By Nicole Bergendahl
Fattening, red, mouthwatering, juicy, that’s how I prefer my steak and other beefs. I am a meat lover. The food pyramid is important to make sure I have all the groups in a day, and meat offers protein and other important nutrients needed for an overall healthy and balanced diet.
But for a month, I tried becoming a vegetarian.
The first day was a piece of cake! I was so focused on making sure I had no meat. But the second day was a long day to say the least. I felt so held back and drained. I was lacking protein I would normally have from chicken and other meats.
By the third day I felt even worse, especially since I went to the gym. I didn’t get as good of a workout in as I normally would. I found myself eating the same thing as I had the two days prior because I didn’t know any vegetarian recipes that were an actual meal. I also had no idea where to go out to eat that had vegetarian options.
The fourth day I broke, by accident. I forgot that a soup I like to have has little pieces of chicken in it. I went to a restaurant with a friend and I didn’t even think of what was in certain items.
I started looking online for recipes and places near me that offer vegetarian options and I found a lot, way more than I expected. I also found ways to ask for servers to not include certain meats in a dish so it would still be delicious and filling.
One of my bigger obstacles was trying to feel like I wasn’t hungry after eating a meal. It is a big adjustment, cutting out a food group so suddenly and quickly, especially since I like having beef.
I went through the month trying my hardest not to have any type of meat. I failed with completely cutting it out, but I talked to people and read online that such a drastic change should be a gradual adjustment instead of eliminating meat all at once.
What can I say, I’m ambitious. I had seven slip ups over the course of a month. I kept forgetting, especially when I was out with my friends. I normally checked beforehand if restaurants had any vegetarian options I could eat, but sometimes I didn’t even think about it. One day we went to Subway and I remembered, so I just got bread with lettuce and mayo. I was dedicated.
Halfway through the month it got so easy to get vegetarian meals, I found my groove. I slowly felt more energized than before. But in the end, nothing was as good as eating a fat, juicy burger once the month was over.