Vegetarianism Is Not Just For Hippies
02
April 2017
Theme:
The Edison Project List
The opportunity to be more active with my blog has been challenging with the arrival of Isla and numerous other commitments. At the same time progress on this year’s list has got off to a slow start with only one item completed in the first three months of the year. In January I decided to attempt an item on my list that was inspired by a friend. Their suggestion was to attempt a vegan diet for one month. I considered this too big an adjustment in one leap, but it inspired me to attempt a vegetarian diet for one month, a half-way point between veganism and my carnivorous diet. Item #87 – Be a vegetarian for one month.
This challenge really appealed to me given my stereotypical views of vegetarians, many of which were born out of naivety. I can recall on numerous occasions joking around with vegetarians about it being a hippies diet, it being boring with limited options, and how could they not crave a juicy steak. The basis for these arguments was largely unfounded given I have never attempted a vegetarian diet. In fact, I cannot remember a single day in my life where I have not consumed some form of meat.
Top Three Vegetarian Recipes
My starting point was a simple adjustment, using meat substitutes to cook my favourite meals. I soon learnt this was not the best route forward. Some meat substitutes were just not the same, and it became boring very quickly. The solution came about thanks to guidance from friends and family on social media. Not only was I inundated with new vegetarian recipes, but I was given a piece of advice that I recommend anyone to follow should their consider trialling a vegetarian diet. Do not try to find meat substitutes for your favourite dishes, but instead start to think more creatively about how you use other ingredients to create vegetarian specific dishes. In hindsight, this advice makes perfect sense.
Having adopted a new approach, I started to really enjoy the vegetarian diet. I would actually go as far as to say that a few vegetarian dishes would put up a good challenge to some of my favourite meat dishes. Among my favourite options were vegetarian curries, stir-fries and burritos. These are all dishes we continue to have on the menu in our household. I have included the recipes with links within this post.
“Do not try to find meat substitutes for your favourite dishes, but instead start to think more creatively about how you use other ingredients to create vegetarian specific dishes.”
I am keen to hear from all those reading my blog, so I invite you to leave comments or make contact.
Photograph by Nicholas Moon
The biggest positive from this experience is the outcome. My view of vegetarianism has completely shifted. The diets were far from boring and there were plenty of options. A big unexpected positive was the impact the diet had on my IBS. Throughout the month of January, I experienced no symptoms. The only negative was the volume of planning when eating out. There just were not enough options.
Given the positives, it would be fair of you to assume I am now a vegetarian, but my craving for meat was too much. But, and it is a big but, I have now amended my diet and welcome more vegetarian days into my routine. It is something I strongly recommend others to adopt.
My plan is to not wait so long for my next blog post. It should not be such a long wait given I am currently on a plane in the process of ticking another item off the list.
Auf wiedesehen