My Journey So Far...Becoming Vegetarian

Morning guys, so as most of you probably know by now and for those new readers who didn't know - 3 months ago I decided to become a Vegetarian.

So it's been 90 days in since I quit eating meat and anything associated with it. How am I feeling? Pretty damn good to be honest! My whole life I had always felt guilty eating meat but sort of considered it the norm or as people now keep drilling into me 'it's human nature'. No, it's not human nature - it's a choice and we're all entitled to making choices. I choose to not be part of violent industry I don't agree with... I don't have a problem with people who eat meat by the way - I used to, my family does, so does my boyfriend and well so does pretty much everyone else I know. For me, becoming Vegetarian is all about becoming the best version of my self. I feel a lot less guilty now I'm a veggie and therefore I'm happy. I won't go into the grim facts about it all as this is not what this post is about. I simply wanted to give you guys my experience so far and will probably drop a few 'did you know' facts that I've learnt along the way.

Lets start from the beginning *rewinds back 3 months* I decided to go Veggie. Once I had made this decision I discovered a whole lot of things I never knew before and also went on a journey exploring new flavours, tastes and textures that were soon to be part of my staple diet. I mean, 3 months isn't long. I'm still learning new things every day and experiencing new foods and will probably continue to do so for the rest of my life.

Now for the burning questions.

Can you eat fish if you're a Vegetarian?
No, if you eat fish but no other meat you're a Pescetarian. Vegetarians don't eat anything with a face! We don't eat any meat whatsoever. This seems to be a common misconception and I am guilty of this my self, when I first toyed with the thought of going veggie, for some reason I had it in my head that you could still eat fish. Seems silly now really as Fish are still animals so essentially you're still eating meat if you eat Fish. So the answer to the question - Vegetarians don't eat fish.

How do you get your protein?
There are plenty more ways of getting in Protein than eating meat. I get Protein from a whole range of foods, to name a few: Lentils, Soya Milk, Chick Peas, Brown Rice, Quinoa, Peas, Spinach, Brocolli etc.

Do you miss eating meat?
Simple answer, no I don't. At first becoming Vegetarian was kinda difficult because I was so used to incorporating meat into my meals but I never once caved in and thought 'pass me a burger'. There are certain flavours I miss occasionally but that's when Quorn comes into play, along with other Meat Free alternatives. Meat Free Alternatives come in handy when going to BBQs etc. I became Vegetarian because of animal cruelty & people often say 'if you eat something that tastes like meat why don't you just eat meat?' This question annoys me and is just plain stupid.

Did you know?
Animal products are not just in their true form of meat, they're also hidden in many products you'd never think of. Foods I discovered I could no longer eat include Marshmellows, Camembert, Rolo Yoghurts, Button Yoghurts etc. Basically anything containing Gelatine or Rennet. Most items are now labelled as to whether they're suitable for Vegetarians or not. If there is no label and you're kinda suspicious - check the ingredients. If they contain Gelatine or Rennet you will have veggie alarm bells ringing in your head saying 'you cannot eat this'!

Tips for wannabe Veggies!

• Read the Vegetarian Society Website to give you more knowledge about what becoming a Vegetarian entails. You can also send off for an information pack that gives you facts and tonnes of recipes!
• Follow Vegan/ Vegetarian accounts on Instagram for recipe inspo - this helps me out loads.
• If you decide to go Veggie - make sure you check Menu's before visiting restaurants etc to see what's available. Sadly, there aren't always many options available. I've learnt that if I go out for lunch I usually have the option of 1 or 2 items whereas before I could basically choose from the whole menu. Places that are great for Vegetarians include Wagamama's, Giraffe Bar, Zizzi's, Pod etc.

Have you gone Veggie? I would love to hear your tips in the comment section below! Also let me know if you'd like to see more posts like this :)