Why vegetarian?

Hello again!

Since my blog is all about health, physical and mental, I’ve decided that I’ll share my vegetarian journey with you – how and why did I become a vegetarian. A lot of times, when people hear that I am a vegetarian, their first question is why and how was I able to eliminate meat. It seems impossible to make that transition, but it was quite easy for me. Yes, I was a little bit lost at the beginning, especially because nobody around me was a vegetarian and I couldn’t have used any information from them, but I educated myself a lot and that made my transition even easier.

In summer 2015 I started watching a lot of Youtube videos on veganism and I also read some of really amazing books, such as The 80/10/10 diet and The China study. All of a sudden I became really interested in trying those types of lifestyles. I was always interested in healthy and active lifestyle and at that time, I was all about finding the best possible ‘diet’ for myself. And of course, I was opened to try anything. So, I started researching a lot of different stuff, especially over the internet, because you can literally find millions of different information on it. I learnt all about the health benefits of being vegetarian and how can I supplement the protein and everything else that I could’ve found. And then, on September 1st 2015, I’ve decided that I will cut off all of the meat that I’ve been eating before. It was quite challenging at first, because my parents and my whole family always ate meat and it was difficult for them to accept that all of a sudden, I’ve become a vegetarian. Fortunately, I was living at home only for a month and then I moved in a dorm, because my semester at Uni started, so my mother didn’t have to think what she has to cook for me. I was always telling her that she doesn’t have to complicate, but she always wanted to cook a perfect meal for me as well. I was probably a real pain in the ass at that time. But she got accustomed to it and now, cooking vegetarian food doesn’t challenge her anymore and even she and my sister are interested in vegetarianism.

When I became a vegetarian, my father told me that I won’t persist even a week and that it is just a current will of mine to stop eating meat. Well, he was wrong and I am a vegetarian for over 2 years and a half now. And I love it! Being a vegetarian is easy, but you have to start in a right way. When I started, I went slightly in a wrong way. Why? I started eating a lot of dairy products, especially cheese, which is okay, but in normal quantities. I also started preparing more processed and fast foods, which is not okay as well. I was eating a lot of fruits, but I forgot on vegetables and protein sources, such as tofu and seitan. When I look at it now, I know I didn’t start well, but fortunately, I realized that quickly and I changed my eating habits.

Why I actually wanted to become a vegetarian? First and main reason was definitely because of the animals, the environment and the planet. And I know that there is a huge discussion about that, but I love animals and anybody that knows me, knows that I would’ve had a lot of animals if I would be able. I’m a huge animal lover and just because of them, being a vegetarian counts a little bit more. Another important reason is my health. I know that vegetarian diet is way healthier if you do it in the right way and I know that being a vegetarian can help you prevent some illnesses. I have more energy and I just feel amazing. Sometimes people ask me, if I never ‘crave’ meat or if I would ever go back to eating meat. And my answer in both cases is no. I don’t crave meat, even if there are people beside me, who eat meat. I know some people who can’t stand a meat-eater sitting by them and eating meat. I don’t have a problem with that and I also don’t force anybody to stop eating meat. We are all human and we decide for ourselves and if you want to eat meat, eat it. If you want to be a vegetarian or vegan, be one. And no, I would never go back to eating meat. Being a vegetarian suits me and I don’t have any problems with that.

Being a vegetarian has a lot of different advantages: it reduces heart disease, it prevents cancer, you can also lose weight with it, it slows ageing process and you can live longer, it reduces global warming and famine, and you can help animals and yourself. Those are just some facts that are known worldwide, but I genuinely wouldn’t change my lifestyle. Being a vegetarian (besides health reasons) gives me the opportunity to eat a delicious, diverse and colorful foods that I would’ve never imagined. I have so many different options that I can experiment with and believe me or not, you can’t miss with any of them. People usually think that when you are a vegetarian, that you only eat fruits and vegetables. Well, believe me with this one, but you can eat so many different variations of foods, but you have to give yourself a chance and try. I am a vegetarian and I am proud to say that. And if you think that I am weird because of that, think in that way, but I’ll definitely continue on eating delicious meals.

Until next time,
T.