Vegetarian? Vegan? Pescatarian??

I've been a vegetarian for a little over a year now, with brief stints throughout my early teenage years. It never really ended up holding out, but I became a lot more picky about the meat I would consume, and eventually had so little meat that I would consume, that I gave up and went vegetarian towards the end of my senior year of high school.

1. "But where do you get your protein?!"

This is definitely the most common question I get, and it drives me NUTS! You 👏 can 👏 get 👏 protein 👏 from 👏 elsewhere 👏 than 👏 meat👏 !!!!!!! Protein sources that are plant based include Lentils, Chia seeds, Quinoa, Beans, Nuts, Edamame, Organic tofu, Tempeh, etc, There are even lots of brands of Greek yogurt that offer up to 15g of protein in one yogurt. This works for vegetarians but is not vegan-friendly. However, literally ANY of the above plant based proteins I mentioned above are great substitutes that 1. don't harm animals or the environment 2. are much healthier alternatives to the potential harmful intake of meat which can seriously hurt your heart health and lead to diseases like E. Coli.

2. "You probably LOVE tofu, don't you?!"

No, actually I do not. I hate tofu almost more than I hate getting this question. This is obviously not true for all vegans/vegetarians, but it is true for me. I literally just can't stand tofu. I think it's disgusting and smells bad. I personally get my protein from beans, nuts, vegetarian protein powder, and dairy based drinks and yogurts that have protein in them.

3. "So, like I get regular milk in my nonfat Starbucks latté with no foam and no sweetener with 3 shots, what do you get?"

This question really is more towards vegans, but It also applies to vegetarians who are lactose intolerant or maybe just don't like animal based milks. The answer is soymilk, or almond milk, or coconut milk! For myself personally, I prefer soymilk in my hot Starbucks drinks as a substitute and coconut milk in any iced drinks I order.

4. "What even IS almond milk/cashew milk?"

It's a milk substitute made from, huh, maybe almonds or cashews?????

5. "Don't you miss eating like bacon and meat and consuming eggs and stuff?"

Again, this question is more geared towards vegans but can be asked to vegetarians depending on what that specific individual may or may not choose to consume or not consume as a vegetarian and NOT vegan. But, the answer is fairly obvious, NO I DO NOT!! i wouldn't have made this decision If I thought I would've missed it.

6. "So...all you eat is salad, right?"

Once again, NOPE! I already explained above where I get my protein sources. Once again, eating plant based or raw is not limited to SALAD for every meal. There is pasta, and toast lunches or sandwiches, and zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash, grain bowls, smoothie bowls, etc, the list literally has no end. Just about whatever you eat, I can make a plant based version of it.

7. "What do you eat at big food events like Thanksgiving?"

For me personally, If I didn't plan ahead with some sort of substitute, then I just eat around the meat, meaning I eat whatever else is prepared. 9x out of 10, there are plenty of vegetarian-friendly sides that I can eat along side the rest of my family. At Thanksgiving, there's mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberries, rolls, mac n cheese (depending on the family), brussel sprouts and tons of other veggies on the table. It seems like there aren't vegetarian-friendly meal options when you are not a vegetarian and therefore aren't paying attention to said options.

8. "But now you're killing plants. And plants give us things too!!!!!"

Ok, I get this one a LOT. Tbh, I never care enough to get involved in this argument because 1. animals can feel pain 2. Killing all these animals for meat consumption is really, really bad for the environment. Everyone goes vegan/vegetarian for their own personal reason, and it's not always something people wish to explain to every single person they meet that asks them. Ultimately, the way a lot of what I eat, harvesting veggies and fruits don't hurt the plant in any way. The same goes for nuts and beans.

9. "I'm vegetarian too!" *eats chicken nuggets for dinner*

like do you even know what vegetarian means?

10. "Do you ever eat out?"

Yes. Chipotle is still my bae.