By Emily

Recently, I came across a post which my friend shared on social media about genetically modified super cows. It may sound like a positive thing, but the reality is that it is absolutely horrifying. Super cows are made to produce more, more, more... but at the expense of their own health. The same goes for chickens. 

I suddenly felt depressed about the food industry. It is completely unethical making animals suffer more for the sake of mass production and profits. It illustrates the dominance of humans over animals, that these creatures are for our satisfaction and no longer for our survival. 

This is not to say that we should ban eating meat. Some people need to eat meat for health reasons. The problem lies with the industrialization aspect of it which ignores animals' wellbeing and rights. Reducing your meat consumption is already a good thing.      

So it got me thinking of potentially going full vegetarian but I have no experience with that other than choosing the vegetarian option in restaurants sometimes. I was interested in hearing about people's experiences with plant-based diets so I made a form to gather responses. 

First of all, here is a simplified list of different plant-based diets to provide clarity. 

From the 5 responders, the diets that came up often are pescatarian, lacto(-ovo) vegetarian and pollo-vegetarian.

Then I asked their motivations for choosing this particular diet so here are their main reasons: 

- Love for animals, against animal cruelty 

- Better for the environment 

- Dislike for taste of meat

- Reduce acne (by cutting out dairy)

I wondered about the difficulties they encountered with their diets and how their family and friends reacted to their change of dietary choices.

One responder said it's not difficult for being pescatarian except maybe for the lack of choice when you go out to eat. They also say: 

My family was totally fine with it because my sister became a pescatarian one year before me and now she’s a vegetarian. I’m very lucky and happy that my parents don’t mind at all and always accommodate to me for dinners together.

My friends are okay with it, one of them actually became vegetarian because/thanks to me. It motivated her to see someone not eating meat and not struggling so she asked for advice on my diet and now she’s doing even better because she doesn’t eat fish.

I want to eventually become a vegetarian but I know that I’m not there yet. I already reduce my dairies and fish too, and I think in the future - in 15 years maybe - I would want to be vegan but once again I’m not there yet but that’s the objective!

For Lola, her difficulty is getting enough nutrients, vitamins and proteins as a vegetarian/ovo-vegetarian. She adds that it's more of a personal issue as many don't necessarily struggle with this. I do think learning about nutrition seems overwhelming but it is an important step no matter what diet you currently follow. 

Léa, who follows a pollo-vegetarian diet, struggles to be inspired for home-cooked meals every week. 

Helene also states the difficulty of finding vegetarian, let alone vegan choices when going out. In supermarkets, plant-based options can be more costly too.

When it comes to her family reactions, she says:

My family (cooks on two generations, and a butcher Grandpa) was astonished at first haha and often comment stuff like ''You sure you don't want to try? You sure you don't miss it?''

They're also really scared I'll get anemia, and/or not have enough proteins, starve, faint... We all got used to it but I still have to reassure them that I've never been healthier!

For Audrey, not only is finding vegetarian options hard in restaurants, but also finding a meal she can actually like that doesn't include red peppers or spices. Being invited to dinners can cause an embarassing situation when she needs to tell her friends she can't eat certain dishes. As a frequent gym-goer, she also needs to find foods to get enough protein to build muscle. She adds: 

They all say that I am very strong to keep going because they could not stop « saucisson » or BBQ so they say that I’m an example. It makes me feel proud because it’s been more than 10 years I’m vegeterian and i stick to my conviction and I feel more close to animals and legitimate to fight for their rights.

Finally, I asked about recipe ideas and resources for plant-based diets:  

Tofu is the beloved choice for all the respondents. According to Healthline: "Tofu is low in calories but high in protein and fat. It also contains many important vitamins and minerals, including calcium and manganese."

The first responder says: "I often cook tofu with soy sauce, garlic, spices, honey and it is sooooo good. Other than that, just a lot of different vegetables, often with rice and eggs. Chickpeas are also great!"

Helene suggests: "start with reducing your consumption of meat. We really don't need as much as we think we do!" And she likes to eat "veggie tacos, either with plantbased (corn) or milk (halloumi) proteins, or with only vegetables."

Lola knows this useful app called Happy Cow "that lists restaurants that have vegetarian/vegan and also gluten free options in big cities all over the world, I find it very convenient!"
She also says you can add vegetables to pasta, noodles, and rice.  

Léa recommends browsing TikTok for recipe ideas and inspiration.I would add Pinterest!
There's also many YouTube videos to guide you for grocery shopping and meal planning. 

I hope this article helps you if you're thinking of switching to a new diet or trying to reduce meat consumption in general. Rest assured, you are definitely not alone. There's a large community to connect with, many will be glad to share experiences and tips!  

Big thanks to those who responded to my form <3

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