I have lived in the South my entire life and, needless to say, it's full of a lot of meat eaters. Growing up my family's meals were centered around meat and I never really thought anything of it. In the last year, I've been trying to become healthier, this means working out, eating better, etc. This past May I decided to challenge myself to 30 days of vegetarianism.

I thought it was going to be hard and somewhat miserable. I consider myself a relatively picky eater so I thought the month would feel endless because there would be hardly anything for me to eat. I expected a lot of salads (which I do not like) and tasteless meals.

I was completely wrong. Everything I ate was very flavorful and filling. I actually got full faster on vegetarian meals than I ever have on non-vegetarian meals. I felt healthier too. Eating vegetarian didn't give me any more noticeable energy or anything, but I felt better about what I was putting into my body. It also eliminated pretty much all fast food which is great because that used to be a go-to for me when I was running late. Being a vegetarian forced me to eat less fast food and if I did I had to get one of the healthier things on the menu.

I have ended up being vegetarian for more than 30 days — it's been almost two months and I plan to try to maintain it. I (surprising) like being vegetarian. It has helped me lose a little weight, feel better about what I am eating, and live an overall healthier lifestyle.

So, if you are thinking about trying vegetarianism, or anything new for that matter, just make a resolution to do it. See if you can find a friend to do it with you so you can hold each other accountable. And definitely try to make the most of whatever new thing you try, because if you don't you probably won't have a good experience.