My relationship with meat ended five years ago when I learned that Emma Chamberlain was born and raised vegetarian. After watching her videoĀ āVegetarian Eats Meat for the First Timeā, I became curious to know why someone would be sheltered from meat their entire life. I began a deep dive into research about veganism, vegetarians, and pescatariansā¦ one documentary was enough for me to call it quits.
I became grossed out at the mere smell of my dad sizzling bacon on a Sunday morning, squirming at the seeming immortality of our food having been alive days before filling our morning rolls. With my newly found adverse feelings towards the meat industry, I adopted a vegan diet for two years and then converted to vegetarianism for the following three years.
Adjusting to the new lifestyle was pretty smooth. Barbecues were the only social situation where I felt there was no place for a plant-based diet. After some time becoming an experienced veggie though, I discovered foods to grill on the BBQ that were just as fun – vegetable and tofu skewers, meat-free burgers wrapped in a lettuce bun, and corn on the cob.
I interned in Florence, Italy for a semester and even the regional dish bistecca alla fiorentina (Florentine steak) did not tempt me. My Italian friends were horrified to learn that I did not eat meat. While I didnāt find it challenging to follow a vegetarian diet in Italy, it became very carb denseāpasta, pasta, and more pasta. Following a vegan diet would have likely been even more difficult, as the options of dairy alternatives are pretty limited. Not to mention missing out on balls of fresh mozzarella and the sprinkle of Parmesan to garnish your meal!
My vegetarian narrative changed when last year, I read the book āUltra Processed Peopleā on the train home from London. This challenged everything I thought I knew about food, and left me questioning the potential harm I had caused to my body by consuming meat alternatives for five years. I became a whole foods enthusiast and started on the path to cutting out all processed foods. I found it fascinating to learn more about how we are, literally, what we eat.
My perception on food was completely transformed: for the first time in five years, meat became extremely desirable to me. Aesthetically curated salad bowls topped with finely cut medium rare steak flooded my Pinterest feed.
I steadily eased myself into it by starting out light with fish: salmon, prawns, cod and sea bass. Fish added fun to my meals that had once been forgotten. Meals became exciting rather than inconvenient; I loved the flexibility and fullness fish gave me. After a few months of eating fish again, or a pescatarian diet if you will, I was ready to try my first steak. Previously, I couldnāt look a steak in the eye without overthinking its journey to my plate, so it was a very strange feeling to be craving something I was once disgusted by.
I had a family trip planned to Portugal and knew this would be the place to officially eat my first steak again. With major imposter syndrome, I ordered a medium rare fillet steak with mushroom sauce. It was heavenly. I imagined an army of tiny men in my stomach screaming in praise with the iron overload. There was no guilt or regret, only a hint of it for having deprived myself of something so enjoyable for so long.
Please keep in mind that this is my subjective experience and will not work for everyone. Whether you know that a plant-based diet is what fuels your body, or that a relationship with meat is fundamental in your dietā¦ listen to your body. There is no one size fits all.