Why Go Vegetarian?

I remember when a colleague first found out I was vegetarian. He let out a groan and followed up by saying “The only advice I have, is learn to accept that meat is meat and not meat is not meat. If you’re going to take that route, then don’t waste your time or effort on substitutes. Actually, commit rather than spend your time chasing things you’ve chosen to give up”. Of course, I didn’t actually ask for any advice, he was not a vegetarian himself and I was doing just fine without these words of wisdom. It isn’t uncommon to run across these kinds of attitudes. In finding out you are veggie you’ll often be met with “why go vegetarian?”, “I couldn’t live with out chicken/steak/ham” and “actually, it’s unethical to do so because…”.

Some people react like you’ve given up something major or they need to justify them not doing so. Of course, this is not the case.

It’s amusing that people think it is.

I made the transition after struggling with my son’s questions about animal treatment and questioning the practices I was supporting. Since, I feel better for it. The simple, generalised version of things is this. Worldwide, we need to reduce the amount of meat we consume (dairy too in fact). The contribution of the industry to greenhouse gas creation is nothing short of catastrophic. However, we make our choices in how we can help and what we do and this was mine. There are more likely than not a million choices I could make to assist in the fight against global warming but have not. I try to be mindful but a million people doing there small part makes more of a difference than a thousand doing things perfectly. This is my part but not just that; I also really like animals. You don’t eat your friends, right?

Meat isn’t something I miss at all. I feel much better without it; mentally, emotionally and physically. Food is also generally more interesting, there’s this misconception that being veggie or vegan is all salad bowls and leafy dishes. It is not. There are a wide array of options out there and things feel more exotic because it isn’t just a case of going for the same tired old dishes. Restaurants do a lot of imaginative and experimental dishes to cater for those with non-standard dietary requirements and it can be a lot of fun.

The need for protein and certain vitamin like B-12 means that there is some caution required. It is no different to how any diet can lead to problems if not balanced right though and there are always options to make sure you get what is needed in your system. Without really trying, in becoming a vegetarian I’ve become much wiser to these things. Smoothies are a welcome way to get things done right. However, there is no harm in taking a cautious approach and there are fantastic vegan testing options out there to make sure things are going well.

Being vegetarian is not a sacrifice. Sure, it is a lifestyle choice (or sometimes not) but it isn’t this daunting thing. It’s a few decisions made differently that re-contextualises food. Decisions that I personally feel better for making. I guess mileage may vary for others but as they say don’t knock it until you try it; like me, you might find yourself feeling all the better for it.

* This is a collaborative post, however all thoughts, opinions, words and experiences are my own.