Contents
The principles of non-violence towards animals are conquering the world. So far, these principles are conquering our mentality very slowly and sluggishly, but still. Modern youth is more and more interested in the idea of protecting all living things and cleansing their own body. Such people, physically healthy and mentally strong, have one thing in common – vegetarianism. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a gray tasteless menu, but a whole type of worldview. On the contrary, it allows you to give bright colors to food, preserve the environment and even develop spiritually. How to join this caste of people and not break loose – we analyze below.
First step: awareness
People come to vegetarianism for a variety of reasons. Someone wants to save the environment and reduces the consumption of meat or completely refuses it, while someone wants to cleanse the body and improve it. Some do it in order to save money, while others are not allowed by religion to kill and eat defenseless animals. All of these reasons are justified.
Mass animal husbandry really pollutes the environment, if we refuse to use animal products, we will contribute to the safety of the planet. Vegetarianism, despite frequent misconceptions, saves money.
Benjamin Franklin also noticed that a plant-based diet allowed him to save more money than he spent on books. In addition, a special edition of the Vegetarian Times conducted a study and proved that an American vegetarian saves an average of $ 4 by giving up meat.
Also, getting rid of meat dishes, you can reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. Vegetarianism cleanses the intestines and improves the microflora, therefore, in order to improve health, this is a completely justified measure. Another plus is that a low-calorie diet saves a figure, which is why various vegetarian diets have become fashionable now, although they are not followed for long.
However, among these reasons, there is not the only one that guides a true and experienced vegetarian. It’s about the idea of the inviolability of life, any of the lives, whether it’s a hedgehog or a baby. This is where the path to vegetarianism should begin, which will last not one week, but a lifetime. If we determine exactly for ourselves why we are doing this, vegetarianism will not become a difficult, thorny path, but will turn into a liberation from imposed addictions.
The principle of non-violence lies at the heart of true vegetarian philosophy. The sacred Indian scriptures, which are considered the “progenitors” of this idea, set out the ethical requirements for a spiritually strong person (Patanjali, yama). One of these requirements is ahimsa – do not torture animals, do not kill them, do not buy or eat.
This is the rule that a vegetarian must follow, it is important not only to force yourself to give up meat, but to understand that such food is simply unnatural for you.
It is important to understand that every life is given to live, not to be a victim. Animals may not be like us, but that doesn’t mean they have less rights. They have a nervous system similar to ours, they feel pain and fear, they have habits and even love.
Any meat on the market stalls, in a beautiful plate in a restaurant or in the form of grandmother’s cutlets is nothing but a dead body, dead flesh. Here are the first things you need to understand before you simply switch to a vegetarian diet.
Such work on your perception of the world will help you easily start being a vegetarian and stay it without disruption. And all the other advantages that were listed above (ecology, savings, health improvement and a beautiful figure) will definitely add to this.
Step two: gathering information
An interesting, almost research, work awaits you. Vegetarianism in recent decades has become so overgrown with myths that it can be difficult to get to the bottom of the truth. All these conjectures and legends are mainly caused by the indignation of meat eaters, they are very fond of finding a reason why “you don’t need” to switch to a plant-based diet. But we already know that this is not just a type of food, but a different view of the world. In any case, before starting this path, you should prepare well: study the necessary literature, learn myths and facts, read the opinions and reviews of experienced people. Such preparation will allow in the future to correctly compose the menu and calmly fend off attacks from “non-vegetarians” (and there will be attacks).
So where do you start your education? First of all, you can read the translation of the Yoga Sutra. This work was written by the ancient Indian thinker Patanjali, it is something like a guide that leads to complete satisfaction with life. Ahimsa will also be here, after reading such a book, a change in worldview occurs faster and easier.
There are also other ancient Indian works that will help in this: Dhammapada, Lankavatara Sutra.
But the most interesting part of collecting information will be when you get to the reasons why it is “better not to go” to a vegetarian diet. Almost all of them are already myths and they must be studied by a beginner. In the future, you may be scared and accused of the following:
- There will be a lack of nutrients and vitamins. This is operated by many who have never tried vegetarianism and did not really look for information about useful substances.
- This leads to loss of hair, teeth, nails and in general to a bad appearance.
- Vegetarianism makes people sick with anemia. This is argued by the fact that iron is only found in animal products.
- There won’t be enough protein.
- If you refuse meat, intelligence decreases. In this case, they operate with a deficiency of phosphorus, which is found in fish, dairy products and eggs.
Meat-eaters themselves do not always calculate how many vitamins they receive, but what if it’s not enough? In fact, a plant-based diet is rich in vitamins, and if everything is combined correctly, there will be no deficiency.
Many celebrities follow a vegetarian diet and ahimsa (Pamela Anderson, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Brad Pitt and others), this does not prevent them from looking beautiful. Problems can only appear if the diet is not started correctly or in case of any existing illness. Most experienced vegetarians look and feel just as good as meat eaters.
In addition to milk, liver, eggs, iron can be obtained from citrus fruits, figs, zucchini, beans, asparagus, herbs, and dozens of other foods. The main thing is to combine them with fruits and herbs rich in vitamin C.
Firstly, it is not necessary to completely refuse milk and eggs. Secondly, phosphorus is also found in plants: beans, celery, pumpkin, nuts, cucumbers, carrots, and a lot of everything. Complete protein can be obtained by combining beans and grains. For example, sauteed beans and rice with vegetable salad. And pine nuts and spirulina contain this protein in its purest form. It can also be obtained from leguminous vegetables and cereals.
These are the most common misconceptions of people far from vegetarianism. In order not to fall for this bait, it is better to initially study all the questions of interest. At the same stage, you can start reading vegetarian cookbooks, forums, blogs.
Then you can find information about the transition experience of other people, evaluate their mistakes and solutions for upcoming ones. Finding such reviews and stories is very simple – you need to look for blogs and specialized sites, forums. All this is enough on the Internet. Here you can and should find like-minded people, this will also help in the transition to a new way of life. We are arranged in such a way that any business and task is much easier for us when we are in the “pack”. Understanding and supporting other people is very important in this case as well.
Step three: planning and execution
At the preparation stage, there is a chance to bypass mistakes and do everything as correctly as possible. So, after reading about the nutrition of yogis or some Buddhist monks, some people switch to a very meager diet right “from tomorrow”. This is wrong, because any change should be gradual. In addition, most of these yoga diets are designed for reclusive monks, far from passions and accustomed to complete asceticism.
After asserting your intentions and becoming familiar with the concept of vegetarianism, you can move on to practice. Some manage to transition painlessly to this diet, others will take a long time and a phased transition. In fact, if you follow the first two steps correctly, giving up meat will not be a challenge. After all, a person who is convinced of the inviolability of another’s body cannot eat this body, even a little.
You need to plan your diet in advance, at least in the early stages. So you can buy all the necessary products on time, decide what to cook. Over time, this need will disappear, since at home there will be no products at all that go against this food system. You also need to learn how to read labels, this will avoid additives that are of animal origin.
Remember these names:
- albumin (animal blood protein);
- vitamin D3 (may be obtained from fish oil);
- gelatin (obtained from bone tissue);
- rennet (it is better to buy with marks: vegetable, microbacterial, bacterial or fermented milk starter);
- pepsin (only vegetable pepsin is possible);
- lecithin (only if you have given up eggs);
- carmine (from insects);
- calcium phosphate (from bones).
Over time, these nutritional supplements will also be easier to recognize and avoid, and many will be remembered. Also, during shopping, you can replace ordinary meat with soy, especially if the transition is difficult. In stores you can find from this base: “meat”, milk, ice cream, cheese. And for the money that you saved, you can try new types of fruits or grains (quinoa, couscous, alfalfa, etc.). You will get a double benefit: the animals are safe, and there are a lot of tasty, low-calorie and interesting things in the basket.
However, a problem may arise, since not only the brain, but also the rest of the body has become accustomed to meat food. If you abruptly refuse animal protein, those deterioration in appearance that we spoke about above may occur. Therefore, reviews of “experienced” recommend gradually introducing vegetarian dishes into the daily menu. And, if reading culinary tips was not skipped at the previous stage, it is not necessary to cook ordinary porridge.
It is very important that the dishes are complete and bring pleasure. For example, among vegetarian recipes there are pizzas, pies, ravioli, desserts, sandwiches, etc.
You can find such a dish in your native cuisine, and in Mexican, and in any other. Most of all, of course, in Indian, besides, the dishes here are very spicy and mouth-watering.
Gradually, the amount of animal products should be reduced. First, it is recommended to get rid of red meat, then from poultry, then from fish and seafood. The final stage will be the complete rejection of the described additives, animal-tested cosmetics, clothing made from leather and skins. By the way, in cosmetics, collagen and elastin are also animal products. Thus, the beginner will become a full-fledged follower of the philosophy of love, non-violence and freedom from imposed stereotypes.
For beginners, there is good news: the habit takes 21 days. The same goes for food habits. If at first there may be difficulties and a periodic desire to eat a McDonald’s burger, soon new food addictions will become the main ones.
Conclusion: how not to break
In general, if the ideas of vegetarianism have been correctly understood and accepted, the risk of failure will be minimal. But due to various factors, such as peer pressure, there may be a desire to try a piece of meat again. To prevent this from happening, experienced vegetarians recommend not to stop reading books on this topic. The works will be very useful: “Eating Animals” by J. Safran Foer (the third book of the author, which, like the previous two, became a bestseller), “How to become, be and remain a vegetarian by Juliet Gellatly (a reference book for most vegans and vegetarians), “Returned Youth » Mikhail Zoshchenko (smart ideas written in a humorous way).
Like-minded people will also help you stay on the same path. You can look for them in your environment, on the Internet, at special events. Today, exhibitions, concerts, fairs with this idea are periodically held in every major city. If it’s a small town, is it a startup idea or a reason to visit a big city? Also, in order to avoid the temptation to eat a meat hamburger, it is recommended not to spare spices for your dishes and experiment more. Diversity in nutrition will not allow the body to get bored and want something more.
And the most important rule that will help you “do not turn off” – remember why it was started.