Food for Thought

Ian has decided to become a vegetarian. A couple of days ago he set his foot firmly on the floor and said he was no longer going to eat meat. Then he read aloud an imaginary letter from the President, claiming George W. Bush said he didn't have to eat it ever again. I suppose I should have taken the opportunity to share my feelings about the current administration, but instead decided to focus on one major issue at a time. Politics can wait for another day.

I wondered aloud if Ian was going to expand his food choices to include more fruits and vegetables. After all, how can one be a vegetarian if he does not eat plants? Currently, Ian likes apples, bananas, edamame beans, corn, peas, French fried potatoes, and he will tolerate broccoli if it has ketchup on it. He likes tomato based spaghetti sauce, but he will not eat tomatoes. Therefore, in our house ketchup and spaghetti sauce are vegetables. He won't eat eggs. He is lactose intolerant and must drink soy milk. He likes only colby-jack cheese that is marbled - and he will not eat colby or jack cheese by themselves.

This is going to be interesting.

The grocery store was a pleasant surprise today. There was a vast assortment of veggie burgers and meatless chicken nuggets. I bought one of everything. Then I thought he might be willing to try black bean burritos. It isn't very likely, but at least I can present it to him and see what happens. If he doesn't like his options, there is always pb&j.

Did I mention he isn't much a vegetable eater?

This of course is compounded by the fact that he LOVES bread, pancakes, pasta, rice, sugary cereals, Fiber One bars, potato chips, popcorn, and pretzels. He would live on simple carbs if I weren't looking. Fortunately, most carbs in this house are brown or whole grain of some sort, but even then he cannot live on these alone. Hypoglycemia is always an issue that he forgets.

I just hope I can convince him to like tofu.

None of this should be a surprise. We have two nieces and a nephew who gave up a carnivorous lifestyle several years ago, and they seem to be doing fine. Knowing that does not help me relax about this new adventure. In fact, ever since Ian made his announcement, my right eyelid has been twitching. I need a nap.

If I tell Ian that boogers are meat, maybe he'll stop picking his nose. Hmmmmmm.... it might work, you never know.