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Going vegetarian: Now that Vegetarian Awareness Month is over, will she stay a vegetarian?
Last week, we met the lovely Lauren who, with a heart full of kindness and a fridge full of pork, went vegetarian for a month. Today, we are going to find out what will happen to her now that Vegetarian Awareness Month is over.
Will she stay vegetarian? Or will she succumb to the siren call of meat?
And, perhaps most interesting of all, what happened to her on her long, lonely journey?
How has a carnivore’s month of veganism played out?
by Lauren Harb of harbknocklife
Week One involved daily plotting of what piece of meat I would eat the minute Vegetarian Awareness Month was over. I looked on with envy as my friends enjoyed albacore sushi or chicken soup. I often had to be reminded of my (brief) commitment to stay vegan since I forgot at the first sign of a meatball. Not only was I getting heckled regularly by friends and family, but I was genuinely missing my old diet.
Maybe I was having cravings because my body was used to meat. Or maybe it was just a mental hurdle I had to hop. Largely I think I felt unsatisfied with my new diet because I wasn’t doing it right. I felt imbalanced, hungry and slave to my sweet and starchy cravings.
Then, sometime in the middle of Week Two I began to ask other vegetarians how they stayed energized and satiated. I heard broccoli had more protein than meat from one ex-vegetarian. This was comforting, but I can’t say I’ve upped my broccoli consumption. I heard eating grains, nuts and beans in combination exponentially increases their protein value. I started adding beans to veggie stir fries, or having a spoonful of almond butter if I was craving something salty and sweet. I realized just taking the animal protein out of a meal and not replacing it with something substantial wasn’t enough to sustain myself. Instead of a plain salad for dinner I would add chickpeas, quinoa, and nuts, for example.
I also realized around the tenth day or so, not only how committed vegetarians have to be, but how committed I wanted to be, to not eating meat. At first this was a challenge I thought of in terms of surviving so that I could return to my old habits. But now I am starting to identify with vegetarians and vegans, and the challenges that come with not eating meat or dairy.
I have found myself, on numerous occasions, as a guest in someone’s home or at a restaurant with friends, struggling to graciously choose from few edible options, if any. It’s uncomfortable to ask your host to accommodate your eating habits and it gets old when friends all ask you when you’re gonna give up the hippie act. I even feigned food poisoning once around my dad so he would stop trying to force feed me chicken.
As I near the end of Vegetarian Awareness Month, I feel something I never imagined I would. Or perhaps it’s better to say what I don’t feel. I don’t feel like eating meat of any kind come November 1st. I’m not saying I’ll never have it again. In fact, I’m almost certain I will. As for now, though. I don’t feel quite done with this experiment. Sure, the peanut gallery was at times discouraging and adjusting wasn’t always easy. But I’m surprised to find that I feel really, really good. And if eating less animal products is ethically and spiritually rewarding, that makes it even more worthwhile. On the off chance that veganism might cancel out some of my other sins, I’ll ride it out just a little longer. I’ll take any help I can get!
… Got tips to help Lauren on her newly found vegan path? Tips on what to eat, how to deal with family, what ingredients to look for, what to cook, what to avoid? Just leave a comment, and we’ll all be the richer (and be sure to tell Lauren we’d love an update in a month or so)!
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8 Responses to “Going vegetarian: Now that Vegetarian Awareness Month is over, will she stay a vegetarian?”
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November 2nd, 2009 @ 6:29 am
[...] Going vegetarian: Now that Vegetarian Awareness Month is over … [...]
November 2nd, 2009 @ 8:58 am
I very much enjoyed reading about her journey.
November 2nd, 2009 @ 9:40 am
I really liked this story. I can only imagine how difficult the transition would have been. My favorite veg*n food would have to be lentils. They’re cheap, tasty, cook quickly, and welcome other flavors with open arms. India has a wealth of veg*n dishes that are as good or better than the meat dishes.
November 2nd, 2009 @ 10:15 am
I had to denounce Lauren for a month cuz I heard almost vegetarians have really stinky farts. But last weekend, I was told vegans have really good breath, so now we’re talking again.
Unbelievably, this Saturday, I might see her eat raw fish. This kinda defeats the goodness of her newly found fresh breath but.. *shrug*
November 2nd, 2009 @ 12:03 pm
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by cookingstudent: Now that vegetarian awareness month is over did Lauren decide to go vegetarian for good or is she back to meat?: http://bit.ly/8sANu…
November 2nd, 2009 @ 1:27 pm
Congratulations. I stopped eating meat about 10 years ago and don’t miss it one bit. I found it hard to eat what I liked when I fixated only on “vegetarian” recipes. I found that almost all delicious “regular” dishes be they Italian, Indian, etc. can be made with a bean, vegetable or lentil substitute. It’s no big deal at all.
November 4th, 2009 @ 8:19 am
Make a list of pros and cons about being veggie! You will soon find veg dishes that you love more than any other animal product- indian food is mine. And veggie burgers. I will never eat a regular burger again! Use your eating habits to help people learn about animals and factory farming and how you’re easing the problem. Veggies save an average of 100 animals a year- per person! Eventually your family and friends will ease up-but new people never will. It’s kind of fun after a while to be different and start fiery debates! mwahahaha
November 8th, 2009 @ 6:32 pm
I really liked this story. I can only imagine how difficult the transition would have been. My favorite veg*n food would have to be lentils. They're cheap, tasty, cook quickly, and welcome other flavors with open arms. India has a wealth of veg*n dishes that are as good or better than the meat dishes.