10 Years Of Being A Vegetarian

Thursday, May 22, 2014
As of this month I have been a vegetarian for 10 years (well I did eat fish but I stopped that after about three weeks of becoming a veggie). I wanted to talk about my experiences of being a vegetarian, how to deal with the drastic change in diet and what I eat - I am not trying to make anyone become a vegetarian or feel guilty about eating meat, this is just my experiences and my opinions. Also this week 19th - 25th May is national vegetarian week!
All images above are from Google
Firstly, I became a vegetarian as I saw a video online (I think it was on Viva's website) about how some animals are being killed and also I think it was just a realisation of were the meat I was eating actually comes from. My family have been very supportive over the years, making meals specifically for me although I think it was a bit of a shock at first - and a bit worrying for a girl who was almost 12 years old to stop eating protein. Apart from me, there isn't another vegetarian in my family (or my friends) that I know of but my grandad is a pescatarian so he hasn't eaten meat for about forty years but he does eat fish. I understand eating fish for health reasons as it does contain good nutrients but I am fully vegetarian for moral reasons, I don't eat meat, fish or meat products because I personally think it is wrong to eat meat. Animals do not need to die for me to live. 

I personally found the change from eating meat, fish and gelatine based sweets (such as Haribo) really quite easy, I would miss certain meals that I liked which contained meat but on the whole it was easy for me. There are a lot of meat free alternative such as store own meat free products and Quorn. My favourite Quorn product is definitely the 'bacon' as it is really nice with pasta. I don't know if it tastes like meat because I do not remember what any meat or fish tastes like. 

Some of my favourite veggie meals include pasta, I make a lot of vegetable pasta dishes. I just cook whatever pasta I want and I then lightly pan fry kale, broccoli, celery, pine nuts, green beans and samphire which is a gorgeous combination along with some cream alternative (a less fatty version of single cream) and herbs - heaven! I also love roasted artichoke, homemade Quorn coconut curry, Quorn burgers, mushroom and cheese pizza and risotto. I do eat milk, cheese and eggs as I am not a vegan. Nuts, seeds, pulses and meat alternative are good sources of protein. I also take vitamin/mineral tablets when I remember. 

There are some difficulties being a vegetarian, for example, I did become anaemic (lack of iron in the blood which causes tiredness, fatigue and reduced concentration) while I was in high school/college which may have been because I wasn't eating enough meat free protein sources. I did have to have ferrous fumerate liquid which tasted like blood/rust from my doctor. Also while eating in restaurants it can be difficult as there are usually only one or two veggie options or I would be unsure if it is completely vegetarian as the stock or cheese used may not be suitable for vegetarians. Also I have to check food packaging a lot to see if it suitable for vegetarians which can be annoying, I am definitely looking into ordering occasionally from solely vegetarian food websites - any suggestions? 

I am so glad I became a vegetarian and I think it is a good achievement to make it to 10 years meat free - if you are interested in becoming a vegetarian check out the Vegetarian Society website, here. I only have one vegetarian healthy recipe on my blog currently, you can see it here and I am thinking of starting a vegetarian blog, would anyone be interested in recipes etc? 

If you have any questions for me, leave them in the comments below 

11 comments

  1. Congrats, dear! I tried for a while, but I couldn't succeed for too long.
    Come and check the current competition and giveaway on my blog - I think you might like them :)

    Lu, www.balgarka.co.uk

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  2. Great post! I can't believe you've been vegetarian for 10 years! That's such a great achievement, well done :) Particularly in our western culture where every meal seems to require meat, so there's always so much 'temptation'.
    I haven't been one for anywhere near as long, I hope I can do as well as you.

    A vegetarian blog sounds a great idea! It'll be great to help support other's trying to start and sharing with other vegetarians good recipe ideas. I'm not a very good cook so any advice would be greatly appreciated so I know I'd definitely be a follower :).

    I've done a couple posts for National Vegetarian week too, about my reasons for changing and vegan (animal friendly) fashion, which you can check out here if you like:

    http://sweetheartfashionx.blogspot.com/

    xoxo

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  3. It's definitely an achievement getting to ten years, I know so many people who've either taken years to convert or have gone back to eating meat. I've been vegetarian (now vegan) for about 12 years and I couldn't ever touch animal products again!

    Catherine, xo // Lady Liquor

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  4. wow, congrats, i personally would find it so difficult to not eat meat!x

    www.styleflaw.blogspot.co.uk ♥

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  5. K & I have been vegetarians since birth since our mom raised us that way, so it's cool to get the perspective of someone who has been a vegetarian by choice for so long!! Congratulations on sticking with it!! :)

    xo, B
    www.BKCsquared.com

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  6. Wow, Heather that is truly great to hear! Although I am not a vegetarian, I truly admire you for your restraint as self control can be one of the hardest things at times!

    Emily // ahemitsemme.blogspot.com

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  7. I've recently become veggie, been meat free for about 2 months now and i'm loving it. The food is great and keeps me feeling full for ages. At first it was something I tried out just for a week and now 2 months on i've never looked back. Surprisingly I haven't had any problems with cravings, I can even eat at places like Burger King still. When i've eaten a veggie burger at Mc Donalds or Burger King I haven't come out feeling all clogged up and awful like I did when I ate meat. Going veggie these days is really easy too and theres loads of meat free alternatives available. Congrats on being veggie for 10 years :)

    Hannah

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  8. Congrats! I definitely respect your decision of living meat-free and how long you managed to do so without major health issues. Personally, I don't think I could do it because I'd miss fast food way too much. :) Still, well done.

    Elina | http://cupcake-kissesxo.blogspot.com

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  9. Good for you for sticking with your morals. 10 years is a long time, but you're certainly committed, and I truly respect that.

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  10. congrats hun , 10 years is amazing , I myself am Vegan and change can be a bit of a shock but once you find dishes to make its so easy ! :)
    Melissa | The Inked Blonde

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  11. 10 years is such an achievement! I think it's great that you're so committed. I'm not a vegetarian but I only eat meat once a week, so I'd be very interested in reading some vegetarian recipes on your blog.
    Daniela | danielascribbles blog xo

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