Over the past three decades, I've learned a lot from my own journey as a vegetarian. To celebrate my anniversary, I thought it would be fun to share some of my most commonly asked questions when people hear that I am a vegetarian.
- What kind of vegetarian are you? I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I consume eggs and dairy products as part of my vegetarian diet. Although I've had many times when I've considered becoming a vegan, I feel my lacto-ovo vegetarian diet works well for me as I can keep my body in good health with eggs/dairy, I have a lot of variety with my diet, I find it easy to eat when traveling (especially internationally) and I can still respect animals through my food-related decisions.
- Where do you get your protein from? My protein sources include: tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils, whole grains, eggs, cottage cheese, milk, protein powder, yogurt, veggie burgers and edamame. The majority of my diet is made of real food sources.
- Do you take any supplements? I take an Iron pill once a week to maintain my ferritin levels. I do not take any other supplements.
- Do you get uncomfortable if someone else eats meat in front of you? No. Karel is not a vegetarian and he eats meat several times per week. I do not focus on what other people are eating as I stay attentive and present when I am eating. I do get very uncomfortable if someone talks about hunting or hurting animals. When this happens, I ask the person to please stop talking about this topic or I leave the conversation. I do not watch documentaries that involve hurting/killing animals and I have tremendous difficulty watching movies that involve hurting animals.
- Do you tell other people to become vegetarians? No. As a vegetarian, I do not feel I am responsible for making the dietary choices for other people. As a dietitian, when someone asks for advice on how to become a vegetarian, I always ask "why" they want to stop eating meat.
- Do you feel healthier as a vegetarian? When I became a vegetarian, I was not a healthy vegetarian. I didn't eat a lot of vegetables and I ate a lot of processed food. When I learned about "healthy" eating in college, I ate a lot of vegetables but my diet turned very low calorie because of so many food eliminations. In both scenarios, I was not a healthy vegetarian. I don't believe that 'not eating meat' necessarily makes you a healthier person. I believe every person should eat a plant-based diet but it's up to you where you want to get your protein from. It's rare for me to get sick. I've never had a broken bone or stress fracture. I do feel healthy.
- What's your best advice for becoming a vegetarian? I would avoid giving your diet a name as restriction often leads to binging. You do not have to start off as all or nothing when wanting to change your dietary patterns. First, address your reasons for making a dietary change. Secondly, figure out a few areas that you'd like to improve in your current diet. To maintain good health as a vegetarian (or in any restricted diet), you need to be great with meal planning, have variety in your diet and be proactive with your eating decisions. However, these strategies are important for any style of eating.
- Do you find it difficult to eat out? Personally, I don't enjoy eating out. It's costly and time-consuming. However, this doesn't mean that I don't eat out. I prefer to order-out when we do "eat out." I look for places that have plant based sources of protein (ex. tofu/tempeh/veggie burger) and I like to try new foods (or food creations). I also know that if I eat a meal that doesn't include a plant protein, that nothing bad will happen to me (except I may not be satisfied after the meal).
- Do you find it difficult to be an endurance athlete as a vegetarian? Being an endurance athlete is hard no matter the style of eating you choose. I feel the strategies that I use to maintain a nutritious vegetarian diet - like planning ahead and knowing how to make a balanced meal - are important skills for all endurance athletes. Because I'm always thinking/planning ahead to ensure I meet my energy needs, I feel I do a great job nourishing and fueling my body to support my endurance training. Plus, as an endurance athlete, most sport nutrition guidelines do not include meat/fish so that makes it a bit easier to fuel my body appropriately during workouts.
- Do you ever have a cheat day or a day when you just want to eat meat? No. I've never "cheated" as a vegetarian. I don't think of my eating choices as a diet because my primary reason for not eating fish/meat is for animal reasons. I don't crave meat or miss it.
If you are looking to adopt a more plant-based style of eating, I encourage you to pursue your own definition of what plant-based means to you and how it can be good for the environment, good for animals, good for your lifestyle and good for your health.
If you are considering transitioning to a more plant-based diet, there's no need to immediately title your diet as 'vegan' or 'vegetarian' to take advantage of the many health, ethical and environmental benefits of a plant-based diet. When adopting a different style of eating, start with the mindset “less is best.” Make small changes by learning about nutritious plant-based substitutions for every animal food reduction. A slow gradual process is less extreme, it’s easier on your body and intuitively, it’s more gentle for your mind. And it's ok to try something and overtime, realize that it's not the right fit for you or need to figure out how to make it the right fit. With every new style of eating, there is a period of adaption and learning.
Starting a new style of eating (especially for health reasons) and restricting food groups or demonizing certain foods can lead to feelings of deprivation, guilt and shame - not to mention a risk for nutrient deficiencies or heightened cravings. Extremes and absolutes are never healthy. Strict and restrictive eating can run and ruin your life, health and emotional well-being. Often times, it can create disordered eating patterns. If you struggle with body image and are seeking a vegetarian/vegan diet in an effort to gain control over your eating or to change body composition, I encourage you to reach out to a sport dietitian with experience in plant-based eating and disordered eating.
To incorporate more plant-based nutrition habits into your diet, choose small changes that allow for a health-promoting and sustainable approach. Your eating choices belong to you. If you choose to reduce, minimize or avoid certain foods for ethical, medical, religious, health or personal reasons, your diet should remain simple, flexible, varied and nourishing. Your personalized style of eating is constantly evolving. Keep it practical, enjoyable and sustainable.