How I Started Out As a Vegetarian

The first question I always get asked most of the time is: why? Not just me but almost all vegetarians get asked that question too. Well, I used to love meat, I can tell you that.

I used to take up wushu classes before and some of my friends there were vegetarians. Like many others, I thought that going meatless would make you weak but I saw that my friends were good athletes and you wouldn't really know they didn't eat meat unless you learn about it. So I told myself, "Why not try it out and cleanse myself of the animal corpses I eat most of the time?" I won't have to take part in the sufferings of the animals, I won't have to worry about food poisoning from eating meat I always hear and read about, I won't have to worry about my weight-- I'm happy, the animals are happy!

Now I should begin by saying that I don't think it's a good idea to remove ALL kinds of meat from your diet overnight. That would be devastating. 

photo credit: http://www.fitnraw.com

• I started by removing animal flesh from my diet (beef, chicken, pork). After a few months, I removed seafood from my diet, then after a few months, I removed egg. Now I'm a lacto vegetarian.
• I constantly browse the internet for products I can use as an alternative to make sure I still get the nutrients I need, as well as restaurants that offer vegetarian options. I will write separate posts for those restaurants and meat replacements but I will start right now by saying that tofu is a staple of the vegetarian diet if getting protein is what you are worried about. :)
• I consult and talk to my vegetarian friends to get advice on what-where-how questions.
• I go to bookstores to look for vegetarian cookbooks (very affordable at Booksale!)
• It's a little frustrating at the start but be patient. I used to crave for meat when I was starting out but it was just a matter patience, discipline, and not being hard on myself.

There are different types of vegetarians:

• Pescatarians will not eat meat and animal flesh except from fish.
• Lacto vegetarians will not eat pork, beef, poultry, seafood, and egg, but will consume dairy products like butter and milk.
• Lacto-ovo vegetarians are similar with  lacto vegetarians except for the fact that the former consume eggs.
• Vegans will not eat ANY meat-related products, as well as products containing animal-derived ingredients. They also refrain from consuming and using products that have been made using animal products which include (but not limited to) fur clothing, wine/beer, sugar.

 photo credit: http://www.vegetarian-nation.com

You may find other types, others that I didn't even know existed until I read about them: raw food diet, fruitarian, and pollotarian. Maybe there are other types which I haven't heard of to this day.

Point is, there are a lot of choices out there but make sure you do a research first. All choices have potential risks; the important thing is to make sure that there is an alternative to what you are giving up.

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Further reading:

Vegetarian 101

Making the Transition

How to Become a Vegetarian, the Easy Way