OUR EXPERIENCE
We all agreed to hop on this adventure together but ultimately, had different individual experiences. We thought it would be a good idea to share them since we each had a different diet to start with, struggled with different things throughout the month and came out of it with different outlooks about vegetarianism. Hopefully, these honest testimonies can show that our journey wasn't the easiest, but it was worth it!
OCTAVIE
I went through different stages during this month as a vegetarian. At first, I was quite excited to experience completely new habits. I started by making a list of all the tempting veggie recipes I could find on the internet and did my grocery shopping according to this list to last me almost two weeks. When cooking each meal, I was finding new food combinations: I had to replace the meat I used to eat everyday by eggs, soya, lentils, cheese… I was experiencing new flavors, like tofu for example, that I never had before.
However, after these two weeks, I did not feel the excitement of eating vegetarian food anymore. Instead, I struggled to appreciate what I was cooking. It was as if everything I prepared was not tasty nor nourishing anymore. I was not expecting to miss meat after only two weeks. Indeed, I hadn't considered that starting a new diet at one go would be a hard challenge and the fact that I was used to eating meat at least once a day did not help.
Therefore, for the ones interested in taking up the vegetarian challenge, my advice would be to do it step by step. In my opinion, this is the only way to adopt and maintain this new diet over time: it will prevent frustrations.
INÈS
At first, becoming a vegetarian for a month did not seem to be out of my reach. I do not like many types of meat and I do not consider myself as a big meat eater. Moreover, I did not like to cook meat myself and would mostly eat some in restaurants. I would say that I used to eat meat twice a week. However, fish was an important part of my diet. Indeed, apart from being really tasty and easy to cook, it allowed me to keep a balanced diet and get enough protein from my meals.
Hence, I was quite optimistic when starting this challenge. However, I made a significant mistake when embarking on this vegetarian journey: I did not document myself. I did not realize that replacing my main sources of protein by only vegetables would not help me get a balanced diet. I ended up eating mostly vegetables and after one week I was already bored with this diet and felt extremely tired. I had a lot of cravings because I did not eat enough protein. Also, not eating meat or fish at restaurants was frustrating at the beginning.
​
This situation being far from ideal, I decided to start looking for information on the topic. Finding recipes, tips and explanations about nutrition, but also exchanging with the girls really helped me. I discovered so many substitutes to meat and fish, tried many new foods and discovered a new manner to feed myself that was way larger than I ever imagined. After a few days, I really started enjoying experimenting with new things and cooking for myself.
​
After this month, I did not decide to become an entire vegetarian. However, I learned about new alternatives to fish and meat and almost unintentionally, I drastically reduced my consumption. People often picture vegetarian diets as boring and repetitive but in my opinion, it is the exact opposite!
NILA
I have been vegetarian for 5 years, so my experience was a bit different. Nevertheless, "Go Meatless!" was a challenge for me too because I had to cook for myself for the first time.
Indeed, when I first became vegetarian, my parents cooked for me so I didn’t have any trouble adapting to my new diet. At home, I mostly ate South Asian food which is really vegetarian-friendly so I didn’t miss eating meat a lot.
However, since I have started living alone, I have had to really think about what I was eating in order to make sure I was eating nutritious food to keep my energy level up. I became more conscious about my diet and tried to eat less fast food even if it was vegetarian. Eating vegetarian doesn’t mean eating healthy! Like my classmates, I did some research about nutrition and made sure I ate the right foods to get the recommended amount of vitamins and minerals.
Personally, I noticed a lot of benefits when I became vegetarian. I ate less between meals and didn’t have any cravings. At the time, I was also running regularly and I noticed that I had more endurance.
​
My advice for people who are thinking about becoming vegetarian is to do it step by step instead of switching your diet overnight. It is also important to do some research about nutrition to make sure you are eating healthy.
CECILIA
Before going on this meatless adventure, I used to eat meat or fish pretty often, almost everyday... The thought of not having any meat for a whole month was scary for me. I was afraid of having too many cravings, not getting enough protein and therefore having less energy on a daily basis.
Once I got over the fear and apprehension of the upcoming month, I used my passion for cooking to make the best of it and have lots of fun. Trying new foods, discovering new flavors and finding new recipes was a real pleasure for me. I took my favorite meat-based recipes and replaced the meat with tofu or vegetables, and also tried entirely new recipes like different kinds of soup. Personally, my biggest struggle wasn't missing meat, but finding inspiration and new ideas to not get bored of the vegetarian diet.
​
My best advice for becoming a vegetarian would be to have fun with it. There are so many websites and videos that show countless ideas of delicious plant-based meals, so there is always something new to try out! I would also recommend allowing yourself to "cheat" once in a while, if you feel the need to. It's perfectly fine to have a little meat occasionally, and if being a vegetarian is too intimidating, simply start by reducing your meat consumption.
​
At the end of this experience, I decided I didn't want to limit my diet to a specific category. However I decreased my meat consumption by a lot: from every day to about 3 times a week. Overall, I would really encourage anyone who is thinking of trying a more eco-friendly diet to go for it: it isn't as scary as you may think!
