I recently became a vegetarian, and although it’s only been about a month, I have definitely experienced changes in more than just my diet. Although being a vegetarian is a lot more common than it once was, it still seems like a foreign concept to many people. It can still be hard to find a restaurant with a vegetarian menu that includes more than just a salad. And I still get judged, questioned and argued with for my eating habits. If you are considering becoming a vegetarian or a vegan, here are some side-effects you might deal with:
1. People Will Get Upset
Some people will actually get distraught when they find out that you are a vegetarian. They don’t understand how you can do such an unbelievably ridiculous thing as to voluntarily not eat bacon. I have been told multiple times that “you can’t live without eating meat". Well, it’s only been about a month, but so far I am still alive. My vegetarian and vegan friends who have been doing this for years are doing just fine. Studies have actually been done that show vegetarians actually live longer, so people need to calm down. I have also been told multiple times that I will "never last" as a vegetarian, or that I "won't be able to handle it". To all the haters out there: you are not health experts, You are irrelevant and annoying. Goodbye.
2. The Dining Hall is Rough
Don't get me wrong, they try to provide vegetarian options, but there is not much variety. And when you do get the vegetarian option and are watching the employee make your food and notice that they are using the same utensils as that they just used to handle meat, it can get a bit uncomfortable.
3. The "Plants Get Killed Too" Argument
Seriously?! One time a friend who is a vegetarian strictly because of health reasons told me that he would rather eat meat because "an animal can at least defend itself or run away when being hunted. A plant is defenseless." I laughed because I thought he was joking. He wasn't.
Until it is discovered that plants can somehow feel pain and experience fear and/or have cognitive ability, then we'll talk. But at this point, it isn't even worth the argument.
4. Refusing meals
When you go over to a friends house for dinner and they forgot to tell their parents that you are a vegetarian, or when your grandma refuses to acknowledge that you don't eat meat, so you have to awkwardly refuse the meal and hope that they don't hate you for denying the food they probably slaved away all day trying to make.
5. Endless questions
Where do you get your protein? Do you only eat salads? If you were on a desert island and the only thing to eat was meat, would you eat it? Do you ever cheat? Do you ever just crave a burger? Can you eat chicken? Do you....
The list goes on and on. You will deal with a lot of people and learn that there actually is such a thing as a stupid question. It can get annoying real fast.
Most of the struggle is not from the diet, but from the social stigma and the people you have to deal with. When it comes to the questions and the other drama, learn to be patient. At the end of the day, being a vegetarian is a lifestyle choice that can be very enjoyable and rewarding. You will feel more connected to the earth, lead a healthier lifestyle (if you do it right) and be more conscious about our impact on the environment as well as the impact food has on our own bodies.
