Hey beautiful people!
So many people have reached out to me about this topic and I see people questioning the process on social media as well. Sooo I thought I would share with you all my experience on transitioning to vegetarian!
•Vegan Crab Cake w/ Spinach/Arugula, Sweet Onion, Vegan cheese•
▫️1. When did you transition?
I transitioned to vegetarian right before the summer of 2017. I had been wanting to try it for so long but of course I was afraid for various reason..
“Could I really do this?”
“Am I going to be starving?”
“Did I do enough research?”
▫️2.How did it happen?
Actually now that I think about it, I didn’t start vegetarian, I jumped right into vegan! For a MONTH and I was like… “I’m not ready for this one just yet..” A step down from Vegan was vegetarian so I started there. What I did was wait for ALL of the meat to be out of my home. So when grocery day rolled around I started off fresh and didn’t buy any meat. Not that it matters but I didn’t do milk, just plant based milk like almond and coconut.
▫️3. Did you do any research?
Yes! I looked up protein, like what foods have the most protein for this lifestyle. I found out that there’s protein in just about everything but of course there were foods that were predominantly protein. My go-to proteins are beans, lentils, chickpeas, nuts, plant based protein, and vegetarian protein substitutes.
•Vegan Crab Cake Topped w/ Arugula on Gluten Free Bread•
✨Fun Fact: With having a plant based lifestyle you’ll have to supplement if you want to get enough protein without overdoing it with the carbs.
▫️4. Was it tough mentally?
Kind of but not really. For me personally, when I make a decision I make the mindset change so that I can follow through. If I slip up that’s fine, I just keep going. When my mind is made up that’s pretty much it ha.
▫️5. How did you prepare mentally?
I told myself “We’re not eating meat anymore.” Ha.. I did that a lot. It was a big step for me but I was excited for it and I was ready. I had been wanting to do it for a while and I mentally prepared for a few months. I looked up recipes, and lots of articles on everything vegetarian.
•Oats w/ Banana, Green Apples, & Nectar — Avocado/Tomato Toast•
▫️6. How was your support system?
NONEXISTENT. When I tell you my family provoked the idea of me not eating meat.. oh my gosh. It was so aggravating and disheartening but at the end of the day this is my life and my choice so who cares if no one supports me. I had a few people in my corner.. just a small few.
▫️7.What are your Do’s and Don’ts?
✨Kiera’s Do’s:✨
•Research!–Look up Foods and meals you can eat so you’re prepared and NOT hungry. Healthy snacks, quick and easy meals, and the most affordable!
•Plan out your meals and grocery lists before you head to the store. Prior planning prevents poor performance! Plan plan plan, and get used to prepping meals out so you save time and money!
•Ask for advice from people who have been living a plant based lifestyle! It’s cool looking things up but it’s even better to hear from someone who’s where you’re trying to be.
•Veggie Tortilla Pizza – Red Onion, Green & Orange Bell Pepper, Tomato Sauce, Seasoning•
🚫Kiera’s Don’ts🚫
•Don’t waste your money only buying the veggie dogs, veggie burgers, vegan chicken and all of that. They’re super yummy but only using products like that will get expensive. You can make just about everything from scratch and prep it! Just be smart about your grocery shopping and do you’re RESEARCH.
•Don’t give yourself an out. Make the decision to cut meat out and stick with it.
•Don’t pay the people who don’t support your lifestyle change any mind. 10/10 they’re just upset that they haven’t made a good lifestyle change themselves so they just try to make you feel bad about yours.. NEXT. The better you’re doing in life the more people are gonna talk about you and that’s facts.
▫️8. Did you notice a change in your health and appearance?
Yes, my bloating went down a lot! Now if I overdid the cheese then that went out the window ha but for the most part bloating definitely went down. I also had more energy and less breakouts (minus that time of the month). My breakouts have always been minimal but it got better with the transition! You know.. the food got a lot better too. I had a whole new world of foods and recipes to try so it’s been so fun! Making things from scratch like bean burgers, lentil loaf, and veggie nuggets. I fell in love with cooking and kitchens while on the transition.
▫️9. Do you have any freebies??
Ohh you know it! I will dropping my 1 Week Guide For New Vegetarians Ebook just for you guys on August 15th! I’ll be sharing my favorite recipes, Top 20 grocery items, and so much more to help make this transition as smooth as possible!
▫️10. Who’s ready for the transition?!
If this post helped you, do me a favor guys.. like, share with a couple of friends and hey, subscribe! Stay up to date with all that’s to come and my 1 Week Guide For New Vegetarians Ebook!
Also, comment any questions you have so I can answer them in the Ebook!
Thank you so much for stopping by, I really hope this helped you friend!
Talk you soon!
XO
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