Vegetarianism

Turning Vegetarian is one of the best decisions I have ever made; I feel so much healthier, I have tried so many new dishes and my favourite food is now vegetables. It has changed my life for the better. About a year and a half ago I became vegetarian, but a couple of years before that I thought it was ridiculous! I just kept thinking “how do they get any protein??” What I have come to realise today is that phrase is the most idiotic thing to say, it’s the thing everyone asks me when they find out I am vegetarian.

How it all started…

I have always adored animals and wildlife, and when I found out what happens to them behind closed doors, behind the pretty models and the makeup, I suddenly had to change my lifestyle. I threw away all my make-up and bought only cruelty free makeup. This does end up being difficult, seeing as the town I live in is surrounded by rural villages and the makeup shop is tiny, only selling popular makeup brands. This was only the beginning of my journey to vegetarianism. I did anything to protect the animals, but the lie I kept telling myself is “It’s okay to eat animals because humans are supposed to eat animals, aren’t they?”

My opinion changed very quickly. I watched countless documentaries which made me cry and I watched YouTube videos about being veggie and vegan. Even the animal cruelty topic at school opened my eyes to the meat industry. However, the documentary that really made me want to stop eating animals is ‘Earthlings’. I never finished watching it as it made me feel so bad about my lifestyle. Suddenly, on 1^st June 2016, I stopped eating meat for good. Most people gradually turn veggie, but I went from eating meat in every meal to no meat at all. Of course, It was difficult at first, when I smelt the meat cooking in the kitchen downstairs or when people kept telling me “Oh I couldn’t be vegetarian, I wouldn’t survive!” But I understand why they would say this, I once said that too.
Slowly, I began to stop wanting meat at all and despised looking at it. After leaning the benefits, I knew that this was the best decision for me. And before you start thinking, I’m not trying to ‘convert’ anybody and I don’t mind people eating meat around me. I am just telling people my experience with it and just raising awareness of the benefits of being vegetarian.

Speaking of benefits, I’ll tell you a few now.

The benefits…

First of all, vegetarians consume fewer animal fats, which means less cholesterol. Also, there is a higher consumption of unsaturated fat, vitamins E and C and fibre. This results in a reduced chance of heart disease and lower blood pressure. Another benefit is that there is a lower risk of diabetes; vegetarians obtain more antioxidants and reduce weight gain.

This is what you have all been waiting for… the answer to the dreaded question “You can’t be healthy; where do you get the PROTEIN??” Well, here are a few things that I eat that is surprisingly high in protein:

•         Eggs
•         Broccoli
•         Beans
•         Lentils
•      Cashews and Peanuts

I don’t want to go on for too long otherwise you will all be bored, so I’ll leave it there. That was my story with vegetarianism and the answers to the questions that EVERYONE asks me. I will be doing some cooking posts which will obviously be 100% vegetarian which will be fun; they will be posted on this blog very soon.

Thanks for reading

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