Our view: I used to be a vegetarian

When I was 15 I decided to become vegetarian. My family were sure it would just be a phase, but I lasted two years going meat-free, and for those two years I genuinely didn’t feel like I was missing anything. So I started having a lot of Quorn substitutes, and a lot more vegetables in my meals. On Christmas day I had nut roast, and at summer barbecues I would have veggie burgers, and for two years I was fine with that.

I stopped my vegetarian diet after 2 years just because my opinion had changed and I didn’t want to eat meat-free anymore. One day I was at a restaurant and ordered chicken instead of a vegetarian meal, simply because that was what I liked the sound of more.

Interestingly, a massive 84% of vegetarians returned to eating meat within a year's time in 2014, which is when I decided to return to eating meat.

But because I changed the way I ate and managed to stick to it for two years, I think it has had a lasting impact on my taste and the way I think about food. Now my diet is fairly close to pescatarian as typically I will cook myself vegetarian meals or fish; and usually only eat meat when I am eating out at a restaurant or if someone else as cooked for me.

Statistics show that it's not just me who is consuming less meat consciously. A YouGov report last year showed that 56% of British people do not agree that meat is a necessary part of a meal, and more and more people are following the 'flexitarian movement' and trying meat-free Mondays.

I genuinely prefer the taste of Quorn over the taste of chicken, and usually prefer to eat a veggie burger over a beef one. I often cook meals now that are 50% vegetables. When I make a curry I use no meat or Quorn and will just have vegetables, and I much prefer it.

While my tastes have changed and so I typically eat less meat just because I’m not a huge fan of the taste, I also wanted to cut as much meat out of my diet as possible because of the health and environmental benefits. Harvard Medical School explains that vegetarians have “lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and lower body mass index (BMI), all of which are associated with longevity and a reduced risk for many chronic diseases.”

Although, on the other hand, when I was totally vegetarian I did experience some smaller health problems – one effect being that I developed an iron deficiency, and did need to take iron tablets to compensate for the lack of natural iron from meat products in my diet. But overall, the health benefits outweigh the smaller side effects such as this one.

The second biggest reason I eat less meat now (the first being because I often don’t enjoy the taste) is because of the environmental effect of meat consumption. Livestock account for 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and so I believe that if everybody tried to reduce the amount of meat they consume, these greenhouse gas emissions would reduce too.

You can read more about the benefits of going vegetarian here.

Nowadays I eat turkey on Christmas, and have sweet and sour chicken takeaway, and if someone is nice enough to offer to cook for me they don’t have to make an entirely separate vegetarian-safe meal. But, for the most part, I eat a diet of vegetables, fish and meat substitutes.

The creation of this food blog, Thoughtful Food Lincoln, has encouraged me to explore other types of diets too, and I have learned a lot more about going gluten-free or vegan. While I do enjoy cooking vegan meals or baking gluten free cakes, I don’t think I will fully transfer to one of these diets any time soon.

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