In an act of solidarity with my college roommates who were trying to be healthy, I decided to try out being a vegetarian. Up until then, I rarely ate red meat unless it was part of a dish someone made for me, and honestly, I’d never craved meat the way many of my friends and family did.
Flash forward a year later, and my roommates have gone back to their meat-eating ways while I am still going strong with my vegetarian diet.
These are the 7 things that changed since giving up meat almost one year ago:
7. I’ve had to come up with an explanation to justify my dietary choices.
For whatever reason, people who eat meat become very uneasy the minute they hear I’m a vegetarian, and demand to hear my reasoning for giving up meat. I switch back and forth between telling people I simply don’t like meat, and that there are environmental reasons that spurred my decision. For the most part, I don’t mind answering the questions, but I do get a little annoyed when people try and force meat on me.
Not only would I get sick from eating it when I haven’t for months, but I don’t try to force my eating habits on anyone else, and it would be great if other’s didn’t feel the need to do that to me.
6. I don’t miss meat, but I do miss all the choices at restaurants.
Unless I go to a vegetarian friendly restaurant, most menus have at most about two to three meat-free options. And if I even think about complaining about not liking anything, my non-vegetarian friends are quick to remind me that my dietary restriction is a choice. This may be true, but it would be awesome if restaurants could add a few more options to the menu.
5. I obsessively have to read ingredients.
At first I started reading ingredient lists to see if the food contained meat, but now I obsessively read ingredients to see how much processed soy, carbs, and other fillers are in the food. People often think that anything ‘vegetarian’ is healthy, but I learned that’s not necessarily the case. It may take me a little longer at the grocery store, but I enjoy knowing exactly what I’m putting in my body.
4. I started eating so many new kinds of foods.
Before I became a vegetarian, I practically ate the same foods everyday, and it wasn’t until I gave up one of the major food groups that I became aware of how bored I was with my meals. Many people focus so much on the limitations that come along with being a vegetarian, but it was the only way I ever ventured beyond my dietary comfort zone.
3. I became acutely aware of the effect my diet had on my body.
Before starting my vegetarian lifestyle, I just accepted the fact that I would often feel sick or sluggish after eating. As soon as I started eating a more varied, plant-based diet, I realized that feeling full didn’t have to mean feeling sick.
And when I start getting lazy with my meals by relying too heavily on carbs and sugary snacks, I quickly notice my energy levels and attention span plummet.
2. Meat-eaters are now highly concerned with my health and protein levels.
Before I labeled myself as a vegetarian, I was more unhealthy than I am now, and literally no one cared. The minute I gave myself the label, everyone became extremely concerned with my protein and nutrient intake. This might come as a shock to meat-eaters, but there are plenty of other protein sources besides meat.
1. I naturally started making other healthy choices.
Being a vegetarian doesn’t guarantee you’ll become a healthy person overnight, in fact if you’re not careful, you may actually become more unhealthy. But when I started to take a more active role in my health and nutrition, I became inspired to start exercising regularly, cutting back on sugar, and spending more time outdoors.
Would you ever try out a meat-free diet? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
[Featured image credit: Photo by www.giltcity.com]