At the beginning of my junior year of high school, I decided to stop eating meat and go vegetarian. Being from Alabama, there weren’t many vegetarian options available to me, but I soon figured out some tricks that helped me through the process and will hopefully help you as well:
- Always google vegetarian options before going to a fast-food restaurant!
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If you aren’t sure if something is safe, don’t be afraid to Google it! There are many articles online titled “What’s Vegetarian at ____”, which are super useful resources. Also, try and make sure the articles are recent, as some restaurants occasionally change how they cook their food.
- Beware of french fries!!
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How french fries are cooked varies from place to place, so always be sure to research a restaurant’s fries first! The fries at Wendy’s may be safe, but at McDonald’s is a whole other story (they add beef flavoring…).
- Get used to ordering a “veggie plate” at restaurants
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Many restaurants in the south don’t have vegetarian entrees, so ordering a few sides as a “veggie plate” is really the only option. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but can get a bit monotonous. I always try and go to restaurants that are guaranteed to have vegetarian entrees.
- Tofu is so delicious!!
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Growing up as a picky eater in a family full of southerners, I never really ate tofu, much less wanted to. Once I became vegetarian I started eating it more and now it’s one of my favorite foods. The key is to make sure the outside of the tofu is crispy, whether that be from sauteing it, roasting it, or coating it in breadcrumbs.
- Fake meat isn’t as scary as it sounds!!
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Everyone seems to be scared of fake meat, but honestly, a lot of it is really good. Any “meat” products you could want have a vegetarian version. From hotdogs to fish sticks to bacon, fake meat is abundant. My personal favorites are the Morning Star Chik’n Nuggets and you can never go wrong with some Beyond Meat!
- Eat your protein!
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Just because you cut out meat doesn’t mean you can cut out protein. Make sure you’re eating high protein foods, especially beans, spinach, nuts, and soy proteins like tofu.
- Be kind to yourself!
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No one is perfect! If you eat food at a restaurant that you later learn had meat in it, it’s okay. We have all messed up before and there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes you may just want to eat a normal burger and that’s okay too. Give yourself some grace to grow and learn and figure out what works best for you.
Being vegetarian is easier than ever; more and more restaurants are serving vegetarian options and grocery stores have a larger selection of meat-free meals. I think it is wonderful when someone decides to go vegetarian, but it really is an individual decision.
If you are considering going vegetarian, I promise it isn’t as intimidating as it may seem. Whether it be a slow change or all at once, just go for it and find what works for you!!