Earlier this spring, my wife and I wrapped up a Lent inspired 46-day vegetarian journey. We are both big believers in challenging oneself and often find that it will lead to some unexpected new appreciation or joy. But as a lifelong carnivore and BBQ aficionado, I wasn’t too sure of how cutting meat out of my diet was going to lead to nirvana.
It’s truly amazing how far the vegetarian movement has come in recent years. I feel like it wasn’t that long ago that the only vegetarian I knew was a friend of a friends neighbors wacky aunt. Now, I have both close friends and family who live by the code. Rather than run through boring daily accounts, I figured I’d keep it lean and hit on a few key personal discoveries…
You’d be surprised how few things are truly meatless. While the number of vegetarian friendly restaurants and groceries have gone up in recent years, it’s incredibly hard to find something at a Mexican restaurant that doesn’t include pork fat.
You don’t have to be a hipster to be a vegetarian: I know, I know, but it’s true. While I still believe there to be a much higher concentration of hipsters in the vegetarian community, you don’t have to own a Subaru and a Labradoodle to go veggie.
Just because it’s vegetarian doesn’t mean it’s healthy. “This soy sausage tastes like pork, contains no pork, but somehow has more fat than pork, WTF?” True story. Check out some of the options next time you’re at the grocery.
Vegetarians are creative: Just Google vegetarian recipes and see what they’ve come up with. You’ve probably eaten a vegetarian designed meal and not even known it!
It’s not cheap to eat vegetarian: If you really want to explore all that the vegetarian world has to offer, Wal-Mart is not where you’ll find it. Like most things in life, a few extra bucks are usually worth it.
Beans have a lot of carbs in them: Maybe I’m the only one who didn’t know this. But if you are watching your carbs, you have to take it easy on the beans. A single serving of black beans contains almost as many carbs as a slice of bread.
So, did I miss being able to order a burger or BBQ a brisket? Sure, but not nearly as much as I thought I would. And while I didn’t learn anything through this challenge that literally changed my life, I did once again prove my personal theory that even the slightest lifestyle change can be enough to spark an adventure. It’s so easy to get too comfortable and to a point where you stop trying new things. So, whether or not you want to give the veggie lifestyle a try, be sure to challenge yourself one way or another. I’ll bet you discover something pretty awesome!
Post by: Rob Sender
Katie Pool Posted on 
