Two days ago I passed a small personal milestone. Perhaps milestone is the wrong word to use as I did not lose 100 lbs of weight, climb a mountain or jump out of an aeroplane.
5 February 2013 was the day that I stopped eating meat.
The strange thing is that it seems longer than a year since I last ate meat. I honestly do not miss meat in the slightest. The only frustrating part of being vegetarian is when you are out with friends and family at a restaurant; you inevitably have one or two dishes to choose from while they have about thirty. And the one dish on offer is always bloody risotto. Grrrrrr!!!
Why, Why, Oh Why?
Whenever someone hears that you are a vegetarian, they always follow it up with the simple question “Why?”. Therefore, I thought I would beat you all to the punch and explain why I decided to try vegetarianism.
I suppose I could be called a non-ethical vegetarian. Like many people, I grew up with a dog in the family and to this day I love animals of all kinds. I could never go and hunt for my food and eat it, but that is what meat eaters really should do.
The problem is that there is no connection from the animal to the food that is put on our plate. I believe if more people made that connection, they would stop eating meat.
But killing animals was not the reason I stopped eating meat. I would love to tell you all it was, but that would be a lie.
My brother, on the other hand, has always been ethical about his food. He became a vegetarian when he was a teenager and then became a vegan. He is very knowledgable on the subject and researches every single thing he eats. He also would not hurt a fly….literally. If he saw your car was about to kill a slug, he would tell you to stop the car so that he could move the slug to safety.
Although I ate meat all my life, I would eat vegan and vegetarian food when I was with my brother and his girlfriend (who is also a vegan). The food was good, which is why I always wanted to give vegetarianism a try.
This time last year, I had been travelling South America by bus for many months. I have rarely been a fussy eater, which turned out to be useful because when you are travelling, you regularly need to eat what is available instead of what you actually want or need. The majority of meals included rice, vegetables and some kind of meat.
Unfortunately, the meat was usually poor quality. It was not uncommon for meat to be undercooked; so trips to the toilet became habitual!
During this time, I began to think more about becoming a vegetarian and spoke to my girlfriend about it a few times. I briefly considered only eating healthy meat, but did not think I would stick to such a diet as there would always be the temptation to just eat any kind of meat.
Nothing came out of it, but a few months later (when we were staying in Paraguay for a month) my girlfriend brought up the issue again and we decided to give it a try. We did not really put much more thought into it. She suggested it and we decided to make the following day our last night of eating meat. I have not eaten meat since.
The first week was not difficult, though we did go to the toilet frequently as our bodies had to adjust to not getting meat into our bodies. Beyond that, I suffered no ill effects.
My girlfriend lasted around two weeks before she started eating seafood and returned to meat another week or so afterwards. When she is with me, she follows a vegetarian diet around 80% of the time because we eat together; however she still eats meat at times.
I told myself that although I was enjoying being a vegetarian, I would start eating meat again if my health was affected. Therefore, around six months after I turned vegetarian, I went to the doctors and had a blood test. The test confirmed that I was fine and that I was eating healthily.
I can never rule out eating meat in the future, but I honestly see no reason why I would want to.
Eating Difficulties
Being a vegetarian is easy at home. It does not matter where you are in the world. All supermarkets sell vegetables, pasta and rice etc.
Eating outside of your home can be a pain. I quickly found this out in South America. Our flights from Paraguay up to Ecuador offered sandwiches, however all options were meat. In my hotel the next morning, I asked for toast and eggs. Without even asking, the eggs came with ham cooked through it. And for the first week or so in Ecuador, I had to make do with rice and eggs because no restaurant accommodated vegetarians.
The fact is: We live in a world of meat-eaters.
Thankfully, things got a little better. We stayed in the beautiful town of Cuenca in the South of Ecuador for a month. Around three doors along was a vegetarian restaurant that sold great veggy burgers. There was also a great little vegetarian restaurant one street along that sold three course meals for just a few dollars.
I was quickly reminded that many people in the world still do not even know what being a vegetarian means. We bought an empanada one night in a small shop that was just across from the vegetarian restaurant we went to every day. I stressed many times that I was vegetarian and they said it was no problem as their empanadas did not contain meat.
I took a little nibble out of the end of it and looked inside…and quickly saw that it was full of meat (ham). I reminded them I was vegetarian and they still kept saying that it did not contain meat. This was not an episode of “Lost of Translation”. Even my Spanish speaking girlfriend was looking at them with a “Are you stupid?” look on her face!
That was not an isolated incident.
Two months later, my girlfriend’s mum was making a soup. She was always looking after me and spoiling me (so I cannot criticise her). She cooked soup for everyone and made sure my soup was vegetarian. What I did not realise at the time that this meant that she cooked the soup for days in meat and simply removed the meat when she served me the soup. As a result, I spent a few days crapping through the eye of a needle (sorry to be crude…but that really is the best way to explain it!).
The day before returning to Scotland from Colombia in July 2013, I experienced another encounter with someone that just did not know was being a vegetarian actually meant.
We had arranged to go for lunch with a family my girlfriend knows. Due to last minute shopping, we had forgotten to advise our host that I was vegetarian (which, granted, was bad form on our part). When we explained to our host that I was vegetarian, she responded that it was not a big deal as you can just eat meat for the day. It took a lot of explaining on my part to convince her that I could not simply eat meat for a day and it came across like I was being awkward for the sake of being awkward.
This was a common occurrence in Colombia, a country in which meat is held in as high regard as other countries such as Argentina. Even in an nice Mexican restaurant that we visited – my veggy fajitas came with meat in them. Arggghhhh!
Back in the UK, it is much easier to find good vegetarian food when you are out. I am still limited to one or two options, but at least there are options for me.
Pros & Cons of Being a Vegetarian
There are many benefits to eating meat. It is a fantastic source of iron and protein. Vegetarians can get these minerals from other sources such as beans, nuts and grains; however it is so much easier to just eat meat.
There are many benefits to avoiding meat too. Many studies have shown that vegetarians are less of risk of dying from cancer and are more likely to live longer. Vegans are apparently even healthier.
Health benefits aside, the biggest problem with being a vegetarian comes down to convenience. If you are travelling in some parts of the world, it can be very difficult to eat healthy if you are avoiding meat. This is not really an issue in western societies.
I ate meat for the first thirty three and a half years of my life and I can say honestly that I do not miss meat at all. I never think about it and I do not look on with envy when I see other people eating meat. I am saying this as someone that loved bacon, loved steaks and loved hamburgers. I am saying this as someone who has eaten beef, pork, chicken, crocodile, tuna, swordfish, shark, insects, kangaroo, ostrich, alpaca and guinea pig!
I hope the above statement does not come across like I am trying to persuade others to become vegetarian. Seriously, I am not. My main reason for being a vegetarian is because I feel healthier and I am conscious of the fact that the decisions I make now can affect my quality of life later on. Maybe I will even go one step further in the future and become vegan. Time will tell.
What I do know is that I do not ever become one of those guys who preach to others (well, the odd joke here and there is permitted!). What you do with your life is up to you. For me, in a world where animals are injected with hormones to get bigger and horse is packaged as premium beef, I believe avoiding meat is the best option.
I hope you have enjoyed my look back at a year without meat. Are any of my readers out there also vegetarian?
Kevin
Yes I am still doing it. It’s just normal now. Before I turned vegetarian, people always spoke of how smelling bacon or cheeseburgers would make me want to eat meat again. It never has.
I am not sure whether I will try being a vegan in the future. Ethically, I believe in the reasons for doing so; and I know it is good from a health benefit too. However, it would require me to change my diet a lot as I eat a lot of products with milk in it. And many other things use egg to cook things. It would practically stop me from eating out again (that’s not something I do or particularly enjoy – but I have a girlfriend!!).
Do you think you could become vegetarian? Would it require you to make a lot of changes to your diet?
Kevin, are you still practicing vegetarianism? Just curious because I’m thinking about making a few dietary changes myself and curious about how things are with this method on a long-term basis.
Hi Kevin,
Congratulations on your milestone here. :-)
Even as a very small child, eating meat was never something I enjoyed, and I avoided it as much as possible.
When I was twelve, I saw a documentary on the brutal killing of baby seals.
That was a turning point for me, and I became a vegetarian.
At that time, I had to order certain foods through the mail (largely from a place in San Francisco, CA), and make all of my meals from scratch.
There were no corner health food stores, no Internet.
Coming from a family of hardcore meat eaters, they thought that I’d gone mad.
They also were afraid of my new food, making me put it on a separate shelf in the fridge, and in the kitchen cabinets.
Over the years I did again eat seafood, and even beef, pork, and chicken, but it never sat well with me.
There are also some odd things on my list of eaten foods, and these were all consumed without leaving the U.S. ;-)
Since 1992, I have been a vegetarian for good, and sometimes a vegan.
A fair amount of what I eat is raw food, and I’ve been on a gluten-free diet for several years.
To become a vegetarian was a simple choice for me, and a personal one like any other belief system.
In the same way that I respect the beliefs of others, and do not preach about mine, I wish to be treated in kind.
If there is a guest around who eats meat, I will cook it for her or him, and any leftovers leave with the guest.
There have been many times over the years where I have served vegetarian food to meat eaters, and they have enjoyed it.
Education for all of us about our food, no matter the personal choice, should be a requirement.
This includes understanding how crops are grown, too. It’s not just about meat eaters.
It is important to know the source of what we eat, how it is processed, etc., but not everyone can go out to hunt, or visit a farm.
There is always the Internet, and, for example, there have been some excellent TED talks on eating meat, farming, and so on.
For a truly eye-opening real world experience about meat, I suggest a trip to the slaughterhouse.
I’ve been, and had I not already been a vegetarian at the time, I probably would have become one on the spot.
As for the confusion you encounter about the definition of a vegetarian, and what it means to cook as such, I suspect it will be around for a while.
For example, when a waiter or waitress learns I am vegetarian, I will often get a list of specials that include fish, and/or meat not only in the broth, but also as a main ingredient.
It’s still a new language for many. Patience and a smile go a long way, and I always appreciate any effort to accommodate me.
Best of luck in navigating your way through this new world, and in your marathons.
K.
OMG you really need to visit India mate!
It’s time!
Can’t Believe you’ve been to do many countries but not too that amazing place.
+ food is amazing, especially for vegetarians.
Sorry – I meant to say guinea pig. They breed them there like most other countries breed chickens.
It was not the best – quite greasy and quite tough. Certainly not the best meat I’ve eaten.
It’s amazing how many people are just ridiculously dumb about what being vegetarian is and still serving up meat! Mindboggling!
But …. wait… did I read that right – you ate hamster??? Nooooooooooo … I’ve had hamsters for pets dude! I’d never be able to chuck one down my gullet! Not even for an episode of Fear Factor! And just out of curiousity – what did it taste like?
If you eat fish, you are a pescatarian, not a vegetarian :)
There are a lot of chemicals that can find their ways into fish too….mercury etc. You can get a lot of proteins from beans such as soya and kidney. :)
I am a vegetarian. I do eat fish and eggs, but no beef, chicken, lamb, ham, etc. The meat industry just puts too many antibiotics in these animals to keep them healthy, but they forgot that it makes us more immune to antibiotics so that when we get sick, they have less of an effect and that affects our health in a negative way. I also gave up Dairy. Too much bovine growth hormone in milk plus more antibiotics, etc.. If you are prone to cancer, that disease really thrives on bovine growth hormone. I switched to Almond milk. And “everything is ok in moderation” is BS. Go to this website to find out all the bad stuff that is in milk and milk products: notmilk.com. You will never drink milk again and at least half the world’s population is lactose intolerant. We are subject to one of the largest lobbies in the world, the Dairy industry. An abomination. That means I do not eat cheese either. And it’s pretty hard to avoid eating cheese. If you look at ingredients, most packaged foods contain either milk or cheese and sometimes both. The processed food industry,with the compliance of the FDA (run by former processed food, dairy, or meat industry employees), is killing us. Most people are too ill-informed as a result of being bombarded with food propaganda backed up by the FDA so they think that it is OK to eat this crap. The next abomination is the Oil lobby. We put olive oil on everything. It is pure fat. There is no heart-healthy oil. Not only that, but Italy is the largest importer of oil in the world and they mix other oils with their olive oil and call it virgin. What a ripoff. Not only that, but oil is not good for your veins and arteries as it causes lesions and damage to the endothelieal cells lining the arteries which can lead to arteriosclerosis or hardening of the arteries as determined by clinical studies. The main reason I eat eggs and fish is to placate my wife who does not think I get enough protein. I would be a vegan if she didn’t complain so much. I like plant eater better than vegan. Elephants eat only plants and they live pretty long. Gorillas too. Listen, I suffer from Diabetes 2. I have lost over 30 lbs eating mostly plants. I used to take 1000 mgs of Metformin a day. Since I lost weight, I only take 500 mgs and I am hoping if I lose a few more lbs, I can eliminate that too. So that is my diatribe against the “Western Diet” that is the cause of most of our chronic diseases; heart disease & stroke, cancer, diabetes, etc.
:)
RE: Everything is ok in moderation
Agreed! :)
Great convo Kevin!
I don’t believe low GI is always good and high GI is always bad. As you can see from the list of foods listed in wikipedia, white rice is hardly bad for you (though brown rice is healthier). The key is to eat healthy most of the time. Everything is ok in moderation. :)
I encourage you to try porridge again. There has been a lot of research into GI foods and the science behind it is sound.
I’m certainly no expert on the subject, though I am looking into topics such as this more because of our training. We are closely monitoring our carbs and protein levels to ensure that we have enough fuel for runs and enough nutrients for recovery.
But getting back on topic, you can still eat healthy whilst being a vegetarian or vegan. My brother knows the ingredients of every food he eats and knows what to eat to ensure he has a balanced diet. But being vegetarian would be difficult if you are a fussy eater. You can be vegetarian and be super far because you are eating Doritos and cheese all day!
Thanks for the link.
I totally avoid the High GI
Am very careful about the Medium GI
And am good with most of the Low GI
RE: Although everyone is different, everyone deals with foods in the same way. Your body cannot burn a low GI food group quickly even if you want it to.
Yeah, I don’t know. I really question this. What your saying may be true and it sounds good, but I’m telling you that I feel like my body processes grains (including porridge) faster and they turn to glucose too quickly making me feel nausea like I would if I ate too much sugar. I call it crack food.
More information about the glycemic index at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index
Porridge has a low glycaemic index. This means that energy is released into the body slowly over time (and hence, you should feel fuller for longer). It is eaten by runners a lot before long runs because of this (e.g. runs over ten miles). Conversely, after a long run, your body needs carbs with a high glycaemic index as your body needs energy quickly to recover.
Potatoes usually have a medium to high glycaemic index, which means that the energy is burned up by your body faster.
Although everyone is different, everyone deals with foods in the same way. Your body cannot burn a low GI food group quickly even if you want it to.
RE: If you were constantly feeling hungry, then you were probably not eating the right foods. I get carbs from brown bread, brown rice, porridge/oats etc. It’s just fuel for my runs.
That’s what vegetarians want to believe of the other side, but if I eat steel cut oats or even a teff porridge in the morning I have to be careful to not get uncomfortably full, then I’m hungry in 30-60 minutes and then I’m queasy. I eat sweet potatoes, leeks, garlic, kale, and jalopeno all chopped up like hash browns, cooked with a couple of farm eggs over easy on top and I’m satisfied and good to go for hours.
The point is that everybody’s body assimilates food slightly differently and vegetarians have a habit of maintaining that “if only” meat eaters would just eat the “right way” they’d feel good and do fine. I challenge this position.
RE: Eating a balanced diet is easier when you eat meat – at least from the point of view of when you are out in restaurants or travelling.
I have no doubt that’s true! LOL
Hi Jules,
I have nothing against people who do eat meat. Most people I know still do…and until a year ago, I did too.
I believe you can feel good without meat if you eat properly. If you were constantly feeling hungry, then you were probably not eating the right foods. I get carbs from brown bread, brown rice, porridge/oats etc. It’s just fuel for my runs :)
Eating a balanced diet is easier when you eat meat – at least from the point of view of when you are out in restaurants or travelling.
My Mom is a vegetarian, does that count?
I do agree that we need to have a closer relationship to our food. Most of the stuff sold in grocery stores may be editable—well that is probably a generous assessment, but isn’t actually “food”
RE: I believe if more people made that connection, they would stop eating meat.
My Dad hunted, I hunted when I was younger, my boy hunts, his father still hunts. We raised our own beef when I was a kid. Currently I purchase grass fed beef that’s raised just down the street from where my Mom lives. You can’t get much closer to your food supply than that—well I guess I could go out and camp with them ;)
I agree that in general, at least we Americans, do eat more meat than is necessary. And I would say most eat a VERY poor quality of meat (we’ll save that subject for another blog post ;) But I don’t feel good if I don’t have meat in my diet. Eating simple carbs just make me hungry all the time, I feel like I constantly need to eat, I get queasy. There’s no stability in it.
I like getting my carbs from fresh vegetables, and limit my intake of grain carbs. I do my best to stay away from processed foods—only in emergency, or it’s a “treat.” When I eat a balanced diet of veg, meat, fish, and grain, combined with healthy oils like coconut, olive oil, I feel better, stronger, and have more stamina. Not as much as my cattle dogs, but I’m working on it ;)
So though I agree with some of what you are saying I would like to raise my had for the percentage of us that either enjoy or require meat in their diet.
Cheers!
Jules
PS – I’m a developer not a blogger so forgive my writing abilities! (please)
India is definitely on my list of places to visit. I love indian food :)
Interesting article. You will never have a problem here in India, a large section of people are vegetarians.
You’re welcome Lee.
I’d love to discuss this issue with you….but I am honestly not that knowledgable on it. I would definitely put myself into the group of people that have felt into the protein trap.
I have only actually started using protein over the last two months – particularly on days following my big runs (15-20 miles). I try and load up on carbs the day before big runs too so that I produce more glycogen.
I eat lots of fruit too. I got a food processor the other week so I have been using it every day for shakes and juices. It is so easy to make juices with it. I just put in water, pears, plumbs, berrys and ice. Really tasty and it’s a quick way of consuming lots of fruit during the day.
My two friends who run with me most days are more knowledgable about the nutritional side of things; however not by much. They are really just following advice given in books etc (plus they eat meat so they don’t need to research that element of it).
Are you still following a raw food and fruit diet?
Kevin
Thanks for sharing Kev! I find it really easy to eat vegetarian at home too :) It was 2009 when I made a change to a mostly raw, fruit based diet.
Since I cut the meat I’ve enjoyed much improved recovery rates and my already good cardio is far easier to maintain.
“There are many benefits to eating meat. It is a fantastic source of iron and protein. Vegetarians can get these minerals from other sources such as beans, nuts and grains; however it is so much easier to just eat meat.”
– I have to disagree with you here my friend. Meat is not a fantastic source of iron and protein for the human body (nor other micro/macro nutrients), it’s difficult to break down the formed animal protein into amino-acids (which is what we actually need to build our own protein with). Don’t fall into the protein trap, we only need a tiny amount. What we need mostly is fuel, the best source being unprocessed simple carbs.
Protein and fat are mostly for our structural needs, consider this, a baby grows faster than the most successful steroid using body builder. Yet mothers milk can facilitate this growth in infancy with less than 10% total calories coming from protein.
Fat is another example, you always hear that fish is great because of the omegas that will help grow your brain! Well, we do need our fats, but they are in more healthful ratios for humans, in plant foods.
Thanks Dieter.
I have lost a little weight, but not too much initially. This was probably because that the first few months I was usually eating whatever I could. On the road that sometimes meant that a vegetarian pizza was my best option (I’d rather eat veggy pizza and go fat than eat plain rice with an egg on top!!).
I’m pretty trim just now as I’m running around 45 miles a week and I am eating clean. Porridge and protein shakes for breakfast. Something light for lunch. Pasta for dinner etc. I’m not someone who has ever eaten fatty food anyways and I always feel better when I eat healthy.
Though I’m not focusing on losing weight. My whole diet is focused around rebuilding my muscles using protein after training and getting enough carbs in me for my run the next day. Despite this, I do seem to be losing a little weight over time.
I have an appointment with the doctor next week as I am still having problems with my neck (I pinched a nerve years ago and it is still giving me problems). If the physio can improve that, I will probably add two strength training sessions to my routine every week. I’d drop a lot of weight quickly with that.
Vegan wouldn’t be too difficult for me if I made the effort. I’m training for four marathons this year so it is easier for me to get protein by eating dairy. Though I can easily switch to soy milk and cut out milk chocolate etc. I’d also have to give up cheese – I am not someone who eats a lot of cheese but it does stop me from eating lots of other foods that have it such as pre-made pizzas, veggy lasagnes etc.
I find that when you make small changes over time, it is very easy to change eating habits. The main problem with being a vegan is not being able to eat anything when you are out. I wouldn’t be able to eat out at restaurants etc. I don’t eat out frequently anyways, however I would like to enjoy myself when I do go out for birthdays, occasions etc.
Great story. Now did you lose weight? And where do you get your recipes from? I’m on the verge of trying meatless myself.
Congrats! And it is a very nice written story, you should write a book about your trip with such funny details as “crapping through the eye of a needle” – I was crying with laughter.
According to your question – I like vegetarian food, maybe not all dishes, but some. I enjoy eating meat, but as with veggie food, not all types of meat. Pork, chicken, beef, rabbits and venison are on my “eatable list”.
Besides that all, being vegan is more like fantasy or hobby in my opinion.