Becoming a Vegetarian

I have been vegetarian for almost two years now. To be completely honest, it hasn’t been the easiest transition, but it was much easier than I originally expected. Today I’m going to walk you through benefits, disadvantages and my experience in becoming plant-based.

Vegetarianism has been a strong, growing community in recent years. Everyone has a different reason why they became vegetarian. For me, my reasons were primarily for the environment and to save animals. Other benefits that came along with it were nutritional and price benefits. 

A plant-based diet is one of the most impactful ways to reduce climate change. This is huge for me, as the health of Earth’s environment is decreasing rapidly, and global warming is happening at an alarming rate. For my generation, it is an especially important issue. 

Saving animals will always be a priority for me. It saddens me to see the inhumane and disrespectful ways in which the meat industry often treats animals. As well, nutritional benefits range from reduced risk of many illnesses to an all around longer lifespan. In general, vegetarian protein options are also less expensive than meat. 

When eating out, most restaurants do have a vegetarian option of some sorts. Vegetarianism has become more and more popular, and this is reflected in restaurant menus. We might have to get two appetizers instead of an entree, but that’s no problem to me. 

However, there are some disadvantages to being vegetarian. My sister and I both became vegetarian around the same time. This definitely took my parents some getting used to. To accommodate our diet, my parents and my sister and I take turns cooking vegetarian dinners most nights. My parents still eat meat, so it is upon us to prepare a vegetarian protein source when they decide to have burgers or something. Sometimes it is frustrating, or may bring up some conflict at the dinner table, but in the end it’s definitely worth it.

Another challenge with being vegetarian for me is being hungry. I definitely have to be more thoughtful than meat eaters considering my protein intake. As long as I eat enough tofu, chickpeas, beans, yogurt etc. I feel good.

For the first few months of being vegetarian, I sometimes craved meat. I wasn’t the biggest fan of it, but I did enjoy having a burger once in a while. After that, I never looked back. It took my body some time to adjust but I’m now perfectly happy to be sustained on vegetarian foods. Being vegetarian has also motivated me to cook more and be more conscious of eating a balanced and healthy diet. 

Consider becoming plant-based, whether it is cutting down your meat intake, becoming completely vegetarian or being vegan. I assure you that it is easier than you think, and in my opinion, the advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages.