How to Make People Keen on Plant-Based Diets
Without being a pain in the ass
I started to flirt with the idea of being plant-based when I was about 14 years old. I don’t remember how or why, but back then, I came across some articles which defended that a cow’s milk wasn’t supposed to be consumed by humans.
Curious about this premise, I started reading about the nutritional value of milk. According to my research, this beverage — that I grew up loving — was bad for you, and I wanted to tell everyone about it.
I remember clearly the first time I tried to educate someone about it. It was in science class and I was convincing a classmate (my crush at the time) that he shouldn’t drink milk.
He immediately mocked me and asked my teacher — in a pre-pubescent squishy voice — “Miss, milk is good for you, right?”
She validated his statement.
I was defeated at that moment, but my activist mindset kept me going through the years.
It took me some time to get my head around not eating meat or fish, but by age 17, I had become a plant-based and was very proud of it.
For the first few months, I would tell everyone I’d given up eating animal flesh and that they should do the same. That they were murders. That I was right, and they were wrong.
Well, it goes without saying, this type of behavior didn’t get me very far. People felt attacked and uncomfortable. I was disproving what they had learned from a very young age.
Soon enough, I discovered that if I wanted to change mindsets, I had to adopt another methodology. A friendlier one that made people interested in my lifestyle, instead of being repulsed by it.
I’ve now been plant-based for over five years, and I can guarantee that by applying five simple changes to my behavior, I’ve been able to convince some people to reduce their animal product consumption.
Don’t be a preacher;
When I think about preaching about something, the movie “Seven” immediately comes to mind (spoiler alert).
Remember when John Doe was killing people so that others would become aware of their sins? Did that work or did people become scared of him?
Well, when bombarding someone with images of cattle being killed, you are doing a similar thing.
No, it is not a crime but, in general, people don’t want to be around someone who shows them bloody pictures and shouts: “meat is murder”.
Besides, most people still think that veggie people are crazy and spend their free time throwing tofu at someone’s head. Let’s help end that stereotype.
Share your lifestyle and food. Don’t impose it;
This one is closely related to the last topic.
After five years of living with a plant-based person, my parents and sister are more than acquainted with the type of food I eat. At first, they weren’t too excited about it, but now, I have to fight them about my own meals.
I’ve lost count of how many times my sister ate my hummus or that my mother took the liberty to pack my dinner for her own lunch the next day.
By having different products around the house, my family became curious about it and has reduced their meat consumption.
They are by no means plant-based, but they now know that veggies can be as tasty as their omnivorous meals.
The same thing happened in my workplace.
Since I am a freelancer, I work at a coworking space — Impact Hub Lisbon
Impact Hub Lisbon is a very special place, where we have “wine downs” every Friday, with food and alcohol(when the government allows it).
Most “wine downs” have a theme, and since we are in Portugal, we had a Portuguese night.
Portuguese gastronomy is very well known for its use of fish, especially cod (bacalhau, in Portuguese). Since I don’t eat it, I decided to present a traditional dish — pastéis de bacalhau, or cod cakes — with a twist.
Instead of using cod, I cooked them with chickpeas.
It was a huge success and after that, all my mates asked me for the recipe.
I didn’t shove anything into anyone’s mouth. I just shared my food and that seems to work.
Accept other points of view;
If you, like me, follow a plant-based lifestyle, I am pretty sure you’ve been in an argument about it.
Most likely, you were enjoying your meal when someone asked you about what you were eating. You listed the ingredients and, probably, had to clarify that yes, you are plant-based.
To no one’s surprise, the other intervenient raised their eyebrows and started to comment on your choices. You felt under attack and wanted to fight back.
It turns out, when someone critiques your choices, they don’t want you to change their minds. They probably just feel uncomfortable because they are not acquainted with your food habits.
So, instead of going full-on crazy, just listen to what they say.
This shows respect and catches them off-guard. Maybe this way, the person becomes curious.
Use social media to inform, not to attack;
So you found an article that talks about the killing of innocent animals or the health benefits of eating a plant-based diet.
Naturally, you want to share it with your network and help your friends improve their lifestyle.
That is all possible and effective, depending on the approach you take.
If you share said article with a description reading: “See! You are all murderers and a bunch of hypocrites. You aren’t worth the air you breath”, you’ll probably lose some followers.
Instead, if you share it in an informative manner, people will be more open to reading it.
Keep reading and learning
On a beautiful sunny day, someone approaches you, showing actual interest in what you believe in.
They want to know all about what you cook, how you became plant-based, what you read, what you watch.
This day will come, I promise. Because of that, I suggest that you know some helpful information and are ready to share basic knowledge and easy recipes.
By doing this, the other person will feel welcome and become more prone to give a veggie diet a try.
To sum up
If you are plant-based, you are likely very passionate about your lifestyle. Naturally, you want everyone to learn how to improve their lives while taking care of animals and the planet. We’ve all been there.
You might feel desperate to shift mindsets, but just like you, other people need their own time to implement major changes in their routine.
Just focus on sharing your experience and on educating politely. When someone wants to become plant-based, they’ll know who to ask for help.