Let's Chat: Being A Vegetarian
Today, October 1st, marks one year of being a vegetarian! I’ve noticed in many conversations recently that although within my direct circle of people being a vegetarian is fairly normal and well understood that isn’t the case for everyone. I figured why not share a little bit about why I chose to stop eating meat and address some questions that are commonly asked when the topic of vegetarianism comes up!
Why become a vegetarian?
One year ago, I decided to fully give up meat. It wasn’t too hard for me because in all honesty I wasn’t a huge meat eater anyway. Also, my mom has been a vegetarian for most of my life so it was always something that I was familiar with. I personally made the decision to cut meat out of my diet because of the environmental impact the meat industry/consumption of meat has. Did you know that it can take almost 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat?
So you don’t eat any meat?
Technically I’m considered a pescatarian meaning that I eat fish, but that I don’t eat any other meat.
What about cheese and eggs?
Yep, I still eat cheese and eggs. The only thing I don’t eat is meat. Vegetarians generally still eat animal byproducts, like cheese, honey and eggs, while vegans do not eat anything that comes from an animal.
Where do you get your protein?
There are so many really good meat alternatives out now like Beyond meat, Impossible meat and Gardein just to name a few. I also love tofu. There are also plenty of whole food options with protein like beans!
Is it hard for you to find things to eat when eating out at restaurants?
Not at all! At this point, most places have veggie burger options, dishes that are always meatless like pastas or can make a dish and just not add the meat.
“I have thought about becoming vegetarian but it feels overwhelming.”
Start small! Start with meatless Mondays, cutting meat out of your diet once a week. Then gradually up it. If, like me, you are doing out of environmental concern it’s important to remember that you don’t have to be perfect at it. You may slip up. You may eat something not realizing it was made with beef stock instead of vegetable stock. You may find that the hamburger at the family picnic that is calling your name can’t be ignored. IT’S OKAY. There’s a quote that is always floating around social media that is along the lines of we don’t need one person perfectly living a zero waste lifestyle, we need a whole bunch of people doing it imperfectly. The idea is the same here. You don’t have to be perfect at it.