Will Southern Meat-and-Potatoes Hubby Go Veg?

How to satisfy meat-and-potato tastes & convert to vegetarian diet

I am a 22 year old wife and soon to be mother. I am a native "Chicagoan" who is open to just about any type of food.

My husband however is a meat-and-potatoes North Carolina southern country boy. I would like to convert our family, slowly but surely, to vegetarian diet. I have tried adding "fake" meat to recipes but to no satisfaction of my hubby.

Are there any vegetarian cookbooks that you could recommend to satisfy his southern upbringing? - C. W.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice

Dear C. W.,

I'm familiar with the meat-and-potatoes crowd: Not an easy sell for vegetarian diet. I think fake meat is pretty gross myself, so I understand how your husband feels about eating it! See this fake meat article for more info.

I like black-eyed peas, cornbread, and collard greens, but otherwise am not well acquainted with southern cooking. But I looked around online and found a few interesting links for you to check out:

Southern style vegan recipes Southern cooking, converted to vegetarian Southern Recipes from Vegetarian Times

Two helpful Savvy Vegetarian reports: 10 Tips for Beginning Vegetarians and Vegetarian Nutrition

To convert your family slowly but surely to a vegetarian diet, introduce more vegetable and grains over time to balance out the meat, get your husband to agree to a meatless meal once a week, then twice, then three times, then once a day, and so on, according to his comfort level - and yours!

Go for eating more chicken or fish and gradually eliminating red meat. Experiment with meatless dishes that will appeal to his taste - it may be that you'll have to make veg/grain based dishes and incorporate some meat for him at first, along with the beans or whatever, then gradually leave out the meat.

This process of conversion to vegetarian diet could take years, and be prepared for the possibility that your husband may never completely go vegetarian. Don't let it be an issue though - just keep all his many good points in mind!

Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

Will Southern Meat-and-Potatoes Hubby Go Veg?

How to satisfy meat-and-potato tastes & convert to vegetarian diet

Savvy Vegetarian Advice

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