I thought I knew what a healthy diet was, but a friend of mine recently redefined my outlook. She introduced me to vegan and vegetarian diets. Because of how I was raised, I thought it was ridiculous that people avoided eating meat and animal products. It seemed unreasonable. I’m glad I am an open minded person though. Over the past couple months, I’ve learned a lot about nutrition and the environmental impacts of the meat industry. I believe everyone should do some research and try being “mostly vegetarian” for at least a couple weeks. Don’t completely give up meat right away, but it’s not something you need to eat every day. I’ve only eaten meat once in the past two weeks and I feel great, although I’m still eating eggs and dairy. And even though I’ve been exercising a lot more lately, I haven’t had any issues maintaining my weight. I’ll still eat meat when I feel like it, but no more than a couple times a week. It definitely won’t be that garbage they serve up at fast-food joints though.

Since I haven’t had a kitchen or refrigerator for a while, I was supplementing my diet with cheap food. Eating out daily on a tight budget eventually had me looking at the dollar menus at fast-food chains on a regular basis. Along with the fast-food, canned ravioli, tuna, soups, salads, crackers, protein bars and peanut butter sandwiches made up a decent portion of my diet. I hated it, but I couldn’t figure out how to change things up. I missed my kitchen so much, as I used to cook daily and rarely ate out. The adverse effects of consuming low grade fuel had been bothering me for a while. My energy levels had dropped and I didn’t feel like exercising as much as I wanted to. I wasn’t happy with the way I was living.

Thankfully, someone I had been studying with at school motivated me to change things up. She grew up as a vegetarian and had recently transitioned to a vegan diet. She was the first friend I had ever really talked to about that lifestyle. I quickly realized my perspective of a healthy diet had a lot of room for improvement. We went to a few vegan restaurants and I began to pay more attention to the vegetarian options at various places, which I had always overlooked in the past. The food was delicious and it made me feel better; healthier and happier.

I began to spend more time wandering around health food stores, such as Whole Foods, researching the benefits of various items. The reasons why people were willing to spend more on organic produce and fair trade products became clearer to me. It’s an investment in longevity, for the health of the individual, their offspring, and our planet. Cheap food is cheap because the way it is produced. Mass production, genetic modification, and the use of pesticides degrade the quality of many foods. They usually contain less nutrients, aren’t as easily digested and the trace amounts of pesticides build up in your body over time. And as for cheap meats, those animals are usually fattened up with GMOs, injected with chemicals to to stimulate growth, and are raised in conditions that could land you in jail if you treated your pets the same way.

I am sharing this because I care about others and hope that I can inspire someone else to rethink their diet, or even their family’s diet. Just because you were raised a certain way doesn’t mean you have to spend your life like that. I know it’s not easy to switch up eating habits, but talking to others about your goals can help make them a reality. What you eat has a huge impact on who you are. If you eat better, you feel better. And if you feel better, you’ll live a better life. Investing more in what you eat can save you money in the long run. Invest in your diet, or invest in you doctor. The choice is yours. I’ve also learned that cutting back on meat has helped compensate for the higher cost of organic products. Many plant based proteins cost less per pound than chicken or steak, and have a much longer shelf life.

Here are some links to get you started: Why Go Vegetarian or Vegan?, 25 Delicious Vegan Sources of Protein, 20 Foods to Always Buy Organic

 P.S. Quinoa salad has become one of my favorite meals. I’ve been making a large batch once a week and eating at least one serving per day. There are many different recipes so I’ve just been cycling through them. It tastes great, doesn’t need to be reheated and is a complete meal. Add beans or lentils for extra protein and enjoy.