I’m not even sure what category to post this under, but I have a very dear friend who would benefit so much from keto, but I have no idea how to approach her. She isn’t anti-meat, but she is convinced that a vegetarian/lower fat diet is going to be the cure to her inflammation, weight gain, depression, fatigue, and other medical issues.
She’s stubborn, but not to the point of not believing evidence if it’s presented properly and clearly. I know first hand that keto can help her with her problems, but I don’t want to turn her away by coming off too strong or seeming like I know better about what she needs than she does.
If anyone has any advice on how to help her, or what evidence/medical articles to send her I’d appreciate it. Recently all she has been doing diet wise is juicing and using supplements/home remedies which have no proven ability to do anything… and certainly aren’t helping her.
Thanks in advance.
Converting a friend
You can’t convert people, just lead by example and when she’s ready let her ask.
I’ve suggested it to people in the past, only to find them become overly defensive and irritated…so you really want to take a soft approach (not sure why people get so defensive about food).
Anywho - not sure if everyone still “blesses” it here, but I thought the Magic Pill movie was good from a motivational point (even though it doesn’t go very deep with data).
Also on Netflix:
https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80238655
This is the one documentary which opened my eyes. I wish everyone could watch this!!! Absolutely brilliant.
How about gifting a book so she can pick it up and digest the info in her own time
I think I’ll try this. Maybe a cookbook with vegan/vegetarian options since she seems to be leaning that way. Thanks for the idea.
If she’s vegan/vegetarian, is it for moral reasons? If so, that’s going to be tough to convince her. If it’s just “science”, that should not be bad.
You can lead a horse to water…
There’s tons of friends and family I would love to help but I won’t force the idea upon them. I think it’s best to be a living example and maybe they will start asking me questions. When those same people ask me how I am doing, I tell them “I"m doing great!” and I try to mean it. It’s not just a programmed response anymore.
I was coming here to ask the same question. My Mum and brother are both vegan, and my Mum is coeliac. They both eat a lot of processed food and refined carbs. They seem to have been swept up with the tide over the Cowspiracy documentary and emotive arguments about animals being mistreated. Family gatherings are very hard because of our different ideas about food. I don’t want to drive a wedge any further, but I would like to gently nudge them some information about the science on vegetable oils and carbs being inflammatory etc. It’s so delicate though! I’m hoping that by continuing to be a ‘success’ on this diet it will get them interested, but would love some good resources for the moment they become curious!
@Ketorosew I’m going to suggest you don’t touch that with a ten foot pole.
It’s one thing to sway omnivores to this way of eating but it’s a tall order to expect a team of vegans to get into it. This coming from someone who used to be vegan and knew in my heart that it wasn’t healthy. I would have shut down and stopped listening if someone tried to enlighten me.
What we choose to eat is very personal and gives us a sense of identity at times. Especially if you’re doing it for emotional/ethical reasons.