Going Veggie
With this article I do not intend to preach, I am simply telling my story about turning veggie, how I found the transition and some things I found out along the way.
I decided to become a vegetarian about a year ago, aged 20. I stopped eating meat and fish along with foods and drinks (yes drinks!) that have animal by-products in them. My reason? Well, as an animal lover and keen environmentalist I thought it was about time I committed to my beliefs. I had been a meat eater my whole life and especially loved chicken so I thought the transition would be tough and it was in some ways.
I had to find new ways of balancing my diet. For example, when I would previously make a curry I’d just add some chicken to a jar of sauce, boil some rice and voila! Now though, I had to start introducing foods to make my meals more substantial which meant I had to try out veg I wasn’t really used to eating, such as aubergines and courgettes, and meat substitutes including the dreaded ‘tofu’. I had never heard of tofu before but I learnt that it’s a product made from soya beans and is entirely plant based. It also looks a little like feta cheese when you buy it fresh from the supermarkets, not the most appealing of foods! I also started buying Quorn products. Their mince, sausages and chicken pieces are designed to help to make the transition easier for meat eaters.
I found out a few surprising facts after I went veggie, for example, I always have to check foods to ensure they have ‘V’ symbol on as many seemingly vegetarian foods contain animal by-products. Now I’m sure you all know that jelly and those Haribo type sweets are made from gelatine – the boiled bones, skins and tendons of animals – but did you know that strict vegetarians like myself can’t eat marshmallows, certain cheeses, and drink some wines?! This shocked me and I learned just how heavily food suppliers rely on animals for their products.
Today far too many animals are exploited for food. In their lifetime the average meat eater consumes 11,000 animals. Even if you didn’t want to go completely veggie, by having a meat free day once or twice a week you could significantly reduce this amount. Less of a demand for meat means that fewer animals per year are slaughtered. Going veggie is also environmentally friendly and a more sustainable way to use the world’s resources. Animals do not have a voice, it’s up to us to protect them. Many animals are bred purely for their meat and they live extremely short, unfulfilled lives. Although it seems a small change in the world going veggie or reducing your meat intake really helps to protect animals.
After taking the plunge and changing my diet I have never looked back. I am not tempted by meat anymore as my morals and beliefs stand in the way of myself and that wafting smell of beef burgers cooking on the barbeque. I am happy eating meat substitutes and still get the same pleasure from food as I did before. I can confidently say that I will be a vegetarian for the rest of my life, unless for health reasons I am required to start eating meat again. I know that my sacrifice not only benefits myself and my diet, but also the thousands of animals I am saving by making this choice. I am happy that I committed and made a change for the greater good.
4 Comments – Post a comment
cindyCLIC
Commented 12 months ago - 20th May 2011 - 15:29pm
I am a temporary vegetarian and one of the main concerns I have about being one is like you said, it seems hard to eat enough protein. No doubt I have an excellent intake of fibre and carbs but when you cut out meat you really struggle to get enough protein. So I have turned to eating lots of eggs and soy-based products. Tofu is my favourite. I have discovered that Tesco has excellent vegetarian kievs and Holland & Barrett has an interesting range of vegetarian fingers and nuggets.
Ihavethecyrusvirusx
Commented 12 months ago - 21st May 2011 - 11:37am
I've been a Vegetarian all my life because my mother is one. When I was 5 she taught be about meat and how I could eat it if I wanted to but I said no. I absolutely LOVE Quorn. My friends have tried it and said it was horrible but I think it's really nice. I also love the Asda's veggie burgers because they are lush! haha. But I think that other countries like France should cater for Vegetarians. On my recent trip to Disneyland, Paris, we resorted to going to Planet Hollywood everynight because they had the most veggie options (though, I didn't complain. I love it there) and some places had NOTHING for Vegetarians! I mean, they could be losing a lot of money because there are religious people who will only eat Veggie options and if they haven't got it, the whole family are leaving the place and not getting what they want.
Also, my school has now been made to offer more vegetarian options because my friend is on the school council and she knows how I used to struggle in school for food if I couldnt get to the counter in time so she braught it up in a meeting and they all agreed (I go out for food now since I'm in year 10 but other kid are vegetarians,too, so now they have the chance for food). My mother loves to go to bean freaks in Cardiff for Veggie food sometimes x
MarshMallo
Commented 3 months ago - 8th February 2012 - 23:01pm
@Ihavethecyrusvirusx
Much the same story! The only person in my household who is a non-vegetarian is my dad, and he still won't stop after almost a lifetime of persuasion.
Also, I am appalled at the lack of veggie options in France. I used to eat fish and gelatine (yet I was not aware of gelatine then!), but I have been a strict vegetarian since four, five years now?
I was listed as a vegan on an aeroplane I boarded (which I am not), and I couldn't have a croissant because of the butter. I am not a vegan because I do not believe it hurts the animal, as it is natural, anyway. One thing I am not prepared to give up cake (which includes eggs and milk)!!
When I go out for dinner, if it's not a pizza place, I end up eating a side bowl of chips simply because the only option is something like macaroni cheese, and I am picky, and I dislike most cheeses and eggs (on their own).
Also, someone in my year campaigned about the lack of veggie options in school, and was very disappointed when they did not win. No-one was interested!
I believe more options should be opened up worldwide,because choice is terrible!
Ihavethecyrusvirusx
Commented 3 months ago - 9th February 2012 - 12:41pm
I feel proud to have been a vegetarian for life but the one thing that irritates me is friends trying to literally force meat into my mouth. I'm like "Why are you trying to change me? It's not like what I eat affects you, does it?" And when people say "vegetarians shouldn't exist" I think it's really pointless.