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5 Things you must be aware of before becoming vegetarian
1. You must prepare your transition slowly but surely
Whether you’ve thought long and hard about it or it’s an impulsive decision, you don’t become vegetarian overnight. No, you prepare for it, otherwise, your motivation risks disappearing as quickly as it appeared. Our advice: keep your goal in mind, stick to it, but work towards it little by little.
2. You need to do your research beforehand
Don’t jump blindly into this lifestyle. It’s a diet you have to know really well in order to avoid getting (uncommon) deficiencies in animal protein or not compensating for them correctly. A good vegetarian diet needs to include pulses, cereal, starchy foods, products rich in protein, etc. Don’t be afraid to read the numerous recipe books that are out there, as they will give you inspiration and introduce you to new foods.
3. Be wary of hidden meat
By researching products, you will become aware of those that contain meat or fish. They are sometimes present in foods we would never have even suspected. Sweets, marshmallows, fruit juice, yoghurts, vinaigrette, etc. Keep your eyes peeled!
4. Don’t compensate with other food groups
When we remove an element from our diet, we often try to compensate it with something else. Be careful of cheese and fast food that we are so often tempted by. This type of food, even vegetarian, leads to the loss of the positive effects gained from its healthy elements.
5. You'll have to toughen up and remain strict
Even though increasingly more people are becoming adopting this lifestyle, this diet is still likely to get mocked and ridiculed. “You just want to follow the trend”, “you’re going to have deficiencies”, “so you’re just going to eat seeds then?”. There are so many comments that you have to face defiantly, respond to kindly or simply smile and let go.
Remember that a meat free diet involves changing your lifestyle and will have an impact on your social life. Think about the next family Christmas or your best friend’s wedding ceremony. There are many situations where you will be confronted with meaty meals. So, make sure you are doing the right thing before jumping into the meat free way of life!
Editor’s opinion – Ovo-lacto vegetarian, pescatarian?Did you know there are several ways of being a vegetarian? You can be an ovo-lacto vegetarian. This means you don’t eat meat but do consume eggs, milk and other dairy products. An ovo-vegetarian is someone who eats eggs but no other dairy products, whereas a lacto-vegetarian eats all dairy products. A pescatarian is someone who eats fish. Finally, a vegan refers to people who don’t consume any products linked to animals (meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, honey), and ethical vegans don’t use any products involving animal exploitation (leather, fur, beauty products tested on animals). |
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