Five Observations On Going VEG For The Very First Time

While my co-partner on VEGdaily, Michael DuDell, may have years of experiencce in the vegan/vegetarian world, I’m relatively new to the scene; having only shed my meat-eating lifestyle some six months ago. It wasn’t anything I necessarily planned to do — it just evolved to make perfect sense. My upbringing never focused on food — or how/where it came from. We just enjoyed making meals, savoring recipes, and trying new dishes to expand the palete. But a funny thing happens when you become involved in the green world and work to make a difference through writing: you passively become educated through the headlines. Some might call that inspiration — but when you’re writing several stories a week on animal farms, organic vegetables, health, environment, and other issues, it’s more like osmosis. How can you not suddenly see the world through wider eyes?

Granted, I’ve been writing about these things for many years. But the gradual shift has led me to this path of embracing a vegetarian diet. At first, it was a switch to organic vegetables — then humanely-raised beef and chicken — then only meat once or twice a week. And then — it just happened. I naturally stopped craving meat.

So, I’ve taken my time in getting here — but let me tell you, it feels great. It also helps that my wife has decided to join me on this journey — a big help when it comes to planning meals. I know I’ve only just started, but here are some recent observations on switching to being a full-on vegetarian.

First: You Feeel Better

It’s my experience that until you experiment with reducing meat in your diet, you’ll never truly appreciate how good digestion can be. It’s not necessarily something we think about — I mean, if you’ve always had the same ratios of meat and vegetables, you’ve probably thought you feel “fine”. But let me tell you, drop meat in a majority of your meal and you’ll notice a difference. You’ll feel lighter, have more energy, and be less inclined to crash on the couch after a heavy meal. Enjoy a dish later in the week with some meat and you’ll probably be able to discern a difference in digestion. I’ve had maybe two or three breakdowns over the past several months due to trips outside the home (more on that) and have felt terrible afterwards. Try eating veggies only for one or two weeks and then shift back to meat — you’ll know what I mean.

Second:  Dinners Outside The Home Can Be Rough (At First)

This is still a work in progress, but early-on trips to places like my in-laws or restaurants were a bit difficult. I’d personally recommend gradually shifting your lifestyle when it comes to going vegetarian. I think that by denouncing meat all at once, you’re setting the stage for some rough moments. Dinner with friends or family outside of our home was the last thing I transitioned to requesting veg only. This way, I could chat with people about the changes I was making to my diet, without all of sudden surprising them with the news — and making them potentially feel bad about cooking a meal with meat. Now, it’s just normal.

Third: People Still Think You’re Headed To The Moon

Hilariously, I still find that telling some people I’ve gone vegetarian is like revealing that I’m really a woman. (Still open to debate.) Exclamations of “Really?!” and “My God, Why?!” are amusing — and somewhat disturbing. I mean seriously, I’ve just decided to stop eating meat. What’s left to wrap your head around?

Fourth: The Food Is Awesome

Part of why it’s so easy to go VEG these days is the unlimited amount of recipes and options that make it so easy. I’m particularly in love with veggie burgers, and anything faux-chicken. In fact, I think the faux-chicken nuggets taste better than the real thing. My hometown, Ithaca, NY, also has copious amounts of vegetarian-only restaurants — including the “world-famous” Moosewood Cafe. Since I’m in love with gardening, coming up with dishes based around kale, collards, mushrooms, tomatos, etc. In fact, it’s amazing how many meals I’ve prepared where meat used to be one of the main ingredients — and yet, even without it, are just as good. Not to mention that some of the best food I’ve ever eaten has been vegetarian. Quite simply, it’s the tastiest diet I can think of.

Five: Community

The vegetarian/vegan community is so damn passionate that it makes embracing the lifestyle that much easier. People LOVE to talk with you about food (a favorite) — as well as gardening, plants, herbs, recipes, and everything else that invariably follows. It’s also really eye-opening to learn about all the other animal-based products worth avoiding — and the causes out there to support reform and animal welfare legislation. It’s fun — and I feel like there’s so much more thought and enjoyment that goes into my food than ever before as a result.

So, those are just some of my thoughts from a newbie VEG. We started this site with the idea that it would be cool to have viewpoints from both sides of the spectrum. For anyone out there considering making the leap to going VEG, throw any questions my way you might have. I’m happy to be a guide in that way — just as much as DuDell’s insight is a guide for me. (He claims he’ll get me to go vegan in a year — but damnit, I love cheese too much. We’ll see!)

I look forward to continuing my education, learning from all of you, and eating my way to better mind and body.