I become a "real" Vegetarian in February of 2016. The process before that was definitely... a process. I thought about cutting meat out of my diet for a year before I actually did. The lack of healthy food choices at my school sparked my decision to change my diet. Shortly after, I started researching how meat is prepared and the term "processed meat" started to pop up quite frequently. I knew that animals were slaughtered to make the burgers, hot-dogs, and hamburgers that I shamelessly indulged in, but learning the extra chemicals that are injected into animal products for our consumption turned me all the way off.

I wasn't turned off enough to stop eating meat right away. But I did slowly start cutting it out of my diet. I would order a sandwich without turkey or order a veggie burger instead of a regular one. On the days that I didn't eat meat, I would realize that It wasn't necessary in order for me to enjoy the meal. Like most drastic changes, it took a lot of adjusting. However, by gradually reducing my intake of meat, I reached a point where I no longer had the desire to eat it at all. That is where all of the fun began.

When I stopped eating meat, it was imperative that I find other foods too replace the lack of protein intake in my diet. I was introduced to so many options, ranging from beans to legumes to protein shakes. I was constantly online researching food alternatives that would provide me with the same nutrients I would no longer be getting from meat.

Finding protein replacements was only a start. Once I began my research, I realized how many different foods existed in the world. It began an ongoing search on finding healthy alternatives to everything in my diet. It was as if I opened up a door to a wild array of options that I never would have tried if It didn't become a necessity. I became very conscious of the food that I was allowing into my body. I started reading the packaging labels and ingredients on the back of food labels. When I do not know most of the ingredients on a label, as a rule of thumb I chose not to eat it. These are all new transitions that happened as soon as I made one decision to stop eating meat.

Since being a vegetarian, I have tried all types of fruits, vegetables and food that I would not have tried when In the past. It was if that first step of altering my diet gave me courage to make new changes and learn about more options. For anyone who is considering changing their diet, I would encourage them to do so because it is an empowering feeling.