| Being Vegetarian... |
| I have been a vegetarian for 11 years. I am known as an ovo-lacto vegetarian. This is somebody that eats dairy and eggs but excludes all meat, fish and chicken. Most vegetarians also exclude from their diets animal products such as gelatine and rennet. I chose to become a vegetarian through information from my best friend at the time, Andrea. She had recently become a vegetarian and showed me leaflets of animal cruetly and the meat industry. I was shocked at the things I read which I think most people would be as well. I became a vegetarian overnight and 11 years on I have never thought of going back. I do miss the taste of meat but all I need to do is think of all the pain and suffering the animals go through and that puts me off wanting meat. Since having the internet I have become much more knowledgeable to what products to avoid. Many products you would think are vegetarian are in fact not. For instance just a few months ago I found out that Nestle Smarties and McDonald's Strawbery Milkshakes are not suitable for vegetarians. I learn new things everyday and my weekly shop is now longer than ever as I am having to check the labels on all products. Just because one product is suitable doesn't mean the company won't change the ingredients which they tend to do. Cost is a big factor for the companies and they tend to use the cheapest of ingredients. I will never go back to eating meat but I still, to this day, miss it. I eat many products that taste like meat so I'm not missing out. I try to eat well with plenty of fruit and veg but it is a struggle and I know I am lacking in essential nutrients. I have been treated for Iron deficiency twice in the past 15 months and I am currently being treated for B12 deficiency. Life isn't always rosy. A great help to me has been a website called veggieboards. This site is a forum where vegetarians from all around the world can share food tips, gossip, health queries and anything else relevant to being vegetarian. Here are some other useful websites: Is it Veggie?? Is it Vegan?? Vegan Recipes Vegetarian Recipes |