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On January 10th, I stopped eating chicken, beef, pork, and turkey. Depending on your definition of a vegetarian, I guess that makes me one. I’ve been thinking about going vegetarian for awhile, but Steve Pavlina’s raw diet experiment inspired me to actually make the move.
I realize this diet is not for everyone, and I am not attempting to convince anyone to choose a vegetarian diet. The reason I wanted to write this is because health and diet are a part of personal development and Generation Y is growing socially conscientious of the environment and other causes that are closely tied to what we eat. Up to 15% of millennials are vegetarians, so for anyone who has thought about switching to a vegetarian diet, this article will give you some ideas on how to start today.
Why Go Vegetarian?
Health - If you are glad carb-limiting diets based on research from fat, balding doctors have fallen out of trend, you might also be happy to hear that Americans and Canadians have way too much protein in their diets. There are different schools of thought concerning protein, but here’s something no one can argue – fruits, vegetables, and grains are a source of protein too. Vegetarians can also live longer than non-vegetarians and can reduce illness and disease.
You will also likely lose weight when you switch. Leo (a fellow Guamanian) of Zen Habits mentioned this, but I had to see it for myself – and yes, I lost five pounds within the first week with no change to my other activities (I’m not that big to begin with).
Finally, you will stop consuming so many pesticides, organisms, worms, and other things that make you sick or give you food poisoning. (If you want to nearly eliminate these, buy organic fruits and vegetables.)
Environment - Creating all this meat takes up natural resources; namely land, water, and feed for the animals. I found a few great explanations of how this happens, and a semi-”proof” for nerdy types like me who love logical arguments.
Animal Cruelty - I get this isn’t a problem for everyone and I’ll admit this isn’t the primary reason I wanted to go vegetarian. But after my sister-in-law told me about some of the things that happened to the animals during breeding, I decided to find out for myself. Sadly, animals we eat are drugged, mutilated, and genetically modified to the point where they live horrible, painful lives. I could tell you more, but it would be better if you saw it for yourself.
What Millennials Should Consider When Going Vegetarian
Convenience eating/fast food - I order chicken nuggets and fries nearly every time I go to McDonalds, so now that I’ve gone vegetarian, I need to consider what I’m going to order instead. Do this with every restaurant and fast food place you go to, especially if you order the same comfort meal every time.
Social eating - Our social lives revolve around events with food. If you do burgers with the guys every Sunday, consider what you will eat instead. Are you going to bring Boca burgers? Eat dinner beforehand? Skip the event all together? It’s very important to think about all these things ahead of time for planning purposes.
How To Become a Vegetarian
Convinced this might be the right move for you? Well, you too can become a vegetarian. Right now, actually. Here’s how:
Stop eating meat - Obviously. But it’s more of a mind game than anything. I used my one-time commitment strategy, which is essentially committing to doing something just one time. So commit to not eating meat for the rest of the day. Just test drive the idea and see if there are any major changes to your life that might be showstoppers. If the diet change is relatively easy today, then tomorrow make another commitment to not eating meat for the whole day. Keep going if you are comfortable and can manage the lifestyle changes.
Change your self-talk - A noncommittal approach works well for millennials because we crave instant gratification and we’re not big risk-takers. When I started thinking in terms of “I’m never going to eat White Castle burgers again,” I freaked. So, keep the diet in your control by realizing you can always change your mind. Forever is bad – our generation can’t see more than 4 years into the future anyway.
Forget about the details - You don’t necessarily need to know everything about becoming a vegetarian before trying it. The detox period doesn’t start till about the third day of a new diet, which gives you plenty of time to do some research on what to expect (detox symptoms), what to eat (more fruits and vegetables), and how you will get your protein and iron (beans and nuts). But don’t let the details prevent you from starting, because not eating meat for a few days is not going to cause any immediate health problems.
Experiment - Try new vegetarian recipes, go to a vegetarian restaurant, and grab a pack of tofu or some soybean bratwursts just for fun. I know some of the things vegetarians eat sound unappetizing, but I’ve found plenty of great new foods to eat on this diet. Once you realize the diet doesn’t limit your options, it’s a lot easier to stick to.
Tell people - After a few days of test driving the vegetarian lifestyle, start telling your friends and family what you are doing. You will be eating meals with these people regularly and it’s better to talk about it now than when someone makes you a dinner you can’t eat. Plus the reactions are interesting: my dad laughed (he’s accustomed to the women in his family having crazy schemes), my brother thought I was weird, and my husband was happy he would have leftovers for himself whenever he cooked.
Despite the title of this article, you don’t have to become a vegetarian today to make use of the information. If you truly want to be a vegetarian someday, bookmark this article, do some research, read about other’s experiences, and cut back on meat in the meantime. Or just take a week to wrap your mind around the idea of going vegetarian, and come back when you are ready.
Other Vegetarian Resources:
- 49 Reasons Why I am a Vegetarian
- 30 Reasons to Become a Vegetarian
- In a Vegetarian Kitchen – Vegetarian Recipes
- 20 Worst Foods in America (because not all vegetarian meals are healthy)
This list is by no means exhaustive. If any other vegetarians want to add their own ideas or thoughts, feel free to do so in the comments section. And if anyone else wants to try this with me, please keep me updated on how things are going for you!
Monica O'Brien is the Director of Digital at Fizz and author of the book Social Pollination, which helps businesses leverage social media for crazy growth!
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I’ve been vegetarian in the past – a year here, a year there. I had two problems – one is that it was difficult for me to stay healthy (a challenge you will only realize after doing it for awhile), and the fact that I really like bacon. I think it’s important to realize that we shouldn’t define any of our actions by what we don’t do (or don’t eat). I just try to eat well now. A lot of the times that’s organic food and little meat, but other times it’s not. Thanks for sharing!
Rebecca,
It’s so funny that you like bacon. I don’t care about bacon that much, but the second night I was not eating meat I had a dream about almost eating a piece of bacon (I woke up before I ate it). That’s the only time I’ve thought about meat so far, but maybe there’s something subliminal there that might be my undoing.
I agree, we shouldn’t define ourselves as vegetarians or vegans or whatever else. I don’t see myself that way, since I still eat some fish because I love sushi way too much at this point. But if people ask, it’s sometimes easier to just say I’m a vegetarian, because people have an idea of what that means.
I think a lot of Gen Yers are interested in becoming vegetarians because of our interests in the environment and animal cruelty, and I hope this will give them some tips and resources to get there!
If you want to be a happy vegetarian take a look at “American Wholefoods Cuisine” considered the “Vegetarian Joy of Cooking.”For more than 35 years hundreds of a thousands of people have relied on it for a healthy and interesting veg diet. Coauthored by a Cornell trained nutritionist it includes nutrition, food preparation and 200 “fast food recipes” among its 1300.More at http://www.HealthyHighways.com Note remarkable user comments.
I’m sorry, but I don’t have any respect for people who become vegetarians based on health reasons or because they “don’t like the taste” of meat. Do the right thing, but do it for the right reasons or the real problem will never be addressed/fixed!
Thanks for a great blog. I was able to get the information that I had been looking for. Thanks once again!
regards
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