Going Vegetarian: A Month-Long Trial

“No face, no food.” That’s the motto I came up with recently as a joking response to a vegetarian friend. I love eating meat. It’s delicious and I feel absolutely no guilt over it. My favourite foods include sushi and butter chicken, two meat-heavy dishes bereft of vegetables. So why have I decided to go vegetarian for a month? It’s not because I feel overly compassionate for animals or I’m trying to be healthier. No, I’m going vegetarian out of curiosity. Beyond the reasons I’ve just given, there are so many compelling arguments for giving up meat like conserving the world’s resources that are used to raised animals for food, saving money, and even just being a little more conscious of the food I’m eating. I mean, don’t knock it ’til you try it, right?

So for the month of November I have given up beef, pork, poultry, fish, shellfish and any other kind of animal flesh, but am still consuming eggs and dairy products. So far it hasn’t been too bad. It’s been just over a week and I haven’t noticed the absence of meat yet. I haven’t even eaten meat accidentally or out of habit, something I expected to happen right away. And at the end of November, if I’ve found it’s not so bad, then maybe I’ll continue being vegetarian. Or I might head to the nearest McDonald’s and eat my heart out.

Thinking of going vegetarian? Here are some tips:

1. Make sure you’re still eating protein! Substitute meat with protein-rich products like beans, tofu and quinoa.
2. Tell your friends and families. Letting those around you know will help with your commitment and who knows? They might join you.
3. Utilise your resources! Check out Peta.org and Veg.ca for handy tips on eating vegetarian.
4. Find going cold turkey too daunting? Start with Meatless Mondays. (Or any other day of the week.) Pick one day of the week to go without meat, then build yourself up to two, three days a week until you’re a full-fledged vegetarian.

What do you think?
Would you ever go vegetarian? Are you a vegetarian with some tips or recipes? Let us know in the comments!