I Want to Become a Vegetarian, So Now What?
If you are seriously considering a vegetarian lifestyle, do your research. Ask your self why you want to become a vegetarian and who else besides yourself will be apart of this life change. What are the Pros and Cons? What will I eat? Where will I eat? Will I eat foods from home only? Where can I shop or eat out at? How will I become a vegetarian? What does that even mean? Do I have to eat veges, fruits, nuts and seeds only? What kind of vegetarian do I wan to be? Will I need supplements? This is an important decision, so get as much data as you can to make it an informed one. Here’s a book I found that makes it easy.
Looking around I found a very good article about becoming a vegetarian. If you read the whole thing, it speaks about teenagers changing to a vegetarian diet and if its OK for them, but I think it can be easily adapted no matter what your age is. It’s great because it answers the most asked question on every one’s lips. Why do People Become Vegetarians? There seems to be many reasons. In many countries it comes down to cost. Meat costs too much and is reserved for special occasions. Religious preferences seems to be the next big reason. People may choose not to eat meat also because of health, environmental or animal right issues. Figure out your why and move on to where do I start.
There are also different types of vegetarians. A strict form is one that has no meat at all or meat byproducts. Another would be macrobiotic, which would fall under raw foods only as well as no meat. Lacto ovo-diet consists of dairy products and eggs but no meat. There are also just Lacto and Ovo vegetarians, which can be deducted from the prior. You can also choose to be semi-vegetarian, which includes small amounts of fish and/or chicken all the fruits, nuts, seeds and veges you want. I think you can choose what best suits you and graduate or move around according to your body’s needs. Start where you know you can succeed
This lifestyle change can also be made easy by following an easy meal plan that’s simple and cost effective. We only fear what we don’t know, so be in the “know” and have no fear! Take steps forward with confidence, surround yourself with support, decide what your goal is and follow through with your plan. Another idea you might want to try is to become a member of a vegetarian yahoo group or talk to people you know that have made this choice. There are so many resources out there! So do your homework and make it simple.