I’m still here!
The willpower, the strength, the horror (not so much)
Q: Um, if you’re a vegetarian, what do you eat?
A: WHAT DO YOU EAT?!?! REALLY?!?! Well, grass, obviously.
I know that vegans get this question even more than vegetarians might and I would like to say that I am sorry. I’ve never asked the question, even before changing over to vegetarianism, but I must admit I always thought, “How would I stay healthy?? What would I eat???”
Well, that is no longer an issue in my mind. I’ve been vegetarian now since March 18th and I feel — honestly, I feel great. I go to track three times per week. (Well, not this week because last week I got the flu and I felt weak but that’s in the past now.) I also go to volleyball twice per week. I feel fine. But it’s thanks to my wonderful mother who has fed me and got creative when it came to food. My mother is Puerto Rican and she was taught to COOK! Like, mouthwatering, delicious food, 24/7. When I told her that I wanted to go vegetarian, she kind of laughed, then when she realized that I was serious said, “Well, you have to get me some recipes so that I can start figuring this out.” And so, in the past few days, I have eaten — drum roll please — Vegetarian Chili, cheese ravioli (with eggplant, mushrooms and zucchini), a veggie burger with my mom’s rice and beans, falafel inside pita bread covered in hummus and veggies — lots and lots of veggies.
When I started this endeavor, my mom told me that I would have to be open to trying new things in order be a vegetarian because we would have to get creative. But all in all, I can eat very healthily, not have any meat included, and feel fabulous.
You can find more information about going vegetarian here.