Why vegetarian?
I’ve been a vegetarian for so long that I hardly ever think about the ‘why’ anymore. It’s just automatic, a habit of avoiding meat. The nightmares about accidentally eating meat wore off long, long ago (these are surprisingly common among the newly vegetarian), and now scanning a menu for its meatless options is as automatic as blinking my eyes.
When I first tried cutting meat out of my diet, it was mainly for experimental purposes. I wanted to see if I could survive for a month on a vegetarian diet. I was so nonchalant about the whole thing that I actually forgot and had a roast beef sandwich the second day and had to start over.
As my experiment progressed, I started doing a little research to learn more about vegetarianism (my knowledge at the time was severely limited, given that my entire exposure to the diet was the one friend who had been doing it for 6 months longer than me). I read about how vegetarianism is supposedly better for the planet, and about how badly animals are treated on factory farms in the US, and was convinced vegetarianism was the diet for me. Given that I was a teenager at the time, the fact that my parents disapproved only made me that much more committed to the idea.
Over time my initial reasons for becoming a vegetarian faded from my mind, and now I just do it because I like it. I simply have no desire to eat meat. It has lost its place in my brain’s ‘food’ category; I’m about as likely to eat a hamburger as I am to chow down on some chalk.
Upon reflection, I can say that the other main reason for me to continue to be a vegetarian is health. From what I’ve read, the negatives far outweigh the positives for adding meat to my diet. As is, I get more than enough protein, and my body’s vitamin and mineral needs are easily met by my relatively healthy diet and a daily supplement.
So my question to the vegetarians out there is this: why are you a vegetarian? And if you’re not a vegetarian, what (if anything) would convince you to give it a try? It’s so interesting to hear the various paths that bring people to this diet.
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POSTED IN: Becoming Vegetarian, Thoughts
5 opinions for Why vegetarian?
Michelle
Oct 28, 2006 at 10:56 am
I also started being vegetarian through a 30 day experiment. I didn’t believe I would make through or beyond the 30 days, but still wanted to try.
As a singer, my body is my instrument, and I am always looking to care for my instrument in better ways.
During the first month of vegetarianism my body did some serious purging. I had the sweats, a lot more poop … things just started flowing again.
The change in my body was significant enough that I remained vegetarian, and like you say, it has been easy to maintain. Plus, my conscience is clear.
Jul
Oct 29, 2006 at 7:42 am
Michelle - I’ve heard of that happening when people go vegan, too. I’m really intrigued to see my body go through that type of detox - it must be great to get physical evidence that you’re doing something healthy for yourself (even if the actual process of the change isn’t always 100% pleasant).
I don’t really remember experiencing any physical ‘withdrawal’ myself when I went vegetarian, but that’s probably because I wasn’t looking out for it or attributing it to the change in my diet (I was an oblivious high school student at the time).
celine
Nov 1, 2006 at 10:22 pm
I started to be on an “almost vegetarian” diet when I was a student. I didn’t have much money so I skipped the meat because it was expensive. So I got used not to have it although I would eat it at the weekend when I was at my parents’ place. Later on, even though I had wages, I still didn’t buy much meat, only chicken sometimes. At some point, I got disgusted by the smell and the taste of a piece of beef I was using for a stir-fry. So I decided not to buy beef anymore. But the real key to my decision is a Tony Robbins seminar I attended almost 3 years ago in London, where they showed the treatment animals suffer before finally being killed for meat. When I saw that, I cried and I felt so certain that, as far as I was concerned, that was it, I would never be part of that massacre, mass murder, however you want to call it. I looked at my boyfriend and said: I stop, are you with me? He said yes. He found it difficult at first because of the old habit but he was strong and has never eaten it again either. This is one of the best and most empowering lifetime decisions I’ve made.
Jul
Nov 2, 2006 at 3:28 pm
Celine, how great that your boyfriend joined you in going veggie. My husband was a vegetarian for a couple years a while ago, but is now a dedicated meat-eater (although he is fine with the fact that our kitchen is vegetarian, and he eats things like Quorn without a fight). Maybe I should send him to a Tony Robbins seminar…
doug (dougs travels)
Nov 15, 2006 at 10:02 pm
Here is another reason to go vegetarian:
http://dougs-travels.com/2006/11/13/an-unfortunate-rooster/
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