Becoming Vegetarian - The Transition

Since my last post on nutrition and the myths of becoming vegetarian, I have slowly been working on becoming a vegetarian myself. Why? There are so many reasons... but here are a few.

1. My Health. While I was studying in University, I gradually noticed that I was having difficulty digesting certain foods more than others. As I started paying attention to my digestive system, I noticed that I would often experience issues when eating red meat. Also, I started to notice that there is more and more research indicating that vegetarianism is the all-around healthiest diet possible.
2. The Environment. It is well known that the meat-industry causes additional pressures on our environment as more land, water and resources are required to produce meat in comparison to vegetables. Simply put, we would not be able to feed everybody on this planet if everyone ate as much meat as we do in Canada. So, why not reduce my consumption?
   
3. The Welfare of Animals. This topic I will cover in greater details in my next post.
   

How I did it?

Those who know me know that I never do anything half-way. So, in order to make this diet change stick, I had to prepare myself in so many different ways.

1. Knowledge. First, when I became intrigued by the idea that becoming vegetarian might be a better option for me, I decided to read a book about "Becoming Vegetarian" (see previous post). This book has definitely helped me better understand how to become a "good vegetarian", and how to ensure that I could still get all the nutrients I needed in a vegetarian diet (without having to compromise much other than stopping to eat meat).
2. Experimenting with Recipes. To change my cooking habits, I purchased a few vegetarian recipe books and started changing my buying habits at the grocery store. During this phase, I discovered that becoming vegetarian would only make me discover an infinite number of wonderful recipes.
3. Saying Goodbye to the Old Habit. Over the summer period, I wanted to make sure that I had an opportunity to taste once again all of my favourite meat dishes. This included my husband's amazing ribs, lamb chops cooked in a Port sauce, my mother's spaghetti and many more. During our summer holidays, I ended this phase with an amazing steak in Calgary (where else could I have done this?).
4. Starting the Transition. Since September, I have significantly reduced the amount of meat I consume. At this time, I only eat fish once a week, and I had a little bit of turkey for Thanksgiving (just to please my mom and mother-in-law). It is only the beginning... so we'll see how it goes.

The Results

Although it has only been a few months, I have to say that becoming vegetarian has been a good decision so far. My level of energy has increased which is a good indication that this diet is working better for my system.

Thank you to my family and friends who have been very supportive of this decision.