A friend recently asked me about transitioning to a meatless diet, and to be honest, I hadn't ever really thought about the process enough to put it into words. I knew I had experienced different stages, but it never came together enough for me to give step by step until she asked. After answering her, I knew I had to make it a blog post because there are probably others out there who would like some help as well.
My personal journey may be different than some of yours. I grew up in Houston, TX where meat reigns supreme. Not only meat, but butter, sugar, and more or less everything that creates disease in your body. I still struggle with some of these foods today. (Yeah sugar and bread, you're going down!) This is the only way that I learned to eat. As a child, I was able to make small stands like saying no to pork chops, but I didn't know to say no to so many things. I was always sick as a kid. I never won a perfect attendance award because I was always at the doctor with either my allergies or my stomach. I was also severely anemic, but short of taking pills (which I have never been a proponent of) we did nothing to adjust my iron intake.
Then the diseases began to roll into my family. Everything from diabetes to hypertension. The thing that began my awakening was my very near and dear grandmother passing of cancer in 2002. I began searching for answers. I was always lead back to her meat and bread based diet. Not that meat and bread is a guarantee for cancer, but once you have it, that diet gives your body no ammunition to heal itself. As a result of that and then moving to Austin (which is the health beacon of Texas) for school, I began to adopt a "do not die by your own hand" mentality, and that meant making some lifestyle changes.
Going vegetarian not immediate, and of course I sabotaged myself so many times. The only jobs I have had as an adult have required me to travel, and that can be detriment to making healthy eating decisions. Once I decided to give up meat, I went for one last hoorah: a burger from my grandmother's favorite fast food place. (I told you I was a nostalgic eater.) What I received in addition to my burger is what sealed the deal: food poisoning. Not fun. At all. That was in 2009, and I haven't eaten any meat since.
Initially, I was what I call a carbitarian. I ate bread, pasta, and more bread. That in combination with my cheese addiction (I'm in recovery. We need Cheeseholics Anonymous. CA.) lead to me being a pretty unhealthy vegetarian. I honestly wasn't sure what I should be eating. Once I finally did some research, I found recipes that included more veggies and had more flavor than anything I had ever eaten. As of now, I am still on my health journey, but I did want to share with you what I have learned so far.
1. Start Slowly. Meatless Mondays is a trend for a reason. It starts you with one day of not eating meat, and use that to build and add on more days. If you take it slow, you will have time to build a strong meatless foundation. Don't get stuck on Monday. Choose a day that is most convenient for you to go meatless.
2. Be patient with yourself. You are human, and that means you are imperfectly perfect. Sometimes you will give into temptation. Be kind to yourself, and pick up where you left off. Don't let the little hiccups in your plan detour you, and don't beat yourself up.
3. Go into the battle armed. Whenever entering battle, you always have ammunition. In this case that is your recipes. Use the meatless days of your transition to build up an arsenal of delicious recipes you know you like. Also, pay attention to the ingredients you use as they will help you decide which new recipes to try.
4. Find a source of encouragement or inspiration. It is always easier to something when you feel supported. Many times it's hard to find that in your actual community, but online vegetarian and vegan communities can serve as an amazing proxy. I have learned almost everything I know from online communities and in exploration with my best friend. Know that I am always here for you. Feel free to contact me using the contact page, which is linked at the top, or leave a comment on posts. I'm super friendly! I promise.
5. Have an open mind. Try new foods. You will be surprised at the things you like. If you don't like something the first time, try cooking it differently the next time. Don't give up so quickly on a food because it looks or tastes weird. Some things you just don't like (for me, eggplant), but some things you will learn to love (peas). Also be open to trying different food combinations. Certain foods set each other off just right and create a symphony in your mouth.
6. Expect change to happen. When your eating habits change, your taste buds will too. You will find yourself craving things you didn't before. Be open to this. This is good.
7. Remember it is a process. A transition is moving from one thing to the other. Don't neglect your time in the middle. Use it to learn as much as you can about food, and about yourself.
I hope all of this helps.
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