Why I’m Now A Vegetarian!

About two weeks ago, I made a really big decision. I’ve been flirting with the idea of being vegan versus vegetarianism and comparing the two lifestyles. I’ve tried both styles and I found that being a vegetarian is the best choice for me personally! I’ve been a full vegetarian for two weeks now and it’s been really good so far. Here are some of the reasons why I switched!

Skin

I’ve had some skin issues in the past, which led to it being one of my biggest insecurities. Almost a year ago, I cut red meat out of my diet completely for the sake of my skin. For the same reason, I stopped eating any food that was fried. I saw an immediate change in both my skin and my body. I felt more energetic and more confident. After not eating any meat for two weeks, I’ve seen more improvement for my skin! Aside from a sugar intake from my vacation to Mammoth, my skin is even better than it was before.

Weight

When I stopped eating red meat and fried foods, I lost weight immediately. I felt better and looked better, which helped my confidence and athleticism for volleyball. I’ve been happy with how that went, so when I went full vegetarian, I was expecting to lose a bit more weight. It wasn’t a huge motivator for my switch, but it definitely influenced my decision. And I have been happy so far!

Body

This isn’t something I talk about a lot, but this might have been one of the biggest reasons that I made the switch and really stuck with it. I have a super sensitive stomach and for people who really know me know that I’m super picky with what I eat for this reason. I was always a bit tentative about eating at restaurants that I’m not used to because I wasn’t sure how my body was going to react. Ever since I have switched to not eating meat, my stomach hasn’t reacted negatively in any way. I’m stoked about this because this is something I’ve been dealing with for such a long time now. This lifestyle really works for me and my body, which is one of the reasons I know I’m going to be sticking with it!

Ideology

A few weeks ago, I saw a horribly graphic video about the dairy industry and how some of the cows were treated (I’m not going to link it, but if you want to see it for yourself, be warned. It’s very graphic). I’ve always been a huge animal lover and seeing a part of that industry really broke my heart. I don’t want to support that treatment of animals in any way, which only helped my decision. There are tons of different reasons that vegetarians and vegans choose their lifestyle and this is a part of mine.

Ease

I recently had dinner with a family friend, Matt, who has been a vegan since the early 90s. Since I’m totally new to this, I asked Matt a bunch of questions so I really know what I was getting into. He was totally cool and told me about how much easier it is to be a vegan in this day and age. Because of the increasing popularity and familiarity with these lifestyles, it has become so much easier compared to the 90s to find substitutes. He was talking about how happy he is that there is more and more options! We went to Yardhouse with my family and we enjoyed vegan and vegetarian options, respectively. Now, every Target I go to, I look to see what vegetarian options they have. And there are so many to choose from! I chose the best time to make my switch because I’m fortunate enough to have a lot of options to choose from. I’m so grateful for everything that has changed so that vegans like Matt and vegetarians have loads of options to choose from.

These are all of the reasons that I have become a vegetarian. It’s a huge decision, especially as a college athlete approaching her last season, but I’m happy with it. I’ve researched it, found protein substitutes, and opened up my eating options to different nuts, vegetables, and fruits. I’m really excited about the different dishes I’ll get to try and the people within the community (all of those whom I’ve met have been absolutely amazing). Are you a vegetarian or vegan? Let me know down in the comments! And, of course, thank you so much for reading!

Love,

Kaitlin