A few months ago, I chose to stop eating meat. I made this decision for mainly two reasons: I was curious about the potential health benefits of giving up animal products, and I simply don’t enjoy the taste of meat. I don’t want to use the term “vegan” or even “vegetarian” to describe my diet because I know how charged these words are, and my diet is by no means perfect all the time. This is not an article that preaches about the ethics of veganism; I simply want to share my experience of an average person who decided to remove animal products from her diet.
I tried “going vegan” multiple times in the past, and each time I would only last a couple of weeks before crashing. Looking back, this was probably because I was doing it for the wrong reasons. I would watch documentaries about how badly animals are treated and feel repulsed by the thought of eating meat, but as soon as the images began to fade from my memory, a fast-food craving would hit. It wasn’t until I decided to change my diet for my own benefit that it really stuck with me.
I started by making the decision to cut back on dairy. This was easy because I hate the taste of milk and I already switched to almond or soy substitutes in high school. I also don’t like the way that consuming dairy makes me feel. I’m not lactose intolerant (at least I’ve never been told by a doctor that I am), but I feel nauseous and congested any time I consume dairy – even if it’s just a splash of milk in a coffee. The obvious solution was to stop consuming dairy products.
The next step was cutting out meat. To put it simply, I just don’t like the taste or texture of meat. Don’t get me wrong, I used to enjoy chicken nuggets and fast-food burgers (if you can even classify that as real meat), but I never found myself craving steak or bacon. I absolutely hate all kinds of seafood and I feel sick to my stomach eating anything remotely similar to fish. Beef and chicken are okay, but for the most part, I find them bland and boring. I really just don’t like meat – so why should I keep eating it just because I’m told that it’s the only way to eat a balanced diet?
Making the switch to a plant-based diet was easy for me because I already enjoyed a lot of the trendy, Instagram-able, traditionally “vegan” foods long before I stopped eating meat. I often found myself gravitating towards vegan options on restaurant menus – not because they were meat-free, but just because they tasted so good (everyone should try Bread Bar’s quinoa burger). I also found it simple to swap out meat for other substitutes in recipes that I made often, like pasta or stir-fries, so I didn’t have to completely alter my diet.
Overall, I did notice some benefits in eliminating animal products from my diet. Naturally, I’ve been gravitating more towards healthier, plant-based foods, so I’ve been eating a lot better in general. I noticed that I make a conscious effort to eat enough protein, whereas when I ate meat, I would simply assume I was getting enough, which likely wasn’t the case. I feel more awake and energetic than I used to – I don’t get that lazy, exhausted feeling after eating a big meal anymore. I also noticed that my skin improved a lot and I don’t get bad breakouts as often. I know most of my science-major friends will probably disagree with me, but I really believe that these improvements in my health were connected to my choice in food.
My meat-less diet is by no means perfect. I knew from the start that I didn’t want to restrict myself – if my friends want to order a pizza, I’m not going to turn it down just because a couple of pepperonis touched my slice, and if I go to a friend’s house for dinner, I wouldn’t expect them to make a special, meat-free dish just for me. I also love cheese way too much to give it up entirely, and I have yet to have found a vegan cheesecake that tastes anything like a real one. I don’t want to label myself as “vegan” or place any strict rules on my diet, because the purpose of this dietary change was to eat food that makes me feel good, not restrict it. Instead, I made the conscious decision to choose meat-free alternatives whenever possible. So far, I’m loving how it makes me feel.
Image Sources:
https://www.pexels.com/photo/animal-calf-close-up-countryside-590497/
https://www.pexels.com/photo/cooked-foods-750073/
https://www.pexels.com/photo/sliced-tomato-and-avocado-on-white-plate-11…
https://www.pexels.com/photo/food-healthy-vegetables-potatoes-5205/