Blog #52: Veg Week

I have considered going vegetarian for a while now.

This inclination has come and gone in waves over the past few years. Going vegetarian would be much better for the environment than my current lifestyle (although giving up beef has already helped this, and I would recommend it for anyone who wants to reduce their carbon footprint!) and in many ways, it would also be better for my health. (Seriously, have one conversation with my mum about the way our meat is produced, and you'll consider quitting it too.)

Although I do have more control over the quality of meat I eat when I cook for myself, it's impossible to ensure this while eating out, or when depending on a school cafeteria for my every meal. Sometimes I think it really would be better just to not eat meat than to eat low-quality meat.

Along with these factors, being in India is the perfect place to try being vegetarian. It's the country with the highest percent of its population being vegetarian in the entire world, and I regularly find myself at pure veg restaurants without even trying. Often unintentionally, I find myself going a couple days at a time without eating meat.

So, after considering all of this, and after reading Ally's blog post about the same thing, I've decided to follow Ally's method of easing myself into this diet. Although Ally is trying 'Meatless Mondays,' as I've said, I often go days here without eating meat. Instead, I'm going to challenge myself to a week of being vegetarian.

As I write this, I'm thinking that this challenge will be very easy. Delicious vegetarian food abounds everywhere I go. Yet, I often cook for myself, and when I do, my meals include meat. This may be the toughest part- learning to cook vegetarian meals for myself instead of relying on chicken as the main component of most of my meals.

I also think it's likely I consume more meat than I actually think I do. Going one week without it will help show me how much I am used to eating it, and will show me if being vegetarian is something I actually want to pursue! When I wake up tomorrow, I'll be a vegetarian (well... for a week).

Also, shoutout to Ally for the inspiration to actually try this!

Carbon footprints according to diet!