Becoming Vegetarian

A few easy steps to becoming vegetarian and staying vegetarian:

(1) DO NOT TRY TO DO IT OVERNIGHT. Changing your diet to get rid of meat typically takes weeks, if not, months. So do not try to quit meat cold turkey. Chances are it won't work and it will discourage you from trying again. Try gradually to become a lacto ovo vegetarian and then progress to get off the dairy and eggs from there.

(2) FIRST DUMP THE RED MEAT. Red meat is typically the easiest item to let go because you can substitute fish, chicken, turkey, or soy substitutes. Red meat also has the dubious honor of being probably the most unhealthy component of your diet.

(3) DECREASE YOUR MEAT CONSUMPTION GRADUALLY. The typical American eats meat and/or meat products morning, noon, and night. You should gradually try giving up meat in units of meals. So for the first week instead of eating 3 meals a day with meat and meat products try dropping meat for breakfast (have oatmeal everyday :) ). Then after your body has adjusted drop another meal after a couple of weeks. The goal here is not to be a vegan right away, but rather a lacto ovo vegetarian. Remember no rush; the point isn't to see who can convert first, but rather convert in such a way as to sustain lasting change in becoming a vegetarian.

(4) WORK OUT AND THEN CONSUME VEGETARIAN FARE. Most dudes get hungry after working out and then their body craves meat. Its important to resist that urge and substitute something else that allows your body to recoup. I would recommend a smoothie with ice, fresh fruit, protein powder, hemp milk, and honey. After consuming it, you won't feel so weighed down either.

Some of the benefits of becoming vegetarian:

(1) YOU WON'T CRAVE SUGAR SO MUCH. After we eat big meat meals our body tends to crave sugar. Its one of the reasons fast food joints sell soda with hamburgers. Sugar is the bane of our existence. It increases blood sugar spikes, causes fatigue, and leads to weight gain. Becoming vegetarian will reduce all these symptoms by neutralizing the causes of sugar compulsion.

(2) YOU WON'T BE SO HUNGRY ALL THE TIME. Ever notice that you are still real hungry after eating food that is nutritionally bankrupt? Its because your body consumes nutrition not food mass. Some foods contain more fiber that stays in your system longer and causes you not to feel so hungry. Meat is not one of those foods unfortunately.

(3) YOU HELP THE PLANET. By now we all know that cow flatulence is killing our ozone, which leads to floods in Bangladesh and storms in the Gulf Coast. The Planet is rejecting our meat pollution much like our immune system rejects foreign organisms. By reducing the demand for meat, we can reduce the factory farming that poisons our life and disrupts the harmony with the planet. Becoming vegetarian diet is one of the most effective tools to restore that harmony.