There are a multitude of reasons behind way people turn towards a plant-based diet. From religious motives, concerns about health, desires to protect the planet, and distress about animal harm; persuading factors from all corners of life are pushing people towards a lifestyle where they say no to meat and yes to fruits and veggies. For me, the factor that made me reach the tipping point and finally make the switch occurred in 2018, my junior year of high school.
I was sitting in my AP Human Geography class, barely awake with my eyes groggy from a late night of binge-watching Criminal Minds. My teacher announced she would be playing a documentary video for the lesson that day, and I couldn’t have been happier. I leaned back into my chair, settling in for what I assumed would be a nice 50-minute nap. What I didn’t yet understand was that the documentary being played would showcase the unseen brutality behind meat production and the inhumane methods of treating livestock within the industry. Thousands of bloody, dead carcasses were thrown into machines to be processed into unrecognizable slabs of meat. By the class’s end, I was bolt upright in my chair, eyes glued to the screen in disgust.
Following that class, I vowed to a life of vegetarianism, never wanting to see a beef patty again. Little did I know that it would only take a year to convince me to turn right back to my omnivore ways. It isn’t that I HATED the lifestyle, or even disliked it. There were just some aspects that made it not the right fit for me. Here is what I learned from my year on the plant-based diet:
Think Before you Switch 
It is extremely important before entering any big lifestyle change to think about the logistics and how it may impact your current way of living. This is something I definitely missed before diving head-first into the vegetarian diet after that class. All of my family and friends were meat-eaters, and constantly being surrounded by home-cooked meals and cook-out parties I had to decline was a big stressor for me. If you are thinking about making the switch, establish ways in which to handle any obstacles or conflicts that may arise. Have back-up meals to bring for yourself for family or social gatherings, or make it a point to surround yourself with others who share the same lifestyle in which you wish to adopt. Thinking about these little implications can make a big impact on your success in the new change.
Do Your Research 
Along with thinking about how the lifestyle may impact your current way of living, it is important that you completely understand the change in which you are trying to make. This means reading books and articles regarding the topic, and researching what to do and not do before the mistakes are made. Most importantly for me, this includes knowing alternative ways to receive the necessary nutrients in which a plant-based diet typically lacks. Within a few months of going vegetarian, I was experiencing fatigue, hair thinning, and menstrual irregularity from not eating a varied diet with nutrient-dense foods. If you do go vegetarian, make sure your diet isn’t reliant on just french fries and salads. Do your research on healthy alternatives to make sure your body can thrive on the diet!
Advice from NUTRITION GRAD 
I spoke with Tyler Colwell, a recent UConn graduate with a degree in Nutrition, about her personal experiences with the vegetarian diet: “I was a vegetarian for a year and half in college. I wanted to try plant-based, and still do eat a lot of meals that are plant-based, but I wanted to include more variety in my diet for personal enjoyment on a culinary side of things.” She explained how a plant-based diet can often lack diversity and she wasn’t personally finding satisfaction from her meals because of that. For those still interested in trying it out, she cautions, “just make sure you’re getting enough protein. There’s a lot of important vitamins you get from meat such as iron, B12, vitamin D….”
So, it’s important to really think about the decision before committing to the vegetarian lifestyle. You want it to be something that will bring you satisfaction and enjoyment. Do your research, making sure you find either supplements or other foods that will give you the nutrients and vitamins that you need. At the end of the day, if you truly want to go vegetarian, I say go for it! Just make sure you take the right steps beforehand to help make it the best fit for you.<3