food related - can you help settle an argument between dh and I?

[orangeshoebox]

for health and climate reasons I want to go meat free during the week.
we'd still have dairy though. no eggs as one of us is allergic.

dh says that we will not have enough protein and that the slice of ham/salami on the lunch sandwich will not make a difference anyway.
we a.ready switched from beef/pork to chicken/turkey for lower co2 and health reasons.

I say protein is not a problem as we will still have dairy and meat at the weekends. plus I add lentils or beans to most meals.

who is right?

You are. But you can’t decide his diet for him.

His an adult just let him eat what he wants

You can’t dictate what he eats. I’d tell you to fuck off, personally. If you want to do it, do it. Don’t force it on anyone else

I'm not restricting his diet as such, but dinner, for example, would be meat free for all of us as we eat together.

You are right that it is possible, he is right that he doesn't have to if he doesn't want to.

Anything you cook, it’s up to you what you all eat.

It is perfectly possible to get enough protein without eating meat. But you don’t get to tell him what he eats for his lunch!

You are right. But he still wants a ham sandwich

Honestly the meat is produced if you buy it or not. Its probably better to buy the best local meat that you can rather than the mass produced stuff.

I reduced the meat I ate in the week last year - Monday to Thursday I had no meat, Friday to Sunday I did. The doctor advised me to add more meat back in, as I became quite nutrient deficient despite trying to eat loads of pulses, beans and veg. It seems my body processes meat better, and I also maintain my weight much easier that way, and feel more energised. I've tried to switch to more environmentally friendly meats, and I try to only buy meat from places with decent welfare standards, too...

But I made that call for myself, and it wasn't easy. You can't force this on him. He has concerns which may or may not be correct, and he doesn't want to. Do you have kids to consider too?

I expect you'll be told just not to prepare the meat for him and hope he can't be arsed, but if you share meal prep, he'll then probably make you dishes with meat in so you'll probably just screw each other over. I'd take care to avoid that.

If you're the one cooking, you get to choose. Cheese, nuts, seeds etc can be added, and presumably DH can sort his own lunch which could include extra protein if he wants .

Both eat what you want. If he wants to buy and cook himself meat then so be it. If you don’t want to eat it then dont. Unless he’s demanding that you cook up roast everyday then live and let love

But your using the same reason to not have meat as he is too eat meat.
You don't want meat on your plate midweek, and feel cross he wants it.
He wants meat on his plate, and feel cross as you don't want it.

the kids (preteens) are on board.
they like the meat free food I cook and the vegetarian spreads or cheese for their lunch box.
they also like meat but are not as 'addicted' as dh seems to be.

You are but it would have been easier to just start meal planning more meat free stuff without discussing it with him as that has set his teeth on edge. If you do the cooking you could easily have upped the non-meat meals and he'd probably not have noticed looking at you DH

If he wants ham sandwiches, he can have ham sandwiches.

Let him do what he wants. Make his own lunch and he can add a bit of meat to dinner himself, or make his own.

Yabu to say "we will not eat meat during the week"

Yanbu to say "the dinners I cook will be meat free mid week, letting you know in case you want to add meat to dinner so you can sort it out"

I'm mainly vegan (recent) but have been completely veggie over half my life. Soya milk, nuts, lentils, tofu, chickpeas are all great sources of protein.
Nuts can be on a table out for people to nibble, chickpeas can be drained and salted with herbs as an instant snack. Rice + beans together make a whole a protein.
There are lots of ways of being healthy and vegan.

But that said if he's an adult he chooses what to eat, you choose what you cook. If he wants to make himself a ham sandwhich that's his choice, stay out of it.

If you disagree then surely the one cooking just will cook smaller meals and let the one that isn't cooking, cook for themselves?

I always got told to pick the fights you can win.
You tell him that you have no issue with him having meat, but he needs to buy and cook it, as your choosing not to during the week..... Repeat this to him any time he complains.
This way your not stopping him, his lack of effort will, or he can buy something to eat while out during the day.

Tell him Gorillas are vegetarian, they’re not exactly skin and bone 😄

If I’m not mistaken, the protein we get from animals comes from the plants they eat anyway.

I agree you can’t dictate what he eats though! In our house DH eats his meat at work and the kids eat meat at nursery etc. I just cook vegetarian on the whole. But that’s because DH chooses not to cook and is happy eating whatever I do.

(I’m far from vegan)