Confessions of a former vegetarian
Every vegetarian or vegan has encountered a situation where friends or family wanted to eat at a certain restaurant but can't do so because there's no suitable food there available for you -- the lone vegan or vegetarian in the group.
How to stay healthy if you can't sustain a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle? /Source: Pexels
There are also instances where your loved ones pity you because they feel you are depriving yourself of mouthwatering food, thinking that you're only doing this for a slim waistline.
See, more than being strict with the food you eat, it's actually the adjustment that you and the people around you need to make when it comes to your eating habits that's more difficult to carry out.
Sometimes it's not you that gets in the way of your being vegan, but it's more of your family and friends having a hard time adapting to your new lifestyle.
That's why many who tried to go vegan have eventually abandoned their lifestyle in order to make compromises for the people in their lives.
This is exactly what happened to Tanya Aguila, founder of ONELIFE Pilates and Physical Therapy Studio, and one of the lifestyle panelists during the virtual press con for the launch of Sekaya Raw Actives, a curated line of powdered nutrient-dense superfoods.
Tanya Aguila, founder of ONELIFE Pilates and Physical Therapy Studio/Source: Sekaya/Buensalido PR
During the discussion, Tanya revealed what happened when she opted to be a vegetarian for some time.
“I did go vegetarian a few years back for a whole year. I was a strict vegetarian. I was a purist.
“It was 'cause I watched this docu called 'What the health” on Netflix and immediately cold turkey I said, 'No more meat.'
“And at the time I was also training for a marathon, and just like JP (Alipio), it was really really great for my body.
“It felt good but at the same time it became unsustainable for me because I was with my family, my husband…everyone else around me was eating everything.
“They weren't vegetarians and to them it seemed like I was depriving myself and to me it seemed like I was depriving myself of those joyous moments with family, where we can share meals, where we can share moments.
“And more than me being uncomfortable with that situation where I was just eating vegetables and they were eating everything, it was more them, they were feeling uncomfortable and always minding me and I felt like they like I was missing out and it made them uncomfortable.
“Seeing them, you know, always bothered where to eat because Tanya can't eat there or 'Oh no. What will Tanya eat? Kawawa naman siya.'
“I didn't like that feeling. I was depriving them also of those moments with me.”
What to do when you can't go vegetarian all the way?
In order for Tanya to still be healthy and at the same time not miss out on the joy of eating and sharing food with loved ones, she decided to make compromises.
“So, what I realized was what worked better for me was still having those joyous moments with family.
“I just try to influence them to always paint our plates. Always have a serving of vegetable there. Change our rice to adlai.
“You know, small sustainable choices that we can all do together, and so we can still have those joyous moments together.
“So, no deprivation of food or choices.”
Small sustainable choices
People often have this misconception that one can only be healthy when he or she has unfailingly followed a strict diet.
But just like what Tanya's experience had proven, your quality of life is still more important than any fad diet out there.
As Tanya said during the concluding part of the discussion, you have to make your choices work for you. Therefore, you should make being healthy easy and sustainable for yourself.
After all, just like what celebrity Issa Litton, host of the online press con said, “You don't have to be a purist. It's all about sustainability.”
For more lifestyle content, head out to GMA's Lifestyle page.
You might also want to read about guidelines on which fashion materials are actually vegan.