Going Vegetarian

March 2017 was when I accidentally watched a slaughter house video and it was the best thing that could have happened to me. Being in a typical, meat eating South African Family, I had just finished dinner of which the main ingredient was beef sausages.

I felt so sick at the thought of the food in my stomach potentially coming from the scenes in the video, that I couldn't bring myself to eat meat for two days. Then I realised that it wasn't actually very hard and decided to go vegetarian.

I didn't know it at the time, but along with benefitting animal welfare, going vegetarian makes a major, positive difference to the environment! Have a look at our article for more information on its sustainable impact.

If you care about animal welfare or the environment, this is a great way to make a positive difference as an individual! Here are some tips to help you along the way.

1. Eat Good Food

Vegetarian meals are very different from ones that include meat. At least for me, a meal used to be planned around the flavours and textures of meat, and vegetables added to enhance that. Classic week meals such as Spag Bol and Roasts wouldn't be complete without the meat component. For convenience you can eat meals like these without the meat, but the lack of body and flavour will make it much harder to stick to this lifestyle.

My advice is to find vegetarian recipes specifically. In the beginning, I only cooked from recipes until I started learning how the different components worked together and to base a meal around a vegetable or grain rather than meat. Now I have learnt to make my own meals without a recipe, and the experiments (usually) turn out delicious. There are loads of recipes there from gourmet dishes with intense preparation, and quick 10 minute meals for those who are busy.

Some great vegetarian blogs you can start with are:

Cookie and Kate

Hummasapien

Safe - great for making easy and affordable vegetarian meals!

Wholesome Culture

Or if you are more into gold old fashion cook books:

The Revive Cookbook Series (sold in New Zealand)

2. Know Why you're Vegetarian

Vegetarian doesn't always mean you don't like meat. For me, the hardest parts have been when my family are eating chops fresh off the grill with a mouth watering smell. The only reason I managed to continue was because I believed so strongly in why I was doing it. When I thought about where that food came from, my appetite for those chops disappeared.

Whatever your reason, make sure you are passionate about it. I cannot stress enough how much easier the transition will be if you have a personal reason as to why you are trying to change.

3. Be Prepared for the Social Aspect

The reality is, not everyone will become vegetarian. Usually this means you will be one of a few or even the only person who doesn't eat meat at a social event.

When I first changed my diet, this made me uncomfortable. Firstly, I was worried that people would judge me or question my choice, and two, that I would inconvenience others. Two years down the track I have never had to deal with negativity towards my choices, apart from a few jokes (which were actually pretty funny!).

Let's deal with the first insecurity.

If someone asks you why you are vegetarian, they're usually just curious. Take this opportunity to explain your choice, but do not disrespect theirs. Vegetarians and vegans are stereotyped as 'preachy' so by all means, spread a positive image about the lifestyle but, understand that everyone has different values and beliefs and they may not agree with you. Most people will not judge you. In reality, most won't even care - it doesn't affect anyone else except you who is doing the eating.

The inconvenience is a bit harder. If you go to dinner at someone's house, often they won't actually know what kind of food to make for you. Instead you can offer to bring a dish of your own (which will cut down on cooking time for them!) or just be prepared to only eat salads for that particular night. Every restaurant I have been to apart from one has had a vegetarian option. Some with more choices than others, but the number of options has been growing fast. When there's nothing available, all you have to do is order a few side dishes such as a garden salad and chips and hope for the best - You can always compensate with dessert!

My most obvious piece of advice to avoid inconvenience is to tell people that you are vegetarian. For me this was difficult as it almost felt confrontational, but when I've actually done it I've always gotten a positive response and managed to avoid awkwardness when going out to eat.

4. Indulge in Convenience

People associate vegetarian with being expensive and time consuming. There are incredible products such as sausage rolls, packet soups and frozen meals with vegetarian options. If you get home late, or are feeling lazy these are life savers!

I love Pies do the most amazing vegetarian sausage rolls you'll ever try! Another upside is the sausage roll packaging has no plastic!

If going full vegetarian is not for you, you can still make an impact by just eating less meat and dairy products, shopping locally, and reducing food waste as talked about in the article linked above.

If you want more information about tips on going vegetarian, Safe for Animals has a great starter guide which you can find here.