Vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan. No matter what path you decide to take towards a healthier diet, the old saying “you are what you eat”, is true. All of my life before now, I indulged in consuming meat, even though at a certain age, it was against my better judgment because of the affects it can have on the body. It wasn’t until last year that I became serious about making sure that what I consume is not just a fad for a certain amount of time, but a lifestyle change for the better.
Honestly, cold turkey (I do miss it sometimes), pun intended, may not be the way to go for everyone, because there are adjustments that we have to make, in order to ensure longevity when it comes to consistency. For me, it worked. I knew my meat eating days were over, when I could go to restaurants, social events, parties, and everywhere in between, look at meat, and still keep it off my plate. I had finally arrived. The hardest part for me, was to give up tuna (I love tuna), which I eventually went back to, after about four months. So now, I consider myself to be pescatarian. But, there’s no going back to eating meat, ever. I feel so much better and lighter now that am eating differently.
Here are a few tips to making the transition from a meat eater to vegetarian, pescatarian, or vegan:
- Take it one day at a time. There is no rush and you aren’t competing with anyone but yourself.
- There are healthy substitutes for everything. Kick those cravings to the side with your favorite substitute. Eggplant is a favorite of mine, and can be prepared in a variety of tasty and delicious ways.
- You must get creative with your menu. Eating the same thing over and over again can become boring. So spice it up with food that you have never tried before, you would be surprised at the recipes and ideas that you can create.
- Join ‘tarian and vegan groups. They are all over Facebook. There are hundreds and thousands of newbies, vets, and everyone else in between that can help to get you on the right track and also help you maintain your new lifestyle.
