3 Months Vegetarian- Why I Started Eating Vegetarian

Today is my 3 month mark since I started eating vegetarian. It has FLOWN by. I remember when I first started tossing the idea around over the summer and I was too afraid to take the leap. After reading The China Study it was just the push I needed to give it a try. I've now made it three months and haven't had even a bite of meat and honestly, I'm SO HAPPY! 

Eating vegetarian has done so many things for me.  It has helped clear up most of my IBS symptoms (sorry if that's tmi but it's true! and I'm 100% sure they'd clear up completely if I gave up dairy), it helped clear up my skin, has given me more energy, and has pushed me to try new things! 

I remember when I first got married, my husband randomly purchased clearance black bean burgers and I thought he was a freak. Back then, the idea of being vegetarian hadn't even really crossed my mind. Ever. 

The decision slowly crept in over time, an old co-worker of mine was vegetarian. She didn't ever make a big deal about it, but I remember when we all ordered lunch from Zupas and they forgot to leave the meat off her salad and that was when I learned she was vegetarian. I kinda looked up to her. I didn't know at the time, but about 6 months after, I was gonna become a vegetarian myself! 

There are a few things that led me to research animal products and a few things that gave me the final push. So I figured I'd share a few of those things. 

+ I had been reading and studying The Word of Wisdom. It is a law of health provided by the Lord to help us improve and care for our physical bodies and our spirits. One of the things it says is that meat is to be eaten sparingly. In the average American diet we eat SO MUCH MEAT. Some people can't even imagine "Meatless Monday" or "Vegetarian before dinner", because meat is such a staple in their life. This weighed on my heart and mind for quite awhile and I noticed every bite of meat that went into my mouth and knew it was not eaten sparingly. 

+ I watched "Vegucated" which was my first exposure to the effects animal products have on our bodies. My mind was blown! I learned so much about cholesterol and blood pressure and how animal products affected us. This was a big push towards vegetarian. It also had a few factory farm scenes and... BLAH.

+ I watched Cowspiracy which follows a little more of the environmental side of animal farming. 

+ I read "The China Study" which shows the science behind nutrition, where and why we get so much incorrect nutrition info (Every few pages I yelled, "IT'S ALL A CONSPIRACY MAN!" It took me awhile to get through this book because it's a lot of info. 

+ Following vegan bloggers like Annie helped me see other people who were having great results eating vegetarian/vegan and it made me want to get my own results. 

One day I randomly woke up and said, "This is the day, I'm gonna do it!" And on October 9th, I did. I started eating vegetarian and haven't had a bite of meat since. I honestly don't miss it! The only time I do is if I let myself get too hungry and I want to swing through a fast-food place for a burger or chicken nuggets. I've tried so many yummy foods that I would never have tried (quinoa burgers! YUM!) before going vegetarian, I've started cooking more. I've been meal-planning. I've tried meatless meats and love almost every single one I've tried! I've been enjoying every step of the way.

Each day feels like a victory. Saving animals and my IBS one day at a time. ;)

How I Survived My First Week Eating Vegetarian (10 Tips!)

I recently wrote about why I'm trying to eat vegetarian. I'm officially on my 12th day of eating this way and so happy and motivated to continue! I was so grateful that there were so many guides online on how to transition into vegetarianism so I thought maybe writing an update of how I survived my first week.

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1. SHOP! 

Go shopping for some food you love and know you will eat. The first day I decided to eat vegetarian was a Sunday (we choose to not shop on Sundays) so it was a little harder to eat this day. We have a lot of meat sitting in the freezer and I was stumped about what to eat that didn't include meat. (Spoiler alert: You can eat SO MUCH!) Once we went shopping I had fresh fruit, snacks, potatoes, cereal, green smoothies, spaghetti, almond milk, frozen veggies, etc. I love having a full pantry and fridge so eating vegetarian got really exciting once I had the food I wanted. 

2. Try a Meat Substitute. 

I was pretty wary of meat substitutes. How does it look like meat, and taste like meat, if it's NOT meat... kinda freaky. I made my Mandarin Orange Cristy Chickn from Gardein and it was so good! My husband asked to try it and it tasted so good! We bought it again and made it with rice the second time and it was still so good. We've now bought Gardein beef crumbles, Boca Chickn patty sandwiches, and Quinoa Morning Star burgers. They are all super good! My husband is not doing the vegetarian thing with me, but he's eating these meals with me.  Cruelty free for the win!

3. Have a Few Go-To Meals

It can be really stressful when you wake up in the morning and have to hurry and think of something to eat and pack for lunch that doesn't contain meat. I didn't consider myself a huge meat eater but I did not realize how much meat I ate until I quit eating it. Turkey sandwiches, chicken nuggets, salad with grilled chicken... it was all out of the question. It was stressful! I made sure to have a few cereals I love on hand, and Van's Vegan waffles for breakfast. That way I had some quick delicious breakfasts. I did the same for lunches, except I knew I could eat peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and baked potatoes. Yum! 

4. Educate Yourself

Watch a few documentaries, get a few books from the library, and google and read tons of online information about going vegetarian and vegan. Feeling knowledgable will empower you. Whenever I get tempted by meat (RIP Chickfila) I think about the documentary Vegucated and the poor chickens. I can not UNSEE those images. I remember the health benefits that have been proven by eating less or no meat and I get excited for those to be MY health benefits. 

5. Have a Quick Response

It's terrifying for me to have to tell people I'm not eating meat. Especially since the decision came on so suddenly and without any preparation. After answering to a few people I told my husband I needed to come up with a scripted response I could use when someone says, "Why would you go vegetarian?" So I did. 

"Well, I knew a few bloggers who have recently gone vegan and have seen amazing health benefits. I started looking more into it and decided it was I wanted to try for myself." I'm also going vegetarian (and hopefully eventually vegan) for the animals and for the environment, but that response is true and also not super offensive to meat eaters and seems to be quick in and out response. It's definitely the easy way out, but for now, it works. 

6. Look at Your Schedule and Have a Plan

If you know you're going to be going out to eat do a quick google search "How to Eat Vegetarian at ________". You could also call ahead. So many people have already done the research. McDonald's is a horrible place to go! Most others places make easy accommodations. Chick-fil-a made my wrap without chicken, Wendy's has baked potatoes and salads, Taco Bell has lots of vegetarian options just order without meat. (Vegan is MUCH trickier because I swear dairy products are in EVERYTHING, which is why I'm making the vegetarian transition first)

If you're going to any family meals, find out what they are making and make sure you can eat something there. If you can't eat much there, be sure to eat before you go! 

7. Let the People Close to You Know What You Are Doing 

I let my husband know when I made the decision because he was most important to me since he would be the one weirded out when I didn't want a Junior Bacon Cheeseburger at Wendy's for date night. I also started tweeting about it which is how my Mom found out. I don't think you have to make a huge Facebook announcement, but let your besties, and significant other know so they can support you.

8. Decide What New Foods You Want to Try 

There are a lot of foods out there that vegetarians can eat that other people don't eat. Try tofu, make homemade sweet potato fries, try different kinds of rice, bake vegan cookies, use almond milk in your cereal, eat a veggie burger, try chia seeds on your salad, eat pecans. Expand your palate! I'm trying really hard to taste new foods because I've always been a mac n cheese and chicken nuggets kinda girl. It's been exciting to try new things and think about all the new things I will get to try. 

9. Create a Pinterest Board and Pin Like Crazy! 

I made a vegan Pinterest board to pin recipes, advice, and inspiring quotes to. You can find it HERE. Pinterest is really great for inspiration when making lifestyle changes! 

10. Supplement During Transition

One thing people will without a doubt say is... "But where do you get your protein?" Most people don't realize that you can get plenty of protein from plants, whole grains, nuts, beans, etc. I bought a soy-based protein powder and soy milk. One scoop of the protein and 8 ounces of soy milk add up to 30 g of protein! We really only need around 55 g a day so that is pretty dang good! I've been trying to drink one a day while I figure out how to get enough protein on a vegetarian diet.

Many also say that you will be deficient on B12. They say that vegans get their vitamins the same place that meat-eaters food get it, from plants! I made sure my daily multivitamin had plenty of B12. Do the research to make sure you're getting what you need! (Many meat-eaters don't get enough vitamins anyway!) 

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I've been really grateful for the support I've had during this transition. Some days are harder than others. When we went to Cafe Rio I was so sad I couldn't eat the sweet pork, then I remembered I COULD eat the sweet pork but I was choosing not to for my own reasons and it was a choice I WANTED to make. 

I know this was a super long post but I hope it will be helpful if you decide to make your own vegetarian transition! I'll continue to do updates on here about my transitions and hope you'll stick around for the ride :) 

Why I'm Trying to Eat Vegetarian

Over the last few months, I've been trying to change my eating habits. After being diagnosed with a few mental illnesses my doctors recommended a gluten and dairy free diet. I've been focusing on how I feel after I eat. I haven't lost any weight, but when I eat a better diet I FEEL better: both physically and mentally. 

I started doing some more research of what kind of diets are most helpful for anxiety and one that I came across is a vegan/vegetarian diet. I read my blogger friend Annie's article about Why Every One Should Try Going Vegan at Least Once in Their Life and was intrigued. I've been thinking about doing it for awhile and the other night when I was home alone I got on Netflix and watched Vegucated. 

MY. MIND. WAS. BLOWN. 

I have been living in this little "Brooklyn-bubble" completely unaware of where my food comes from. I had "heard" these crazy vegans and vegetarians, but I hadn't listened to what they were saying. 

I decided to educate myself even more. I watched Forks Over Knives and Hungry For Change on Netflix. I started reading WHOLE and ordered The China Study. I don't want to keep living in the dark. I want to feel better. I want to take care of my body, mentally and physically. So what do I have to lose?

There are incredible benefits for eating vegetarian or vegan! There are benefits for our environment, our bodies, animals, and the world! Seriously you guys. Do some research! Here's a list by Annie of 100 Reasons to Go Vegan. 

I'll be honest. I'm nervous. Giving up meat doesn't seem too hard, because I'm not a huge meat eater anyway. But RIP Chickfila, I'll miss you! I plan to eat vegetarian for at least a couple of weeks, but the ultimate goal is to continue eating this way! That's really scary for me to post, because then it holds me accountable... but that's what I need. 

I am excited to give this a try, and I'll be doing updates on my Instagram of how I feel and what I'm eating! Be sure to go follow over at @brooklynjolley