Easy Ways to Start Eating Vegetarian
By Madeline Wujek
Over the past decade, Vegetarianism has swept popular culture. More people are switching to the meat free lifestyle for personal and environmental reasons, and they are reaping the benefits.
Being vegetarian completely shifted my relationship with health and wellness, and it pushed me to think critically about the food I consume and the products I use.
Committing to an entirely new lifestyle can be daunting; thus, I am in no way insinuating that you need to be vegetarian or vegan to live a healthy lifestyle. However, I have been vegetarian for the past 3 years, and from my experience, I notice countless benefits. It was a choice I made in order to lessen my environmental impact, but since eliminating meat, my gut health, fitness, and mental health have vastly improved. Since making the shift to a plant-based diet, I feel holistically healthy.
Getting started was the easy part. Staying motivated and nourished, on the other hand, took a lot of adjustment. There were times early in my meat-free journey when I was not getting enough nutrition. After growing up widely dependent on meat, it was discouraging to struggle with getting enough protein and nutrients without it. However, I am here to tell you that it is possible. Here are some of my best tips and tricks for being vegetarian – for starting, for staying motivated, and for all that may come in between.
Ease into it. Going cold turkey (no pun intended) is a difficult approach to reaching any goal, especially major lifestyle changes. Start with cutting out a specific type of meat one week, and maybe progressively abstain from other types the following weeks until you’ve cut them all out. Red meat is an easy one to eliminate first; you can test out just eating chicken for a few weeks until you feel like you have that under control. Then, maybe only grilled chicken or fish. Then, one of those two. You get the point. Slowly pare down the meat you eat – I promise this is much easier than throwing yourself into the deep end and potentially setting yourself up for failure.
Black beans are your best friend. Black beans are a fantastic source of protein, and they can be added to almost everything: soups, salads, tacos, rice bowls, you name it. Aside from just being protein rich, they have many vitamins and minerals beneficial for your health, and they’re a really versatile ingredient in food. The world is full of great, natural food, and beans and lentils are a great staple ingredient for many delicious recipes.
Avoid tofu and imitation meats. Once again, my word is not final. If you truly love tofu, go for it. My personal opinion, however, is that these are pretty highly synthesized and chemical-filled, and I don’t think the benefits outweigh the costs. In terms of imitation meats, black bean burgers (see, here we go again with black beans) are just as delicious, and they will definitely give you the nutrition you’re looking for. Check out Hilary’s or Dr. Praeger's black bean burgers at your local grocery store.
Save recipes and follow people on social media! Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok – use social to your advantage! I watch many people who follow vegetarian or vegan lifestyles on Instagram because they are incredibly creative with recipes. There are many ways to cook vegetables or incorporate other ingredients into dishes, and this has been a useful tool for me to get new recipe ideas and switch up my normal routine.
Give yourself grace. Switching to a vegetarian diet is a hard transition. Remind yourself of the reasons you want to make this change in the first place, and use those reasons to keep you motivated. Don’t get discouraged or angry with yourself if you slip up here and there. You’re human and you’re trying your best, which makes all the difference. Best of luck!
