Why I am No Longer a Vegetarian

This is something that just a few months ago, I never thought I would be writing. After almost 12 years, I am no longer a vegetarian!

First, a caveat - Vegetarianism is one of the few “diets” to where you are not restricting any food GROUPS (ie. Carbohydrates, Protein, or Fat). Therefore, it is more than possible to be an Intuitive Eater and a vegetarian. It can be challenging, but you can definitely hit all 10 principles. Trust me, I did it. Taylor Wolfram is a great Vegan Intuitive Eating Registered Dietitian, and explains this more in depth.

So, here’s how it all started. When I was in high school, I went to a Warped Tour in San Diego. I was walking around with my friend in between bands, and was handed a pamphlet on the treatment of animals in factory farms. This pamphlet had a link which lead me to watching a video on factory farming on YouTube. It was pretty horrific, and they told me that the only way to go about helping this issue was to stop eating meat, entirely. So I didn’t have a single bite for 12 years.

Back when I first became vegetarian (say the first couple years), there weren’t a lot of vegetarians, nor were there a lot of vegetarian options when I went out to eat. Nowadays it is a much different story, but by definition, I was still restricted in my eating, because many foods and dishes were now “off limits”. However, I did become a vegetarian at a pretty funny time, because year by year there were more and more vegetarians and therefore vegetarian options at restaurants, parties, gatherings, etc. Over time, I also began to have more energy and overall just felt better. Subsequently, I blamed meat and saw this as a permanent solution.

Now as a Dietitian, I can see that I probably felt better not because I stopped eating meat, but because I was getting more balance, variety, and moderation in my diet. My food world actually expanded in many ways when I became vegetarian. I was naturally trying many new foods due to adopting a new way of eating and cooking. Through this process, I began to learn what foods actually made me feel good. Could this still have been accomplished if I had just reduced my meat intake rather than eliminating it entirely? Absolutely (though I didn’t realize it at the time).

Over time, I just saw meat at something that I “didn’t eat”. It genuinely was no longer was appetizing to me, and I no longer craved it. My convictions to not eat meat at the time were so strong, that it completely overpowered my taste buds. I pretty much taught myself to not have an appetite for it, and after so many years, I literally didn't anymore.

However, I recently had come to a place where I was questioning why I didn’t eat meat, because I randomly began to crave it again. I don’t know why this happened, but because I wan’t allowing myself to eat my cravings, I realized that I was starting to feel restricted in my eating (which I know is never good).

So, I began the journey of the question: Why did I not eat meat? I knew before I became vegetarian I loved meat, so I knew it wasn’t really true that I didn’t actually dislike it. I knew I only “couldn’t” eat it because I told myself that I couldn’t. I knew my health wouldn’t suddenly deteriorate if I incorporated back in meat. I knew that farming practices wouldn’t suddenly get better/worse. It was no longer a moral or ethical decision for me (I now believe God gave us dominion over all animals). Did I even have a good reason to say “no” to it entirely? Well, I’m sure by the title of this blog that you can conclude that I found that I didn’t have a good enough reason anymore.

I definitely wrestled with a lot of unknowns leading up to this decision. I didn’t know if I would like it anymore, how my body would react, or how it would taste and feel. So, I became my own client for a second. I told myself: No matter what you’re feeling, just do it. So, guess what I did? I went to a BBQ fest and tasted some brisket, pulled pork, and beef jerky. Did I like it? Yes - it was delicious! Did my body react? Yes - but it was mild, and I knew my body would adjust, and it did within a week. Did it taste and feel weird? A little - but it didn’t take long to get used to it at all.

You can almost see the thoughts running through my head as I am eating my first bite of meat in 12 years!

Nowadays, I don’t have meat every meal, or even every day. I have it as often as I want - the point is that I don’t have to say “No thank you, I’m a vegetarian” anymore. I still eat all of the same foods that I love, but now I can also buy, cook, and eat meat when I feel like it. I can still say no when I don’t want something, but now it isn’t because I “can’t” have something. I know I made the right decision for ME, because I feel so much more balanced and free now that absolutely no food is “off limits”.

*Please note that I have never had an eating disorder, and I only became a vegetarian due to ethical reasons. Your experience, relationship with food and vegetarian eating may be different than mine.