nice :D

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  2. I completely agree with you, Bekah! Preach, girl! And the way she feeds her kids? Gosh! Wow!

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  3. Lets next write an article on how I don't eat tomatoes because I don't like them...but sometimes I will eat ketchup, or some bruschetta. I can totally see why you are frustrated! Plus that is really dumb that her kids 'aren't allowed' to be vegetarian. There are entire cultures of people (kids and all! gasp!) who are vegetarians or pretty darn close, so I mean really. But yeah, this lady is no vegetarian. please.

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  4. I seriously think some people "do it" because it's the "trendy/cool thing to do" what she is doing really makes no sense and like the woman above me says, it's a slap to the people who truly are vegetarian/vegan and are passionate about the lifestyle. Ugh. Saw you on the link up!

    http://www.fitnessblondie.blogspot.com

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  5. LOL "I'm a vegetarian even though I eat a bite of meat here and there." Um. What? My cousin has been a vegetarian since she was 10-11 years old. She's now almost 21. I think she's turned out just fine.

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  6. The comments are always the best part of these articles. You know I'm from Texas and I'm pretty sure it can be hard here for people who don't eat meat. I have a few friends who are vegetarians/pescetarian and I know it can be hard for them. We try and find restaurants but they are always either far out or super expensive. I've always admired people who can stick with something despite what others may think.

    Now as for this cray cray woman: She needs to swerve cause the is a hot mess and an insult to people who are actually living the lifestyle.

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    1. This might be the most entertaining comment here so far!

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  7. I was a vegetarian for seven years.
    And it wasn't a choice, it was a preference. I just didn't crave meat. Honestly. So maybe rather than being a vegetarian I should have just said "I don't like meat?" Either way, this lady seems to be trolling for attention. She certainly isn't gaining support on either side with those comments.

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