I’d been playing with the idea of only eating vegetarian food for some time but the enjoyment of flesh eating was just too strong.
4 months ago, if I’d been faced with this array of meat sticks, I’d have been salivating and fighting to get my teeth sunk in. Now I look at the picture and just feel nauseous.
What happened to me?
I really don’t know how it happened but I do know I stopped eating meat in the middle of January.
I started the year with a week long Zen retreat in the Netherlands where the food was entirely vegetarian. It was good, wholesome food, lovingly prepared and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I haven’t had any desire to eat meat since coming back. In fact, the opposite; I simply haven’t been able to entertain the idea of putting dead animal parts in my mouth.
There was no moral imperative, no health reason, no nonviolent conviction.
I’d like to claim it was an example of my superior will-power finally overcoming my resistance, but that’s not the truth.
I suspect brain-washing!
Do yourself a favour – switch to vegetarian food!
After 3 months without meat I’ve noticed some surprising things; advantages I’d not considered before.
I’m not in the business of persuading people to change. I prefer to tell my own experience and trust everyone to make their own choices in life. My experience would not, of course, be the same as yours. In any case I’ve been a meat eater for 45 years with no problem, so if you want to carry on, all credit to you.
So these are some of the things I noticed:
1 Getting more done
I need, on average, one sleep cycle less than I did on a meat diet – about 90 minutes. That’s an extra 23 days to spend annually doing fun stuff, meaningful stuff or just to take an extra long breakfast (vegetarian of course). That’s a lot of gained time! Typically I wake up at 6.00am with no assistance from alarms or external aids.
What would you do with an extra 23 days of waking time every year?
2 More money
I spend less on food.
Vegetables, rice, pulses, pasta and most of the other stuff I buy are cheaper than meat. I eat out more than I should and in restaurants the vegetarian options are cheaper 95% of the time. I haven’t tracked exact numbers (I know I used to be an accountant, but that’s going too far). A very rough estimate is that I save around €15 ($20) a week, which is €780 ($1,040) a year – more during festive holidays!
What would you do with an extra €780 a year?
3 Faster decision making
I eat out quite a lot, mainly from laziness and a lack of enjoyment in day to day cooking. Most meaty eateries have a limited selection of veggie options so choosing what to eat is much faster. The downside is I miss out on variety but the upside is I’ve got more time for chatting.
This might not seem like a big advantage, but personally I never much enjoyed having to choose from a range of delicious sounding meals. I always thought I was missing out on what I didn’t choose and other people always made better choices than I did.
Now I don’t even look at the meat pages in a menu.
4 Better health
My digestion system is cleaner and I feel better physically.
I don’t buy much organic food mainly, for practical reasons, so I do still put chemicals in my body from mass produced veggies. I’m pretty sure, however, that the amount and harmfulness is less than with meat.
5 Moral superiority
I’ve included this point in the interest of honesty, and I’m not at all proud of it.
I have an ego. There, I’ve admitted it.
Becoming vegetarian might not feed my body with everything it needs (I’ve not paid much attention to the nutrition side yet) but it sure does feed my ego. I (as in my ego!) have this idea that being vegetarian is spiritually and morally superior.
Of course, it’s complete bullshit, but I can think of more damaging ways to massage my ego!
There’s also the environmental benefits as apparently meat production is a huge contributor to greenhouse gasses (see this article). Not sure if my ego is getting the massage or my higher self, but it has a feeling of ‘rightness’ about it that eating meat never gave me.
6 Exploring new taste sensations
I’ve been a meat eater for 45 years. I said that already, didn’t I?
For the first half my life I’ve tasted pretty much all the usual meats on offer plus some strange ones (crocodile, tapir, bear). I reckon I’ve worked my way through a fair selection of the meat dishes known to mankind. Some I like and some I even adore.
But there’s a time to stay and a time to move on and there’s a whole new world opening in front of me exploring creative ways to cook veggies and other stuff.
Any other benefits you would add to this list?
And finally …
I’ve been looking for an opportunity to include somewhere a delicious recipe from my dear friend Nadia , over at Happy Lotus. I don’t imagine a better opportunity so I present you with (fanfare!) …
Vegan Bigos
This an adaptation of a traditional Polish dish, not usually associated with a vegetarian diet. Nadia insisted I give credit to her husband for the recipe so if you do try it, drop over to her site to say ‘thanks’. Even if you don’t get your apron out and start splashing sauerkraut around, still take a look over there – it’s a great site!
For a serving of 2:
- 1 jar of Sauerkraut (about 1L or 1 Kg)
- few Bay Leaves – larger ones are easier to pick out after cooking
- Italian Seasoning mix (tablespoon)
- Marjoram (tablespoon)
- Vegan Hotdogs or Sausages (about 0,5 kg, cut up into 2cm long pieces)
- Shittake Mushrooms – but can be any kind (couple handfuls if dry or about double that if fresh – soak dry ones in water for about 15 minutes to make them soft)
- Black Pepper – freshly ground has best flavour (to your taste)
- Put the Sauerkraut, Bay Leaves, Italian Seasoning, Marjoram and Black Pepper into a medium or large pot and depending on how wet it is, you may need to add a bit of water (1 cup should do for now). Stir around gently so that the Bay Leaves don’t break up.
- Cover the pot and keep it at a low boiling point. Keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot and add little water if needed. Stir every few minutes.
- While the Sauerkraut is on the stove, cut up the Vegan Hotdogs / Sausages and Mushrooms.
- When the Sauerkraut has been on the stove for about 15 minutes, stir in the cut up bits, cover the pot and cook about 10 more minutes on medium, stirring every couple minutes.
NOTES:
Try to get the most simple Sauerkraut you can find – the one we use only contains cabbage and salt with no other ingredients like vinegar etc … If you don’t want a lot of salt, the Sauerkraut can be rinsed in a colander before cooking. Also, this recipe assumes that the Vegan Hotdogs or Sausages are pre-cooked and not frozen. Pick out the Bay Leaves before enjoying 
Additional suggestion from me (Ian) – you can consider adding around 8 roughly chopped dried plums (take out the stones before chopping!) and half a glass of red wine.
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Ian, I love it… I love your honesty.
I especially love point #5. I have always wanted to be a vegetarian because it just SEEMS right, superior even. I don’t eat a lot of meat. I seldom buy it (too expensive, like you said) and preparing it makes me nauseous.
BUT… every once in a while, I can be swayed to the darkside by a well-cooked steak and a glass of Argentina Red. I’ve even fallen for the occasional chicken or fish temptations, but those are just meaningless flings, I swear!
I would like to say that one day I’ll be 100% vegetarian, but somehow I doubt that will ever happen. I’m not 100% anything; I avoid the extremes.
Congratulations on achieving Moral Superiority!! (bows respectfully)
This is all so recognizable and you are right, it is a darn good post. Reading this you know what brought me to your blog, I guess.
I agree with you in every point you mentioned and sometimes I wish I would take this step too. I tried it once and bought tofu in stead of meat. No matter how hard I tried, at some point I couldn’t resist the temptation of eating meat.
By the way I can assure you that your body gets everything he needs as nutrition. Some people will tell you that you don’t get proteins without eating meat, but this is nonsense as your body creates itself. Eating vegetables helps it with this. It’s quite logical when you think about the fact that you never saw a cow eating a steak. Where would cows get their proteins from if meat eating where necessary.
Have a nice day and a have fun with Darren’s challenge.
Greetings from the Netherlands,
Mario
Ian,
Killing and eating animals that are defenseless against us (when we have so many other choices for food) IS an act of violence. So I think it’s only natural that someone serious about practicing non-violence would become a vegetarian.
In my opinion your new diet makes your message more credible. Feed that to your ego.
Vegetarian diets are awesome. i was into vegan and raw foods for a while and it was very tasty food but I kinda layed it aside now since I focus on other things. So once I get a better job, I will definitely get back into it.
From one vegetarian to another – Congratulations!!!!!
Very happy for you, and for the living beings you’ll no longer consume! Great that the change happened so easily for you, too. I don’t believe in struggle and denying ourselves pleasure, good on you for creating an easy path to vegetarianism!
As a side note – I once hear an animal rights activist promoting a vegetarian lifestyle by asking people if they really wanted to live their lives as walking graveyards. Interesting concept, I thought.
Great article!
I’m not a vegetarian, but you’re beginning to convince me. I hadn’t heard the point about needing less sleep, but that is very attractive.
My son is a vegetarian and he really seems to like it.
I eat mostly vegetables, and have for some time.
It is not uncommon that when I DO have some meat, it makes me feel ill/heavy/heart burn-y. (Not so much chicken but definitely red or fatty meat. I suspect my fat tolerance is much lower than it used to be.)
Hi Ian,
Yay!!!! The bigos looks awesome!!! Now you made me hungry!
Thank you so much for mentioning us. Are you now ready for a vegan cupcake recipe that totally rocks? Let me know and I will send it to you.
I have been a vegetarian for 21 years and it is always great to read about other people’s experiences. So it was a joy to learn how you made the change.
Here is one other benefit of being a vegetarian or vegan, it makes you look younger too. I have no idea why that is the case but I have yet to see a dried up vegetarian!
I’m still a meat eater. So many people I admire have become vegans. Your story is fascinating. I don’t think I will change anytime soon, but who knows? Maybe it will just happen to me like it did to you.
I’m a die-hard meat eater. I love the way it smells, I love the way it tastes. I have nothing against vegetarians, and I don’t doubt many of the health benefits. I just prefer meat in my diet. Blame it on my viking genes
I quit eating meat since a long time ago. Well to be honest I ate ‘chicken’ from time to time in social occasions where there’s no vegan food there but mainly vegan make you feel healthier.
@Lisis as I have reached a position of moral superiority I can bestow my forgiveness for your small indiscretions. As long as you are SURE they were meaningless flings, then no real harm will come of it. Next we’ll work on the wine addiction!
@Mario Frankly, if tofu was what you used to replace meat, then I’m not surprised you went back! I found I don’t need a replacement. Just good fresh vegetables are my staple diet now. And welcome from ProBlogger. I wasn’t expecting anyone to actually read my comment over there among the 2 billion other comments – but happy that you at least did!
@Michael – Don’t encourage my ego! So let me get this straight … eating animals is violence because they are defenceless? How about if we equipped them all with hand guns and trained them how to use them? Not a bad idea! I guess many more people would switch away from meat if first they had to face a scared pig packing a Smith and Wesson!
@Tom how are you, my friend? Not sure, how having a better job relates to eating vegan? Sounds like an excuse to me!!!
@Alison Walking graveyard? Hmm .. not a pretty thought. And thanks for the congratulations. I’m also happy at how easy the change was.
@Roger Less sleep is a big bonus. Means I can surf more!
@Hayden Sounds like you’re on the verge of vegetarianism! Go on, you know you can do it!
@Nadia Now you mention it, I am starting to look a little younger. Not sure if it’s the veggies or the rather suave beard I’ve grown recently. Must update my picture or I won’t get recognised in the street!
@Stephen I recommend Zen Brainwashing. Entirely painless and it also helps on the path to spiritual enlightenment, which can’t be bad!
@Jay I wondered when the die-hard carnivores would have the (blood &) guts to show themselves! Blame it on your genes as much as you like, my friend, there’s no getting away from the fact that creatures die in their millions to satisfy your craving! But if you spend enough time in the company you currently keep … maybe, just maybe you may change your primitive Viking ways!
@Hicham Ok .. we can forgive the odd chicken or two. Social occasions can be quite challenging!
LOL. Yes, Ian, millions of animals suffer needlessly to feed me. But what of the poor animals who starve to death because you have stolen their food? What of the poor innocent plants who never harmed anyone? Who weeps for their lives, cut short to feed the thronging masses of vegetarians? Who cries for the fruit? Tender placenta of plants and trees yet to be born? It’s floral abortion, and nobody thinks twice about it!
*I* weep for the plants, Ian. I, alone, stand against the infanticide of eating fruit! All by my lonesome self, I stand against the marauding hordes of vegetarians and defend the right to life for my floral brethren! Rise up! Ye legumes, ye fruit, ye nuts and ye vegetables! Rise up and throw off the chains of your servitude! No more shall you be seen as food! Rise up, and join with me! Together, we shall overcome!
There are so many replies to this bubbling in my head. I think I’ll just leave your quote to say it all!
Oh, Ian… you’re not getting anywhere NEAR my red wine. That’s one of my healthier habits!
OK OK! I get the message. Hands off your red wine! I’ll just drink my own then! LOL
Well what I mean is buying organic food costs money. I would need a blender, food processor, dehydrator and those things cost even more.
I mean either i go all out or dont do anything.
You’re right! Organic food is another matter altogether. I look forward to the day when it’s actually cheaper than chemically enhanced food! Until then .. I admire your all or nothing approach, Tom. I really do.
Jay, you’re my hero! My very own botany-defending viking hero! I’ll have to buy you a pint of mead for that.
I’ll drink to that!
Ian,
Jay’s and Lisis’ reaction is a perfect example of what happens when a person eats meat…they lose touch with reality! LOL
Who ever reads this comment, please know that I am just having some fun. I have many wonderful meat eating friends which include Jay and Lisis!
LOL. “I’m not crazy, I’m just a little unwell…”
That’s one of my favorite songs! I’m unwell too! Isn’t this sooo exciting!? Could it be the meat causing it?
I fear this veggie v meat debate could go on for a long time! I seem to have opened a can of worms (or lentils, depending which side of the great meat divide you are)!
Lentils, baby, lentils! Leave the little worms alone! LOL
Haven’t eaten red meat for 20 years, very good article, I really enjoyed it. Thank you.
Hi Cheryl, thanks for leaving a comment, and I’m really happy you enjoyed the article.
Awesome article, one I could almost have written myself. I was diagnosed with extremely virulent fatty tumors last summer and my doctor put me on a very strict vegetarian diet…only fresh fruit, fresh veggies and grains/beans. Being a dyed in the wool Wyoming cattle girl, this was the height of insult but because these tumors feed on fat, I had no choice. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me. The first couple of months were hard but then, miraculously, I actually started to hate the taste/sight of meat. Not only that but I effortlessly lost 50 pounds, I eat constantly and now that I have gotton really creative, the food is fabulous. I don’t eat meat, oils except olive and nut, sugar (except raw honey), dairy or soy now. I’ve been told by my oncologist that soy is only nutritional if fermented so soy sauce is okay but that I should especially stay away from the pre-packaged vegetarian meals.
It is with great pleasure and amazement that I can tell you my tumors are gone!! It was retroperitoneal liposarcoma that only had a 25% chance of survival.
Wow! Sounds like you’ve been through a lot and come out the other side. I celebrate you regaining your health. I found your story very inspiring.
Hi Ian,
Love the casual tone of your article, making for amusing and engaging reading. The comments section says it all – people are relaxed and joking and having a good time and this makes your blog a wonderful place to be!
I went vegetarian for about a year (this was about 15 years ago) simply because I got tired of meat. After one year of not eating meat, I could smell any meat (raw or cooked) a mile away and it made me nauseous, so yes something in the body adapts very quickly to not having meat. Now I do eat meat but in small portions, and usually white meat.
Thanks for the cheery read to start my day! And oh, the ego thing – we’re usually the last person to realise we have an ego – everyone else knew that long ago! My excuse is that my ego is so small it was hard to find…
*laughs* I found the entry interesting, sure, but the /comments/? Priceless. *snort*
I’m a veggie eater, too – although lately I’ve felt myself slipping. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, necessarily; after not eating any meat of any kind (not even fish. Or worms!) for years, I think it’s okay to have some sausages at IHOP and a crispy chicken sandwich (only 99 cents!) at Wendy’s. I don’t eat bacon (although I have ham), and pasta + fruits make up most of my diet. Is that somewhat Italian? I’m not sure.
You have an awesome blog! I’m going to spend a little while here reading your posts. Better not disappoint. -glares ominously-
I’m with Roger, the only point that I can value is the one about less sleep. I’m highly curious about that and wonder if that is a comment result of a less or no meat diet. I love meat and wouldn’t consider going without right now, but if it meant less sleep, I’d like to explore that. I’ll investigate, thanks the honest look at this experience Ian!
I am most intrigued by the less sleep benefit, that’s compelling to me. i think environmental impact is number 2. I do not make a moral issue out of it but I think we’re at a point in our development where we don’t have to eat dad animals anymore and we can choose whether we want to. I suspect I’ll be a vegetarian within two years.
*dead animals. I need to learn to proofread comments.
Before I married I was a vegetarian. My husband was a meat-eater. In fact, he would describe his diet as “meat and potatoes”. It was too emotionally difficult for the two of us to not be eating the same meal, not to mention the practical aspect of buying two different diets for the same household, so I just started eating meat again.
Now, in the past year, we’ve had to cut a lot of meat out of our diets simply because our grocery budget won’t allow us to eat meat more than once a week. I’ve been considering cutting out meat entirely. Ken still eats meat on his sandwiches at work, so he wouldn’t be becoming a vegetarian, and the kids are small enough that I don’t know that it would have that much of a psychological impact on them at all. They eat what is in front of them. But I’d like to stop eating meat. I don’t really even like it! (Which is why I became a vegetarian in the first place, actually. I prefer things that grew out of the ground. They have a nicer flavor.)
Great post! Can’t wait to try the recipe.
@ David: I’m pretty sure eating *live* animals is inhumane, and might be a little dangerous… depending on the size of the animal.
I detect some small signs that the vegetarian message might be getting through to you. Now we just need to work on turning you against eating ‘dead’ animals as well.
And Jay … I’m now expecting something about eating live vegetables and how they must suffer and scream … ?
You wouldn’t!!! Those poor vegetables! Oh, the horror! To be eaten alive!!! It’s bad enough to see your little veggie brothers and sisters plucked from the very vines that support and nurture them, but then, to be eaten while you’re still on the vine?!?! Oh, it’s too horrendous to even imagine!!
Jay, you are really cracking me up! I’m getting this idea for a joint blog together (or maybe a post or two).
Something like ‘Sap versus blood’. Or ‘The Green and the Viking’. The possibilities are endless.
@Daphne Keeping it light is my secret way of dealing with controversy.
And you know, I really think that some of these bigger issues (and vegetarianism does touch on some really deep stuff for many people) are taken way too seriously. I have this idea that if we can tread lightly over the most challenging and divisive issues we can at least enjoy the differences between us, because we can laugh together.
@TBK you know, I think you’re OK with sausages. There’s hardly any meat in those things anyway. But it’s an interesting concept – a vegetarian who eats chicken and sausages! Great to see you over here, and you are very welcome!
@Mike I can’t be 100% sure that cutting out meat resulted in the sleep thing. It makes some sense in terms of meat needing a different kind of digestion. My sleep patterns may have been influenced by something else, but I can’t think what that could have been.
@David A psychologist would have a great time analysing the meaning behind your typo! I agree about the moral issue. I know for many people it is about morals, but I tend to see moral codes as very much determined by culture and human experience. And there are just as many (if not more) moral arguments that can be made for eating meat. So moral debate rarely achieves much.
@Lindsey Good to see you over here and thanks for the comment. Sounds like you’re almost on the verge of going back to vegetarian diet. How about offering Ken some salads instead of sandwiches. I happen to think that bread is not really good for us either .. but I’ll leave that for another day! Let me (or Nadia) know how the recipe turns out.
I made the switch not so long ago but find I’m experiencing quite a few benefits. For example: increased energy and lack of bloating.
2 more great reasons to switch to veggies!
I noticed I’ve put on a little bit of weight – which I put down to not quite finding my balance and nutritional sense in my new lifestyle. I’m sure it will come though.
Ladies and gentlemen… I give you… the t-shirt:
http://www.giftag.com/clip/allantaylor/typetees-t-shirt-meat-is-murder-tasty-tasty-murder-clip.jpg
: )
I think it’s reasonably clear which side of the sap v blood debate you sit, Alison.
Despite my higher convictions, I still chuckled at the T-shirt!
Interesting article. I find myself eating vegetarian more because I don’t have a lot of time to begin with rather than a desire for more free time.
Thanks. So maybe vegetarianism not only gives you more time, but saves time as well!
[...] 6 reasons eating vegetarian food is best [...]
well i loved thid one!
i hvae myself been a vegetarian for 6 years now
and i feel i have only added positivity(i dont know where that feeling springs from?)
when i was a non vegetarian then also i was not that much into meat!
now i even hate the thought of eating dead animal parts(makes me feel so dizzy)
one more advantage of vegetarinism is it is lite on your digestive system