Why I went vegetarian (and then decided to start a blog series about it)

Ready for a new series on the blog? One that will hopefully last a little longer than 2 posts and a few tweets? Well before my boss realizes I am supposed to be working (kidding, I would never blog at work), lets get into it.

Being vegetarian is now a pretty big part of my life, and my personal identity (which I’m sure annoys a lot of my meat-loving friends, I would apologise but I’m not that sorry). Eating is another big part of my life, and getting healthy is something I am trying to make more of a focus. With those three things in mind, I want to start sharing more on being a vegetarian in a meat-eating world, and how I am attempting to develop healthy vegetarian habits.

To start,I figured it was only fair to briefly explain my vegetarian journey thus far. Not as a tool to guilt others or try and unsuccessfully seem morally superior to those who are partial to some bacon, but more just as a bit of context and background.

Why I Went Vegetarian

There are heaps of different reasons why people decide to cut out meat, for me it was a combination of two factors. Firstly, I was never a huge meat eater. Chicken and mince (and bacon) were semi-regular in my diet but that was about it. Secondly, and more importantly, Edd and I both started to realise that we felt like there was a lack in congruence between our ridiculous love of animals, and our eating habits. We condemned hunters, we lamented the deaths of certain species of animals and questioned why others would eat things like horse or dog, without realising/avoiding the point that this seemed hypocritical. We decided that for us, there was no arbitrary line in the sand where certain animals deserved to bred and killed for consumption, whilst others did not. And so it only made sense to cut out all meat (obviously dairy and eggs are a whole other part of this industry that I am uncomfortable with, but one step at a time for now :)).

This was our New Years resolution for 2014, and it was a decision I expected to be far harder than it was, although I’m not saying it was extremely easy. Within a short few months, I suddenly couldn’t even force myself to eat chicken (which was the one meat I thought would be missed). We also felt a newfound satisfaction with not being a part of an industry that we had previously ignored or naively set aside as to big of an issue for us to make a difference. Our diet suffered at first, without adequate knowledge about how to eat healthy on a vegetarian diet (okay, so part lack of knowledge but a bigger part of just pure laziness). This year is when we have finally found our stride and figured out how to make it work.

Do I have any spinach in my teeth?

There are so many other reasons to become vegetarian, and I know that it’s different for each individual, but these were our core motivations. Would it have been different if we were eating steak 4 times a week and dining on every variety of meat available? Maybe, but I would hope that we would still have arrived at this decision, even if it took a little longer.

And so here we are, a year and a half later, finally figuring out how to be healthy vegetarians and not just replace McDonalds with BK Salad Burgers (they are delicious though…). I now have a fair few delicious vegetarian recipes up my sleeve, and I can’t wait to share and learn more with those who are also vegetarian or who just want some easy, healthy meal ideas.

Starving in Italy.

Starving in Italy.

I envisage the series including a variety of posts, like the best burger joints in Auckland for vege lovers, nutritious and easy dinner ideas, and general healthy eating habits (like the variety of delicious smoothies we have been experimenting with to increase protein and reduce snacking). If there are any other ideas for what you would like to see as part of this, please let me know! All inspiration is welcome.

Starving at #brunchclub

Starving at #brunchclub

If you’re vegetarian, I would love to know! Let me know what your journey has been like, and why you went vegetarian in the first place :) If you’re not vegetarian, but want to share any delicious vegetarian meals you make, or ask for any clarification as to why we went vegetarian, please feel free to comment. I don’t bite, promise.

For those of you who have no interest in this whatsoever, I promise that for now my blog will remain its usual mismash of topics, and this will only be one of them. Having said that, I not-so secretly hope to convert the entire world, one bacon-lover at a time.

Edit: Below are a couple of vegetarian/vegan recipes I have posted since this little intro.

 

  • http://www.moretimethanmoney.co.nz Amy@MoreTimeThanMoney

    Go for it. I’ve been vegetarian for more than 10 years, less than 15. It was mostly for eco reasons. Although I had been thinking about it for 10 years prior. I was living in London at the time – meat was disgusting, lots of veggie options. It was only when my flatmate went away for a month or so and I was cooking for myself. A big barrier had been having eating preferences that were difficult for others. She actually was vegetarian too for a while following this. I find eating out the worst part. There is always something but often not much choice. If I am going out somewhere nice its mainly for the atmosphere not the food. Shame as I am quite into my food. More vegan options around now but also a lot more Paleo.

    • http://myfoxycorner.co.nz Lizzy Lockhart

      Hey Amy, thanks for commenting :) My flatmates are a bit unlucky in that they are not vegetarians, but also don’t want to cook 😛 So they have to put up with my vegetarian cooking haha. I can see it is much harder if you are living with people who are big meat eaters. Eating out is definitely a challenge, but I’m getting used to having only one or two options, or just being a little more open with the cafe/restaurant and customising certain dishes.

  • http://www.lipsnberries.com/ Nishu

    Yo girl .congratulations on this mean feat! I’ve been a vegetarian pretty much all my life except the first two years in nz…when I found it extremely hard to find vegetarian options at uni. But I’m so great to have found my mojo again. I actually despise the look and feel of meat. And like you I feel new Zealanders to be a bit hypocritical in terms of animal rights. They fight for them but they also have them on their plate. I’m always dumbfounded. It’s easier for me to be a vegetarian also coz I’m a born n bred Indian so we always have a vege version of everything. Dining out and fancy eateries don’t even entice me one bit.
    Looking forward to your posts on this topic hun xx

    • http://myfoxycorner.co.nz Lizzy Lockhart

      Hey Nishu! I wish my parents had raised me vegetarian haha, I feel like it would have made the change a lot easier! It can definitely be hard to find the options, especially at Uni when you’re already stressed out. Haha exactly! Like I love how much New Zealanders fight for cruelty-free makeup, and yet they seem blissfully ignorant of the cruelty on their plates. It’s bizarre. Indian food has become some of my favourite now, so many vegetarian options, and so incredibly delicious! Dahl is a common dish I make now, and one I want to share on the blog (although it may not be very traditional…).
      Thanks so much for your support! xx