How to transition from being a meat lover to vegetarian/vegan lifestyle
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If you've eaten meat and meat by-products all your life, giving them all up to lead a healthier lifestyle is a huge challenge. Here are a few tips for a smoother transition to vegan lifestyle.
If you've eaten meat and meat by-products all your life, giving them all up to lead a healthier lifestyle is a huge challenge. It may be difficult at first, but transitioning from carnivore to vegan or vegetarian will allow you to reap rewards as you go along your journey.
"I became vegan for the environment. I wanted to live a sustainable and kinder-to-the-planet lifestyle, and being vegan fits well into that," shares travel writer Celine Murillo, who has been a vegan for 10 months.
"I did it slowly. Beef was the first to go. Then chicken. Then pork. Then seafood, and then dairy. I know people who did it cold turkey, but weaning out did it for me. The easiest to give up was beef and seafood. I never liked beef and am deathly allergic to most seafood. The hardest was dairy, particularly cheese and ice cream."
Rafael Reynante, who works as a creative director for a publishing company, says being an animal lover helped him decide to become a vegetarian.
"How can I, a proclaimed animal lover, bring myself to eat them? If there is nothing that separates my beloved cat from a cow, other than a social construct, what makes me any different from those people who eat dogs and cats?
"The added health benefits and strength and energy are just a bonus. Also, in the long run, vegetables are cheaper overall."
For Edsel Ochoa of vegan pop-up restaurant Hippie Happy Bowls, giving up meat was easy but seafood was another story.
"Meat was easy for I wasn't much a meat eater. Seafood was hard for me.
"Animal compassion is the top reason why I decided to go vegan. I also wanted to eat consciously and mindfully."
If you don't know how to start your new lifestyle, Celine, Rafael, and Edsel have a few tried and tested tips:
Make the connection
Before transitioning, make sure you know why you are doing it and stick by those reasons.
"Make the connection first. The meat industry is one of the worse polluters in the planet, and are often the most cruel, not only to animals but to humans as well," says Rafael.
"Understand that animals deserve to live just as much as anyone. If you have cats or dogs, you will understand this perfectly. Once you make the connection that what you're eating is a corpse, it's very difficult to go back to craving dead chickens, pigs, and cows."
Celine further explains, "Find a larger purpose for transitioning - be it the environment, or the animals. I find that when you have something bigger than yourself to anchor what you do on, it gets easier.
"Bear in mind that animal agriculture is the leading cause of climate change so if you hate this heat and you eat meat, well, you're partly responsible for it."
Do some research
Educate yourself with vegan or vegetarian restaurants near your area or check out shops that support this lifestyle.
"Eat more vegetables and support our local farmers! Try some vegan restaurants and see how we vegans are not missing out on anything. Visit Mandala Park every Sunday and check out the many available vegan food options," says Celine.
"Technology and creativity have created various plant-based alternatives that look and taste like their cruel counterparts. For example, my recipe for chicken nuggets includes gluten meat with flour and spice breading. To get that eggy taste, I use black Indian salt," adds Rafael.
Join online groups
Finding people who have similar advocacy or lifestyle as yours make the transition easier. You can join various groups on Facebook who are very supportive of their members.
Rafael shares, "I joined a vegan group and they were instrumental in my transition. The group would often post both vegetable alternatives to meat, plus they would showcase cruelties done in the meat industry.
"Join an organization or group. There, you can keep each other accountable."
Prepare your food ahead
If there isn't a lot of vegan or vegetarian restaurants near you, the best alternative is to prepare your own meal.
"I plan ahead before I go out. I cook and bring my own food most of the time. Plan your days ahead so you could prepare your food in advance. The same with urges, plan your meals each day of the week so you know already what to eat at certain hours," tells Edsel.
Adopt a pet
For Rafael, getting a pet is a great way to remind you everyday that a dog or cat isn't much different from a cow or pig.
"I remind myself that there is no fundamental difference between my cat and a pig. And if I would never eat a cat, why should I eat a pig, or any animal for that matter?
Lastly, he relates, "Adopt a pet from a shelter, just so you can see just how similar an animal is to a human."
