Vegetarian stodnevka. How to give up meat and avoid becoming a vegetable

Quickly passed one hundred days of my vegetarian stodnevki. During this time, my mouth was not even a single piece of meat, though I ate it constantly, several times a day. It was an interesting experience and I want to tell you about what a person faces, decided to become a vegetarian.

First day of my stodnevki began with a remarkable event: reeling in the treadmill miles this morning, I glanced at working on the gym TV. There twisted horoscope. Usually I'm not interested in astrological advice and predictions, but this time I decided to wait for prophecies to your sign of the zodiac. The only advice was: "Capricorn — today is a good day to start a new diet." Such a coincidence ("Coincidence? I don't think!") strengthened my resolve to gently bring the 100-day experiment with a new diet to completion.





From the beginning stodnevki for me played a huge supporting factor — with me to a vegetarian diet decided to move my wife. This greatly facilitated the task since we took up the matter together and a homemade diet is not had to divide into two parts. In addition, support a loved one will never be superfluous.

Since the idea seemed to me to be one big experiment that inexplicably could affect our health, I went to a vegetarian stodnevka with the maximum academic degree. It is clear that if on the agenda was the waiver of such an important and daily component of food, such as meat, it is quite possible that the body may stop enough of some vital nutrients. After reading several medical articles, we stocked up on vitamin complexes, vitamins, minerals and other useful minerals and capsules with omega-3 fats.

In addition, I came to the conclusion that I will need to significantly increase the consumption of foods such as legumes and mushrooms, which contain practically all the substances present in meat. Diet also there's eggs and dairy products — we decided not to abandon animal products, as do vegans. Thus, although our daily diet had changed significantly, it still remained fairly balanced. In this stodnevka health was for us in the first place.

An important remark. We initially decided consciously not to make party vegetarian experiment of our child — he was left with the usual diet without any changes. And when my daughter asked for something with meat, though this happened rarely, she always had it. We also refrained from campaigning for other people. There is a famous joke: "How do you know that person a vegetarian? Ask about the weather, wait a few minutes, and he will tell you." Many proponents of vegetarianism do feel compelled to poach "on the bright side" as many people as possible. We try not to raise the subject without the need or external request. In a sense, we — the latent vegetarians.

Before us also was a separate and difficult task — to convince the family that we have everything under control, because after the announcement of the abandonment of meat, they began to doubt our sanity, and because you love and care tried to persuade and to bring us back to familiar food. A word about the fact that this is a time-limited experiment, that everything is done in mind and under control, did not convince anyone. Try not to eat meat at grandma's, for which the purpose of life — to feed to satiety. To accustom and reconcile his inner circle with a new way of life is an important and hardest part of the vegetarian way. But we still manage with this task.

So what are the reasons pushing a person to give up meat? To find out, I conducted a small survey of friends on his Facebook page. Responded to more than ten people. Was named the following: after meat, a feeling of heaviness and it's just tasteless; care about their own health; ethical reasons do not wish to contribute to the killing of animals, I feel pity for living beings, taking care of the planet, refuse mindless consumption, not willing to support a polluting industry; don't want to be restless and irritable; and the most common cause — "one day I decided that wrong is right and everything." I came to vegetarianism for purely selfish and rational reasons. It was important for me just to feel better. The fact that more and suffer less than animals, for me an added bonus and plus in karma.

But back to the new diet. To follow it on a regular basis, I had quite an adjustment to your day. I tried to keep all the pros of my regular routine. Here's what came of it.

A vegetarian Breakfast. By long tradition, I'm starting working day with Breakfast in the café. And I'm not planning to abandon this pleasant morning. However, after starting stodnevki number of eligible I institutions that start to work early in the morning and have vegetarian dishes, greatly reduced. In my opinion, I found a rather graceful way out — figured to ask the waiter to cook as usual but without the meat. Of course, at the same price. I went to meet him, and brought the roll with scrambled eggs, but no ham. Now I quite often use this technique — choose a delicious dish from the menu and please cook it without meat and in most cases it works.

A vegetarian lunch. I eat lunch in the office, so I had to negotiate with our cook. Fortunately, he met me halfway and agreed to regularly replace a meat dish with vegetable, leaving the standard side dish. It turned out that I'm not alone — in our company, such a technique used by several people. So during the day instead of chicken on my plate is fried cabbage, steam the vegetables or Lecho. I want it that way and not greatly complicates the life of our cook, to whom I am very grateful for your understanding.

A vegetarian dinner. We don't like to cook at home, so often have dinner fast-food, store-bought. However, a number of delicious vegetable dishes sold in our supermarkets and do not require long cooking, mission is not enough. And dinner raw vegetables I absolutely do not want — apparently, I have not yet reached such a degree of enlightenment. Real salvation at the start were vegetable fritters. They are sold individually in several major chain stores. I counted seven species — cabbage, potato, carrot, beet, squash, cauliflower, broccoli. Purchased for the entire week, preparing for a couple of minutes, constantly alternating, so don't bother. The choice of a lazy vegetarian. I also found several private caterers. In General, cooking is a very easy vegetarian life because they can find lots of ready made and fresh salads, garnishes and vegetable dishes sold by weight.

I want to confess that am a big fan of fast food. In this regard vegetarianism struck me the most crushing blow. Almost all burgers and sandwiches contain meat. Choose was absolutely not what is because meals without meat components in fast food restaurants — a rarity. All I have left to be content in a networked eatery, it's fries and a couple of small crackers with cheese or egg. Sad, but it was probably for the best. For anybody not a secret that fast food isn't too useful.

To stay motivated I decided to dive into vegetarian information space. Below deeper dive into the subject, signed up for various thematic information streams blogs, and newsletters about nutrition. But I must say, quite quickly lost interest in them. The content of most articles or interviews with little-known vegetarian, or another scientific study, or, worst of all, the recipe of a new dish from beans or lentils. Melancholy green. Something really interesting came across very rarely, and after a while I left a few of the subscriptions. Magazine, coming out once a month, is enough to be aware of the fact that vegetarianism for the last couple thousand years, nothing has changed. And for those who loves science and wants to learn more about the relationship of health and nutrition, instead of the hundreds of articles I recommend reading the book "the China study" by Colin Campbell, where very comprehensive and full of facts painted an advantage of plant foods compared to animal.

I was very surprised that a lot of famous people, which I took as an example, turned out to be vegetarians. I mean writers, musicians, athletes, leading. I loved their creativity and the beginning of the hundred-day's rest, but at this moment it began to pay attention to the fact that "green" diet has long been a part of their lives. Philosopher's rock-n-roll Ilya Heck out of the "Pilot". Shea's latest album, which for a long time permanent resident in my player. Favorite wives, handsome Jared Leto. Childhood favorite presenter Nikolai Drozdov. Master of fine words Haruki Murakami. Old Bono of U2, the strains I usually make a morning jog. The magician camouflaged esoteric Victor Pelevin. The famous traveler Fyodor Konyukhov. A list of my favorites can be spread out over several pages, not to mention other famous personalities. If all these people believe that vegetarianism contributes to the creative state and an active lifestyle, and continue to demonstrate it regularly, delighting me with new masterpieces, then I am inclined to believe that this diet really helpful.

On travel and cuisines.

During the hundred-day's rest, we visited a few new countries. We love to travel, so to be vegetarians in other countries was an interesting challenge. It was on the one hand more complicated and on the other hand lighter than in his hometown. More difficult because among the exotic names of dishes of foreign cuisines even with the help of an English speaking waiter in a normal restaurant it can be daunting to make the right choice. Easier because in other countries are much more developed infrastructure is vegetarian, and it is easier to find a suitable restaurant — they are just so much more than we do. Unfortunately, in the huge Moscow only about ten full-fledged vegetarian establishments. We managed to visit almost all of them, so our ability to sit in the evening in the new "vegetable" the place is already quite limited. But there is also a nice bonus — I received a special card Vegetarian Card, and can now expect a discount in all green places of the city.

I can not mention significant advantage of switching to a vegetarian diet — daily menu becomes more varied. I became much more likely to try new dishes, to boldly learn the national cuisine of other countries, to visit new places. When a large part of the usual diet is eliminated for ideological reasons, there is a tireless desire to try something new and wide possibilities for experimentation. For three months I tried dozens of new dishes, which was not observed before. And many of them were very good in taste.

A few words about inflated expectations and false hopes.

The man who first set foot on the path of vegetarianism, it might initially dwell in illusions about a quick and abundant positive changes. At the start stodnevki I thought that with the new regime I will certainly drop weight, disappear fat, become more healthy complexion, increased stamina, irritability will disappear, and so on and so forth. Now I can say that while giving up meat and has a certain advantage in all spheres of life, it is not a "magic pill". Alas, only one of vegetarianism's not enough to have a tangible and visible changes in the body and worldview. But if you combine it with exercise, healthy daily routine and proper nutrition, the result can be magical, and I suspect that still more rapid. Under proper nutrition I mean that by eating meat I might add avoiding sweets and hazards, and increase the amount of fruits and plain water. Frankly, I try to choose healthy foods, but the amount of flour and butter in my current diet is still pretty high.

I honestly stayed on a vegetarian diet the whole time stodnevki to bring the experiment to end and to feel its results, but now I understand that this report can begin to write much earlier. After six months I fully adapted to a new diet, both physically and psychologically, almost did not feel any discomfort and had not thought about it. Approximately in the middle of stodnevki vegetarianism has become habitual and completely natural diet. From this I can conclude — in order to become a vegetarian and completely adapt to a new lifestyle, and to accustom to the idea of his immediate surroundings, quite two months.

So, flew a hundred days without meat, the vegetarian experiment has come to an end. It is time to briefly summarize. Do I feel any positive changes? Perhaps, Yes, although they are not pronounced. Just have some sense correct the situation. A little more lightness in the body, with a little more flexibility in consciousness. Now my stodnevka is finished. Would I continue? Yes, I will. Because the new diet has become natural for me, and I feel quite comfortable. Maybe you, dear reader, it's worth a try? Of course, just as an experiment. But I can tighten. published

Author: Michael Swede

P. S. And remember, only by changing their consumption — together we change the world! ©

Source: interesno.co/fitness/9dc503727fac