4 years being vegetarian. The upside and the downside.

31st of December 2013, I had my last piece of meat. Ham I remember. I was in Miami. And I’ve decided to become a vegetarian.

My love of animals first, and my yoga practice, made me shift to that way of life without effort. Knowing the deep suffering that most animals go through before ending up in our plates, just this, was enough. The yoga practice just made me open my eyes. I didn’t want to be that person again, who knows, but doesn’t want to really know…

I have to confess that except for ham from Italy, burgers and chicken I was not super fond of meat, and I’ve stopped eating baby animals like veal and lamb 15 years ago.

The effects on my body arrived fast. While I used to go to bed feeling heavy, this feeling disappeared after a few days. Surprisingly I felt less stressed out, and I had less anger as well (yes I did spell it right, anger and not hunger). I’m wondering if the stress and the pain felt by the animals in those horrible places and before they die make them produce some sort of hormones that we absorb when we eat them? I don’t know, I’m not a scientist, but I swear I felt more at peace.

Another big surprise, my body was more flexible. I’ve read later during my yoga studies, that meat makes you stiff, I swear I felt it.

My health has improved, in 4 years I had only one cold after a long trip in a plane where it was super cold. No more migraines, i used to have cold sore regularly, now I have one once a year or less.

Of course as I like to be coherent I’ve also stopped buying leather. I’m still wearing the shoes and bags I had from before, but I’m not buying leather shoes or bags anymore, and it’s kind of fun to search for cool vegan stuff, and not that difficult. Even if you want to be posh Stella McCartney is a militant of the animal wellness and does not use animal product in her collections.

I absolutely enjoy being a vegetarian, it made me discover new vegetables, and a new way of cooking and I really enjoy it. Also I’m totally vegan at home, I stay vegetarian when I go to restaurant, because where I live, it’s already tough to find a vegetarian option (goat cheese salad, or tomatoes and mozzarella).

One of the downside of a vegetarian way of life is when you go out to the restaurant. You have to be very careful, they cook almost everything in veal or chicken broth to make it “more tasty”: risottos, some pasta, even soups! People say we are always telling everyone we are vegetarian, but may be if the menus in the restaurants were more honest about what’s really meat free or not, we would not have to ask….

Now let’s talk about the BIGGEST downside of a plant based diet. Its meat eater. They almost always want you to eat meat. I don’t even count the amount of times I’ve heard: For once you should try this meat it’s so yummy, or, Come on this is shrimp it’s not really an animal, or, you probably lack of protein, did you think about your health (coming from someone who has a lot of stomach issue while I never have any).

Just to be clear when I go out with friends I NEVER ask them to eat veggies, they eat whatever they want it’s a problem with them and their karma, so why the hell they can’t do the same? Why can’t they eat their meat while i eat my veggies without wanting me to eat corpses?

It’s like my decision has an influence upon their life, like they feel threatened. Unless they are secretly ashamed? I don’t know, but this is the only downside I faced as a vegetarian.

Hopefully some days people will be more aware, and the suffering will end. Who knows? But in the meantime can we respect each others?

Namaste

If you want to be more aware may I recommand the documentary: cowspiracy www.cowspiracy.com