Read This Before Going Vegetarian or Vegan
I was a vegetarian from nine until seventeen.
As much as I loved meat, I couldn’t stand the internal revulsion I felt from eating it. To this day, I feel a bit nauseous when I eat something that is too obviously “meaty,” even if I like the taste.
I sometimes miss the absolute conviction I had in what I was doing–an assuredness in my belief that I was somehow, in someway, helping end animal cruelty.
However, I do cringe at my ignorance and the things I did and said during that period of my life. That said, I like to think it has made me a better person and more understanding of those advocating for vegetarianism/veganism and those who disagree with the reasoning behind it.
I am not advocating for one or the other, but hope my own experience as a “former vegetarian” will help you make an informed decision. If you’re undecided or even if you’re ready to make the jump, I highly highly advise doing the following.
Ask yourself questions
What ended my vegetarianism was ultimately my loss in value for the philosophy.
I no longer stood firmly in my convictions…and honestly, still don’t. Making the transition is not an easy one and unless you know why you’re doing it and the importance it has to you, I do not recommend it.
A large part of that is asking questions–some of which are deeply philosophical and contain no straight “right or wrong” answer. I asked and continue to ask myself some of the following.
Why is it that we are okay slaughtering pigs, but not dogs?
Will becoming a vegetarian/vegan make me healthier?
When is or isn’t it okay to kill an animal? Do we draw the line on a certain measure of pain, intelligence, or resemblance to ourselves?
What effect does the vegetarian/vegan movement have on the agricultural industry?…Or even on the planet?
How will this affect my life? What sacrifices am I willing to make?
What do people who might disagree with me think?
I have my own thoughts about these ethical and economic questions, but I encourage you to ask yourself what ever questions you might have and come to your own conclusions.
They will probably make you uncomfortable, but it will save you loads of self doubt in the long run.
Take it slow
You probably don’t keep track of everything you eat in a day….or maybe you do.
Assuming you don’t, it can be hard to determine just how much meat/dairy/ eggs you eat on a daily basis. This doesn’t even account for animal byproducts which I’ll cover a bit later. If for example you decide to go vegan, you might not worry about giving up milk.
That is until you realize you actually use it every day for your cereal, coffee, and mac and cheese.
More importantly, some things are easier to give up than others. Even as a non vegetarian I hardly eat fish or seafood–barring sushi and fried shrimp on occasion. But…..I love love love……pork!!!
While seafood took me only a week to give up, it took me months before I gave up pork.
It was simply too hard to do away with hot dogs, pepperoni, salami, and the aromatic Hungarian and German sausages I so loved.
I guess what I am trying to say is don’t “go cold turkey,” especially if you love cold turkey.
Get ready to research
I would rank this as the most frustrating part of being a vegetarian. It’s even harder if you decide to go vegan.
So much of what I thought was vegetarian was anything but.
Let’s say you go to a buffet and run straight to the salad bar. You must be safe, right? Wrong!!!!!!!
Until I became a vegetarian, I never knew Caesar Salad dressing contained anchovy paste. I don’t even like anchovies!!
So you go back to your table with a plate of plain lettuce and croutons–truly a decadent meal. Luckily, they have some containers of fruit there. It’s gotta be safe, right? Wrong again!
That’s right. You even have to be careful with some packaged fruits. A surprising number of foods are colored with carmine and cochineal extract. In other words, crushed up bugs dunked in acid.
I could go on for hours. Fortunately, determining what contains and does not contain animal byproducts has become easier. Some grocery stores like Trader Joe’s even carry an official list of their vegetarian/vegan products.
Additionally, as the vegetarian/vegan community grows, more companies are modifying the ingredients they use to reflect this change.
Indian food is your best friend
I remember feeling shunned from the world’s cuisines. Inn-N-Out burgers taunted me and the smell of Al Pastor tacos seemed to mock my foolish decision.
India opened its culinary doors to me when no one else would. I didn’t have to scramble to find the one dish without meat–the menus proudly displayed them with a little green leaf.
I abandoned my bland bean burritos and grilled cheese sandwiches for flaky potato and pea samosas, savory masala dosas, vegetable biryani, paneer butter masala, and the delightful “Vada Pav”–better known as the Mumbai burger.
No other cuisine I know of is as kind to vegetarians/vegans. It makes you feel like you’re not sacrificing your taste buds….well, because you’re not.
Stay open minded
I find that a cardinal error of both vegetarians/vegans and non vegetarians/ vegans is believing they know best. They stand on their soapboxes and decry one another for their dietary and ethical choices.
It does nothing to shout slurs at people who eat meat or consume dairy products, just like it does nothing to eat a hot dog in front of a group of vegans.
I am more than happy to talk and debate with people on all sides, but I don’t want to shun anyone for what they choose or choose not to eat.
More importantly, I find that radicals on both sides accuse the other of ignorance and somehow hope to either “enlighten” or shame them into thinking differently.
Not everyone who consumes animal products is unaware of where they come from. Some probably have more knowledge than you and certainly more than me.
I used to hate hunters with a passion. How could someone kill an innocent deer? I saw them as little more than butchers, eager to kill whatever they came across.
I still don’t have any desire to hunt, but I have since talked to many people who do. The ones I have met are good people and know more about conservation than me. After all, the ones I know eat what they kill and preserve the rest for later.
And you certainly can’t claim they are unaware of where they are food is coming from.
Even if that is unconvincing, you can thank a very famous hunter, Theodore Roosevelt, for Crater Lake and Wind Cave national park and for the popularization of a movement that has saved countless species of animals and plants from destruction.
For those against vegetarianism/veganism, I ask that you at the very least respect their beliefs. I did not even consider veganism as I thought vegetarianism was hard enough.
Food is a huge part of the way we connect with each other. I believe it take a large amount of self sacrifice and faith in what you’re doing to become a vegetarian/vegan. People who make the choice commit to, of least in a small way, sacrificing a part of this connection and the foods they loved before.
That’s not to mention the countless times I was pressured to just take a “small bite” or eat “just this one time.”
I know people often mean well, but it really is disrespectful and shows a lack of consideration for another person’s beliefs. I hope this helps you or at the very least makes you think.
Regardless of whether or not you’re a vegetarian/vegan, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!
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