I’ve personally been making a move towards eating a more plant based diet for a few years now. I am not completely vegetarian but that might be just a matter of time. We’ll see.

If you’ve considered going vegetarian for health or social reasons then you probably have some questions.

When making such a lifestyle decision you should consider the following:

• Food. This might seem obvious but you truly have to have a plan especially if you’re leaning towards cutting out all things animal based like milk, cheese, fish and eggs. The fruits and vegetables are the easy part but what are you going to do to ensure a fully balanced diet? It’s important to make sure that you’ll be incorporating into your meals good sources of protein regularly. This could include grains like quinoa, beans, nuts and soy. You might want to get some ideas by perusing vegetarian cookbooks and juicing recipes found here.
• Your family. If you are single or live on your own your decision won’t impact others as much, however, if you have a spouse and family, you’ll need to take them into consideration. When I began living a healthier lifestyle it impacted the whole family. As a marathoner logging the miles I need means I am away from home for hours on long run days. When it comes to food, its the same thing. It’s not impossible to be a vegetarian when you’re married to a carnivore but you should definitely have frank and open discussions before tossing all the meat out of the fridge.
• Healthy? Plenty of people make the move and become the healthiest they’ve ever been. They thrive in fact. However, I know a few people who did not thrive. I have one friend who found herself getting sick more often and another who began to lose her hair. I would take an educated guess and say it was because they weren’t as careful as they should’ve been to ensure they were getting in all the nutrients and protein that they needed. I would recommend you speak to your physician about your plans and then consult a nutritionist with an expertise in vegetarianism to ensure that you are doing what is best for you.

By the way, you don’t have to go 100% vegetarian all at once. Many people ease into it by doing a few meatless days a week.

Are you a vegetarian?

What advice would you give others interested in the vegetarian lifestyle?

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