tricky social situations when you are on "special diet"

Your diet may be vegetarian, vegan, raw, macrobiotic or just simply healthy. You may try to select organically, locally grown seasonal produce.
I suppose I can be all of the above and my journey has been both rewarding and learning experience.
I eat the way I do because my body is too important to mess with. Healthy body and mind will let me do things that I like to do in my life. I also do so because of my own ethical reasons and also because it was not hard for me to do it. It just was a natural progression which I felt the benefit straight away. People asked me if it was hard to remove foods that I used to eat altogether. No. For me it wasn't. But social and family situation was the hardest of all.

You have your own reasons. I have heard of so many stories about people who had life threatening illnesses and Changing their diet made a tremendous improvement, sometimes a complete cure from the diseases. There are people who are concerned about environment and animal welfare after knowing the "truth". It produces immense impacts.
But when you are so excited about this choice and want to spread the word you will soon realise that it makes people uncomfortable.

I have made mistakes in the past and these are what I have learned along the way..

example
You may not say much but if you are healthy, fit, calm and happy. people may ask you what your secret is. show them good example and they may like to follow you.

no judging of others.
Everyone is different. some are not ready and they may never be. You have to respect that if you want to be respected for your own choices and decisions.

listening to your heart and do your research
Others may criticise you or give you negative comments. They may even tell you some negative "facts" about the diet you are on. It is important to listen to them and be open minded. Do your research. If you still believe in what you are doing and your body is responding positively trust yourself. You are the most important person in life. respect your feelings.

Everyone deals in a different way. For me drawing the line made it simple and easier. Some may decide to be more flexible. What I don't recommend though is lying or hiding your believes. I have done things I didn't want to do just because I wanted to please others. I tried it many times, hoping that it would bring peace and they would respect and love me back. I can now say that it didn't work. When I was not strong enough to respect and put myself first how could I expect others to do the same for me? And how could I respect and honour other people's choices?

I am interested in your thoughts on this subject. How are do you cope? let me know if you feel like sharing...