How to become a vegetarian
How I did it: It all started when I developed a dairy allergy a year ago. I learned that cutting out cheese and milk wouldn't kill me. I wondered about taking the next step.
I knew that vegetarians eat much healthier, that meat production has a huge carbon impact and takes a toll on natural resources. So I just made the switch this summer. I know I'm doing a physical thing to help world hunger.
I'm now cutting out eggs that aren't cage-free (most are). I still eat fish, under the guidelines of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program.
I guess that makes me a sometimes-vegan that eats fish. A pesca-vegan ?
Anyway, I'm a runner, and I used to ruin some workouts with nasty stomachaches. I hardly get stomachaches anymore.
Lessons & tips: 1. Vegetarianism is not a huge deal. It doesn't take over your life or ruin it. You make sacrifices, but reap the rewards. My incentive was to do it not for myself, but for the Earth, the hungry people all over the world, and the animals.
2. My tip is to not take it too slow. Don't painstakingly give up one product a month. Just quit cold turkey. Your body will adapt.
3. I eat of buttload of iron-rich veggies every dinner.
Resources: my vegan friends Hannah and Luke, www.goveg.com, and my college's excellent meal plan
