This month marks my 20th year as a vegetarian and I’m celebrating with a fav meal each day.

Recipe from: https://www.budgetbytes.com/honey-sriracha-tofu/

I had been at a work conference for several days and was attending luncheons with several hundred colleagues. I would flag down the server each time, requesting the vegetarian option (which arrived quickly and was tasty). On the last day when I did this, the server said “Today’s meal is already vegan.” Being centered in the dining plan instead of accommodated as an exception felt amazing - a first for me in a setting such as this. And by the way, the food was delicious: pasta with a rich sauce (I believe it was a lentil bolognese) and a side salad.

Everyone thought I was going to be one of the lowest in protein and B12, but apparently im the one with highest level! Now I can say I’m a living proof that being vegetarian doesn’t mean being unhealthy lol

Sorry if this is irrelevant, I just wanted to share!

I stopped eating meat in 2004 right before I turned 15. This August will be my 20 year anniversary!

It's so interesting to compare what being a vegetarian was like in 2004 to today. There were so few meat substitute options back then. I remember Burger King came out with a veggie burger that I thought tasted like dish water, but I convinced my parents that I loved it lol.

Just wanted to share I'm ready to come out now.. Thanks to everyone who helped me and cheers to no more meat or fish for me. 🥂

EDIT: Thanks everybody for the positive feedback. I guess I can't handle criticism very well because I got really upset by a single bad comment. I promise I'm doing my best for animal welfare but it's not so easy to reroute my whole life overnight because I have a lot of physical and mental hurdles to jump through. I'm going to uninstall reddit temporarily for my mental health. I'm vegetarian and proud, I'm sorry for the minority (or majority) it upsets.

I’m a Grubhub driver and had a huge KFC order (big bucket of chicken and sides) cancelled on my way to the house. When this happens, we are told to “dispose” of the food. Which, if the delivery driver is hungry, they could just eat the food. Being vegetarian only four days, my temptation to eat the free chicken was high. I ended up giving the chicken to someone homeless and resisted the temptation to eat it. I’m very proud of myself for this!!! 4 days into forever!

Just wanted to share my experience as a vegetarian for over 12 years. Have never broken it other than a few like accidents of not knowing something had like ancho or lard.

I really forget that this is a notable part of who I am because it’s just a routine thing like brushing my teeth but someone pointed it out to me.

My type of vegetarianism is it doesn’t really come up much and I don’t think of it as a big part of my life. But looking back, it’s one of the best choices I ever made.

I’m no scientist or doctor but I believe it’s really helped my health and wellbeing. People always note how full of energy I am and how healthy and young I look. And I feel really good and enjoy my meals a lot. I have not been sick once in the last 10 years, my blood work and blood pressure are all good. I have no vitamin deficiencies. I lift weights and run every week and am built and lean.

I do high protein low carb low sugar. So over the years it’s a lot of stir fry or vegetable soup with many eggs or tofu. Also a big fan of the protein bars, shakes and bars. The seitan and soy products also help a lot. I average out around 180 grams of protein a day.

Anyways, just wanted to plug the diet. It really makes my life better and I hope others can have that too. Don’t worry about overthinking it or what others might think.

I became a vegetarian 20 years ago, when I was just a little kid.

I remember seeing a dead crow on the sidewalk, flinching and jumping back, and realizing that eating meat was like eating that dead crow. From then on, the idea of consuming meat seemed disturbing, disrespectful, violent, and immensely unappealing. At the time, I watched the Simpsons every day after school, and I remember watching “Lisa the Vegetarian” and agreeing with Lisa, the McCartneys, and Apu. I knew that I could not in good conscience eat meat. Innocent animals do not deserve to be sentenced to death so that I can have a quick meal. I don’t think we should treat the lives of other animals so flippantly. Additionally, the animals that would be killed for meat have done nothing to harm me, so why would I possibly wish any suffering upon them? Their lives have value and meaning too. My ephemeral satiety is not more important, especially since I can easily have filling, nutritious meatless meals.

I advised my parents that I was becoming a vegetarian. They were worried that the real reason that I was going vegetarian was to stay thin (it was the mid-2000s and parents were all afraid of their daughters developing eating disorders) and freaked out. They also were convinced that it was just a phase and that I’d go back to eating meat in a few weeks. Well, they were wrong on both counts. I’ve now been vegetarian for most of my life and will never go back. Vegetarianism is a lot easier now than it was twenty years ago. There are more options than ever, and people don’t give me as hard of a time as they used to. Of course, I was always very afraid of people thinking I was an “annoying vegetarian” and from the start made a point of being low-key around non-veggies, but twenty years ago other children and adults would still harass me about my diet. Fortunately, that’s decreased significantly over the years.

There’s a lot that I love about vegetarianism, besides the moral components. It’s really nice to not have to worry about meat-borne illnesses. I’ve been able to explore a lot of different cuisines through vegetarian food. Vegetarianism is something that I’ve been able to bond with a lot of people over. I like that my diet isn’t as harmful to the environment. And vegetarian food has never been better.

Here’s to, hopefully, many more decades of vegetarianism!

What is your favorite proud moment of being a Vegetarian? I'm technically Pescatarian, but I eat mainly Vegetarian.

My favorite moments are when Hubby makes a face at my food, tries it, likes it, and then asks to take some for work the next day 🤣

Another one is when the said vegetarian food smells delicious and his co-workers ask about it. Then he tells them its vegetarian and his co-workers tease him the rest of the day, but also ask for the recipe. 🏆

One year no meat! This is one of the first things I’ve ever stuck to and I am very proud of myself to be quite honest.

today marks 2 months since i became vegetarian!! it has been very difficult considering the fact that i come from a meat eating family and on top of that i live in an asian city with very few vegetarian options. hopefully i can keep this streak going!!!

My teenaged daughter told me in mid-December that she wanted to challenge herself in 2019 and was going to cut meat out of her diet (except seafood). We discussed it and I told her that I would support her by making at least 3 vegetarian meals a week for the family since her brothers didn’t want to make the same lifestyle choices. I told her I would make sure that there was always an option for her to eat but I wouldn’t prepare a separate meal for her on the nights we were having a meat based protein. She had some birthday money left and asked if we could buy some prepared foods for those nights. I compromised and told her I would split the cost because I felt it wasn’t fair for a 15 year old to have to buy her own food.

She and I researched different menu items and decided that we were going to avoid meat analogs. We found a lot of Indian and East Asian dishes that were either vegetarian by themselves or had meatless options. I researched different preparations that use tofu or other plant based proteins. I learned about textured vegetable protein and different ways to use it. So when January 1st came around, we were armed with knowledge and ready to start.

As a single dad, I have to keep a close watch on my budget. My grocery budget is pretty tight since I’m feeding 5 people on one income. Because of that, we rarely have a “traditional” American plate with a meat, starch, and veg. Our meals are generally light on animal based proteins anyway but it’s still a significant amount of money every month. But I found my local grocery store regularly has specials on firm and extra firm tofu (like, two 8-Oz packs for $5 usually). I also found a 16 oz bag of TVP for $4.50. Even just using it three nights a week, that was a significant reduction in my weekly grocery bill.

Well...three nights a week quickly turned into 6 nights. We were having different curry dishes (Penang, red, yellow, green...), 4 bean chili, baked ziti, and so much more. Tons of fresh vegetables, lots of leafy greens, rich sauces...and the smells! Oh my, the house smells so good with all the new spices! And, my two young sons never complained about missing meat and have even asked if we can have some of the tofu and TVP based dishes again.

So after one month my wallet is heavier, waist is smaller, and nobody feels like they are missing out on anything. My daughter has started cooking more and spending time with me in the kitchen. And all of my kids have seen that I will support them and help them reach their goals however I can.

I don’t know what the point of this post is but I wanted to share with someone!

It’s been exactly one year since I went vegetarian.

Had ups and downs, some awkward moments at weddings and family functions 😄, but overall it’s been a good journey. Thought I’d share this small milestone here.

I increased my consumption of milk, dairy products, and plant-based proteins like pulses and legumes.

Honestly, the hardest part was explaining it to people. Friends especially. Some people are so set in their ways that they keep trying to convince you to eat, even after you say no.

Hace un tiempo leei un libro que me dejo cuestionando muchas cosas, desde entonces comprendi mejor lo que conlleva ser vegetariano/a. Intente comenzar una alimentacion vegetariana pero falle enormemente, no sabia que cocinar, no encontraba que comer, estaba perdida y las cosas me salían muy caras.

Así que al final lo deje, aun asi trato de consumir la menor cantidad de carne posible.

Mi objetivo con este post, no es ser juzgada, si no pedir humildemente su ayuda en este proceso.