Being a Vegetarian Without Evangelizing

Jaceybonavia/ Animals, Climate, Conservation, Lifestyle, Livestock, Water

I have been a strict vegetarian since 1st grade — and I am thirty now. (Where did the past 24 years go?) I decided to become a vegetarian because I loved (and continue to love) animals. At the beginning of the year (2021), I decided to make the transition to veganism, and I am very happy with that decision. I have a deep sense of connection with and empathy for animals.

I imagine that the way I think of animals is the way many people think of people. I want to know their story and what brings them joy. I care about their pain and suffering. I wonder about their families. I know this is unusual and probably causes me a lot of extra grief, so I don’t recommend cultivating this level of animal-directed compassion. I do hope that you have respect for animals’ lives, though.

Since learning about the inhumane, outrageous conditions of concentrated animal feeding operations, my heart is even more broken for those animals. If you do eat farmed meat, please try to source it from someone who takes care of the animal during its life. Most of the animal products in big-box grocery stores probably originated in factory farms.

It was not until much after I decided to become a vegetarian that I truly understood the positive impact of not eating meat on the environment, which I describe below.

Eating is an intensely personal choice. I do not judge anybody’s food choices, and I recognize that many people’s physical and mental health requires that they do eat some meat or other animal products.

If you want to convince others to adopt your lifestyle as a vegetarian or vegan, try just modeling the lifestyle. Being an evangelist will only alienate people who aren’t ready to make the switch.

Insisting that others become vegetarian or vegan may even be harmful to some people. For example, your words could set people back who are struggling with their relationships with food, such as people in recovery from eating disorders (e.g., people who eliminated meat from their diets to lose weight). They must be able to make peace with all food during their recovery journeys. You cannot discern who is struggling just by looking at them.

Good Sources of Vegetarian Protein

I want to preface this section by saying that I am not a dietician or nutritionist. You should consult with a Health At Every Size dietician (i.e., a dietician who truly cares about health, not merely weight loss) before altering your diet.

Protein is one of the three essential macronutrients in everyone’s diet (along with fat and carbohydrates). Many people automatically think of meat as the only protein source and worry that one cannot get enough protein while eating a vegetarian diet. The truth is, we totally can!

Here is a list of sources of plant protein, in no particular order:

Soy products, such as tofu, tempeh, edamame, soy milk, and meat substitutes
Lentils
Green peas
Chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans)
Most other beans, such as black, kidney, and pinto beans
Wild rice
Nuts and nut butter, including peanuts and almonds
Seeds, including hempseeds and chia seeds
Seitan (wheat protein, aka gluten)
Some “ancient grains,” such as quinoa, spelt, teff, or amaranth
Oats
Corn
Ezekial bread (I have not tried Ezekial bread.)
Spirulina (I have not tried spirulina.)
Nutritional yeast
Some vegetables, including broccoli, kale, spinach, potatoes, asparagus, artichokes, and Brussels sprouts

Other Health Considerations

If you do exclude meat and other animal products from your diet, be sure to take a Vitamin B12 supplement. Also, be sure to get enough iron and other micronutrients commonly consumed through meat. I take a daily women’s multivitamin every morning to be safe.

This image shows good sources of vegetarian protein, including tofu, nuts, seeds, and beans. — Vegetarian Proteins

Environmental Benefits of Eating Less Meat

Eating a plant-based diet is far less resource-intensive and less environmentally destructive than a diet high in meat (especially ruminant meat, such as beef). For example, compared to raising animals for meat, growing plants…

requires less agricultural land (and thus does not impact ecosystems and biodiversity as significantly)
requires less water
requires less energy
requires fewer life cycle inputs
requires less phosphorus
produces lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs).

According to Lynch et. al, in the journal Nutrients, “Consequently, following a more plant-based diet is often considered the most effective strategy for systemically reducing GHGEs and agricultural land use related to food production and consumption.”

Being a vegetarian ensures that you do not support factory farms, like this one, which do not treat their animals well. — Factory Farm Cattle

Are you a vegetarian or vegan? If yes, what are your primary motivators and favorite recipes? If not, do you have questions about vegetarianism or veganism? Leave a comment!