What A Vegetarian Life Looks Like

I started this lifestyle the summer before 6th grade. At this point, I had accidentally seen videos of how my food was made, which traumatized me. Keeping those images in mind made my heart warm-up due to the fact that I had pets who I loved and cared for deeply. This is what started my journey as a vegetarian.

Being a Vegetarian is probably the main thing that stands out to people. I always get asked "What do you eat?" because many when they hear the word vegetarian they think of only eating vegetables; what they don't realize is that they probably already have tried vegetarian or vegan food. I eat what I have always eaten as a youngster just without

meat. Another question I get is how I

stay committed. My answer: I love animals,

I strongly believe they have the same rights as humans, and by following this lifestyle I am contributing to that idea. I have tried eating meat again several times but my mind has been programmed for six years that I can never get meat to touch my lips as I start getting nauseous. (sorry I know TMI) Although many, including my family, have told me that I need meat to be healthy I continue to follow this diet strictly. Based on my experience I do not need to go back to eating meat because based on my experienced I have learned more about myself and what I need to do to continue being healthy. However, I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE people who want to try going vegetarian or vegan to do their research. Many don't realize or understand when they are making poor decisions; you need to be realistic and know your foods, your health, among other things. I replaced the protein and nutrients I'm supposed to get from meat from other foods, and I take vegan gummies that are safe to eat daily.

I admit it is hard to follow a vegetarian lifestyle when your culture is full of dishes that contain meat. It was hard for my mom to find ways to keep up with this new lifestyle. As time went by, I learned more based on my experience and research, and so did my family. As a vegetarian, I replaced foods like tamales and chilaquiles with cheese instead of meat or chicken. I had to find ways of still enjoying my favorite food with other ingredients. Sometimes it is a little more work for my mom or family to make separate food for me but due to this change in my life, my family has also reduced their meat by a lot and have gotten used to the food I eat that they now enjoy themselves. I'm not the person to go to restaurants so I'm not too familiar with vegetarian restaurants but I do get foods that are meat-free.

Since starting this lifestyle I have seen changes in my life. The most obvious one was my weight loss. As I go through my pictures of middle school I can see the weight change in my body which I didn't realize then. Being healthier due to a vegetarian lifestyle has helped me perform better in running and exercise. Although it's supposed to be more costly following a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, it has actually decreased the amount my family spends. As I stated before, I didn't change much when I started this journey, it was just eliminating meat and chicken so any product that contained this was removed, making my family save some bucks.

Being a vegetarian is not as bad as it sounds, maybe you should try it out!