Man lectured vegetarian woman for avoiding meat on first date — when she cited her kidney disease, his response made her leave
First dates can get awkward when someone says the wrong thing. Yet, the meeting can be salvaged with an apology or a listening ear. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case for one woman. TikTok user Amanda Martinez shared a post on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, explaining how a man she went out with left her appalled by one comment. In her clip under her username, @amandalmartinezz, she revealed that as soon as she mentioned she was a vegetarian, her date began lecturing her on why it’s good to eat meat. When she interrupted him to point out that her choice was due to a health condition, his response made her end the meeting quickly.
Martinez ordered a pasta and told the waitress she didn’t want any protein. The available protein options were all non-vegetarian, so she declined them. The man seemed bothered by her decision and started insisting she add some meat to her meal. When she stood her ground, he began lecturing her, only to be shocked when she revealed she was a vegetarian. She mentioned that since she has polycystic kidney disease, it is actually better for her to limit protein, especially meats. After giving her date a decent explanation, all she heard was, “If you followed a carnivore diet, I bet you in 6 months your disease would be cured.”
She already noticed the red flags after pointing out her food preferences because her date didn’t seem too comfortable with them. “I could already tell he doesn’t love this idea.” However, after mentioning that she had a condition, he should have been understanding about it. Instead, he started giving her a “TED talk” about the importance of protein. His tone made it seem like he didn’t believe her at first. But Martinez still gave him the benefit of the doubt and answered all his questions.
She even highlighted that she has to maintain the healthiest lifestyle to avoid organ damage and reduce the risk of needing transplants in the future. Yet, he started mansplaining to her and making remarks despite having no knowledge of the condition. According to Mayo Clinic, polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a condition in which "clusters of cysts" grow in the kidneys. Over time, these can enlarge and affect the functioning of the organ.
The disease is a serious one, with potential complications including brain aneurysms, heart valve issues, etc. There is no cure for it. So for the man to recklessly claim that the diet he favored would “cure” her felt disrespectful and rude. Martinez knew what she was dealing with by then. She simply asked him to spell the disease if he was so confident, and he couldn’t.
That was her cue to leave. Looking back, the woman said she should have listened to her gut feeling and not gone on the date to begin with. But her experience became a lesson for many others. @mirletaliz said, “I wouldn’t have even argued with him; I would have left way before you did.” @sharoni344 added, “You are a better person than I am. I would have just said, ‘I don’t owe you an explanation.'” @charityparkerson remarked, “As a fellow kidney disease girl, I was fuming on your behalf.”
You can follow @amandalmartinezz on TikTok for more content on dating and lifestyle.