Why I Decided To Become a Vegetarian
I have always been intrigued by the lifestyle and culture of not eating meat. I grew up in a heavy meat eating family and I loved meat. My friends even gave me the nickname Chicken and Ribs, I know, it is weird. My sister became a vegetarian oddly at seven years old and I was so crazed at how because I thought it would never be possible for me. Over the years, on social media, I have seen various videos of how animals are killed or stuffed with hormones. It broke my heart and I hated watching them suffer, but the hormones were the worst parts. I have been trying to eat healthier and I noticed that the most unhealthy foods I eat all have meat. So between me being intrigued with the lifestyle, wanting to eat healthily and being hurt by the indecency in which people kill animals, that is when I decided to go vegetarian.
How I Became a Vegetarian
I have only been vegetarian for a month and some change, but it has not been easy. In January, after winter break, I start transitioning to become a vegetarian. I started off by going two days without meat and, after two weeks, I went for five days. Once I got used to that, I went a week then two weeks. It started to become easier after that. However, what was not easy was finding something good in our dining halls to eat. I stayed strong with constant salads, cereal and waffles. I do not condone eating this all the time at all. I stayed strong though and started trying to find better things to eat. After that, it was easy peasy. I feel no need to eat meat, but rather I feel the need to see how long I can keep it up. It is like a race against myself.
What I have Learned Since Becoming a Vegetarian
In the first few weeks, my body has been so tired. I stopped going to the gym and was sluggish all the time. I also found myself indulging in a ton of carbs and sugars, which was not helping my situation at all. I kept watching YouTubers and tried to mimic what they ate. My mom helped me figure out which proteins I needed to get from non-meat foods. Being vegetarian, I have learned that I need to eat twice as much of certain foods just to get the same amount as when I ate meat. Not all vegetarians are healthy, but it is up to you to be healthy, I also realized that I need a really good nights sleep to get through the day. So now, with the help of my Fitbit, I get 7-8 hours of almost every night. Eating better, getting rest and going back to the gym really helped me a lot. I have honestly enjoyed living this lifestyle and how it has brought me closer to other vegetarians or vegans.
If you are considering going vegetarian or vegan, I highly recommend doing the research or talking to someone who is one already. Stay healthy, collegiettes!