Actually, I wanted to use the following headline How I Struggle To Be A Vegetarian, but eventually I decided to keep it positive. And honestly I’m not as brave as many other bio-organic-eco-phyto-friendly people so I’m a lacto-ovo vegetarian.
Needless to say, vegetarian diet is rather controversial topic. I want to delve into neither moral nor digestive aspects of the problem. Let’s just see what impact this “problem” can have on your life.
1) I don’t eat meat (and fish/chicken/eggs/liver/kidney) not because animals are thinking, feeling creatures and I feel sorrow for them. I just don’t like the taste of all that meat stuff. And normally I kill one kitten per day.
2) When I say “I’m a vegetarian” people think that I only eat carrot sticks but they ask, “Then what do you eat at all?”
3) When I visit my relatives and remind them that I don’t eat meat and foods of animal origin, they offer me either scrambled eggs or pancakes with red caviar (disclaimer: they are Russian).
4) I don’t get the idea of veggie steaks, veggie bacon, veggie hamburgers, and other vegan fast food. That doesn’t tally with my definition of a vegetarian diet. But that’s just me. I don’t trust vegetarians who tell about their non-meat life, fiercely sinking their teeth into juicy soy meat.
5) The only shop that has been selling tofu in my town stopped doing it two months ago. A shop assistant said that no one (but me) buys tofu so they had to stop carrying that product. Now I hope the shop’s supplier will arrange the delivery of Vitamin B12. And some meds for anemia. And for depression.
6) Be also ready, because your friends and relatives (and concerned strangers) will always remind you about nutritional deficiency and a lack of essential minerals on your plate that in turn leads to mental problems and causes damage to the brain. You should stay calm and reject all the arguments. Just don’t tell them that it’s supposed to be a ten-point checklist but nothing is coming to your mind. Instead, insist that your lucky number is 6.
Marta Frant 
I am from India and a complete vegetarian though not Vegan. We have some wonderful vegetarian food here but yes do face a massive challenge when we travel.
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I suppose it’s a little bit easier to be a vegetarian in India. We have a shop with superfoods and its owner claims he buys all that stuff in India.
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It’s easy to be a vegetarian in California . But , you know , vegan and vegetarian are two different things .( I almost used our expression : two different animals ) .
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Yes, I know they are not the same, and more than that when it comes to nutrition and diets, everyone chooses his/her own way of organizing things and even adds or excludes some rules.
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I knew you knew .
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🙂
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Yes. #4!
Also, thanks for the like. I hope you have a chance to try the veggie stock.
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Haha! I am vegan (vegetarian for ethics, vegan for health) and my kids are vegetarian (except when alone with my mom) but I can’t tell you the number of people who tell me what they should eat. Or the number of people who know someone who “would be taller if only their mother fed them red meat.” And then there’s my mom as I brought up who tells the kids her meatloaf (or whatever) doesn’t have meat in it….uhhhhhhhhhh…So I lost where I was going with that but basically I think I’m saying I totally feel your pain
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Haha thank you for the support 🙂 When I was a kid I wasn’t a vegetarian because at the time it was not me who has beet taking all the decisions in our family. So maybe I would be not so tall after all 🙂
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I struggle with all meat diet sometimes 😦 Everything I order usually comes accompanied with some yucky green stuff. People look at me weird when I claim to be a carnivore. How I struggle to be a Carnivore 😛
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=) I’m sure if I were a man, I wouldn’t be a vegetarian. I just wouldn’t endure all that fitness and weightlifting. And thank goodness I can stand my evening running without eating meat. Three chocolate bars and I’m ready 🙂
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Oh no I eat meat for the sheer pleasure of it. Well, who cares about meat when there is chocolate 🙂 I could just be on a pure chocolate diet haha.
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Growing up I wanted to be a vegetarian. Recently I had thoughts about becoming a vegan and then I met the B12 issue. Since I might already have a deficiency I’m trying to fix it while searching for the best solution.
What surprises me about people’s perception of vegan food is the idea that it is tasteless. How do people manage to forget that practically all seasoning are from plants? Thyme, onion, pepper, mint, parsley, garlic…with all these available why would there be a limit on how tasty vegan food can be?
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Food with vegetables, plants and seasoning is not only tasty, it looks so beautiful and colorful, that I even can’t compare it with meat. I hope I receive B12 from cheese (I adore it) and curd.
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I hadn’t even thought of that. But it’s so true. You definitely do (and I loooove cheese…all things dairy actually). The amount depends on the type and size. But if you’re a consumer of meat on a bi-daily basis and can still possibly have a B12 deficiency I’m not certain a vegan diet will help.
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I buy some vitamin supplements containing different types of vitamin B from time to time. You know I can’t say that I chose vegetarian diet, the diet itself chose me =) I just don’t like how I feel myself after consuming meat products.
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Good solution. And I understand.
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I believe vegetarian is perfectly healthy if you have a variety and quality source for vegetables. The real challenge is getting enough of the right stuff. I found that the best diet for me is coffee, vodka, and chocolate in any form. I also augment my diet with beer, wine, and bourbon. I don’t smoke so I stay healthy. For a snack or treat for being a good boy, I eat proteins, grains, dairy, and vegetables. Maybe I’m not such a good boy. I still weigh the same as I did when I was in my early 20’s. I don’t get enough snacks. 🙂
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Yes, it’s very indiviadual. When it comes to proteins and fats I prefer exercises to not think about weight at all.
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The fact that you exercise and use discipline means you will make a good doctor. Doctors are always telling me to eat a good diet and exercise. When I tell them that my exercise regimen would make an Olympic champion cry for their mother to save them, they add, “in moderation.” I think you have already mastered this so it’s okay to move on to something else now. 😉
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