By Krish Gupta
The recent popularization of vegetarian and vegan diets across the world has occurred as a result of growing consciousness about the health benefits of these diets, the animal cruelty that is central to the production of meat and animal products, and the meat industry’s environmental recklessness. Despite all the benefits associated with vegan and vegetarian diets, misconceptions about plant-based diets remain prevalent, causing many to disregard the idea of transitioning to a new, environmentally-conscious diet. As a recently-turned vegetarian who feels healthier than ever, I can tell you that the majority of these ideas are false — a vegetarian or vegan diet can supply you with all the energy and nutrients needed to remain healthy, while also allowing you to enjoy delicious meals. Understandably, you might still find it difficult to imagine never eating meat again, so perhaps the story of how I went vegetarian can convince you to consider a fully or partially plant-based diet.
As an aspiring environmental activist, I decided that my first act to support the fight against climate change would be to go completely vegetarian. This decision was triggered by the discovery that 57% of all emissions emitted by food production were a result of meat production. Due to religious reasons, I had never eaten beef before, and I had also never enjoyed eating fish. I therefore believed that removing meat from my diet completely would not pose much of a challenge. Two weeks after becoming a vegetarian, however, I began to feel discouraged: my family was not very supportive of my new diet, I had no idea what to eat, and I did not feel healthy. Rather than give up, I decided to avoid meat during the five weekdays, but allow myself to eat whatever I wanted on weekends. Becoming a flexitarian seemed to be the perfect solution: I could majorly reduce my meat consumption, while also avoiding conflict with my parents and continuing to enjoy my favorite foods.
I abided by this diet for six months, with general success. Toward the end of this period, though, I began to develop some health and nutrition concerns. After feeling sick for a few days, I went to a doctor and learned that these problems were mainly due to my new diet. Vegetarian diets can provide you with all the nutrients necessary to your health and survival, but I had not been eating the right types of vegetarian foods. In order to solve this problem, I decided that I had to discover new vegetarian recipes to cook for myself to ensure that I ate enough protein and other nutrients. With only a small amount of research, I was able to find many healthy recipes that I could make easily and quickly on school nights. After a few weeks of continuing to abide by my diet with this new knowledge, I found myself beginning to consume plant-based meals on weekends too. This prompted me to become fully vegetarian, and after seeing how committed I had been to my earlier diet, my parents approved and encouraged me to go through with the plan.
It has now been slightly over two years since I made this change, and I have never felt healthier. However, this does not mean that everyone will have the same experience. Your health and well-being are always most important, and therefore consulting the possibility of a new plant-based diet with a health professional may be the best option for you. One essential step in ensuring that your vegetarianism does not negatively affect your health is making sure that the foods that you are consuming are diverse enough to provide you with the proper nutrients. One way to do this is by researching healthy and simple vegetarian recipes.
It is easy to convince yourself or to let other people convince you that becoming a vegetarian or reducing your meat consumption will not have any significant impact on the environment, but this could not be more incorrect. Change starts with individuals, and our combined efforts are the only pathway to a greener future.
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