How to be a vegetarian
How I did it: After hearing the environmental reasons for vegetarianism, I decided to try it out for one week. At the time, I was living in a dormitory and ate almost exclusively at the dining halls. At my university, there were many vegetarian options, so I had no trouble finding things to eat. At the end of that first week I picked the meat dish that seemed the tastiest and tried some to see if I still felt I was missing out. I decided to stick with it. That was more than two years ago. It was a little harder staying with my parents that summer, but they were sympathetic - it just meant I had a greater responsability to prepare my own meals. After a few months, the heartburn I had been dealing with for two or so years all but vanished.
Lessons & tips: Vegetarian food can be tasty. Don't be afraid to try things that seem a little weird. Don't get too hung up on nutrition, just eat a variety of foods, with plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Resources: The Post Punk Kitchen was very helpful. It's the website for a vegan cooking show. There's also a blog, and one of the masterminds of the show has written several excellent vegan cookbooks. The forums are friendly no matter what your food preferences are, and are chock-full of good recipe ideas, health advice, and entertaining weirdness.
