I have been a vegetarian for quite a while now… even though I pretty much like everything about it, I have to say that these five things have really changed my life.

Trying new foods: As a child my menu mostly consisted of frosted cereal, eggs and bacon on the weekends, white rice, fried chicken, corned beef, and mashed potatoes. My after school snack would be a small can of the pasta chef. Oh! I should mention tons of bread and cow’s milk! As I grew older it changed a bit to burgers, chicken nuggets, and pizza. Well, as I got rid of the meats I began to experience an array of foods that I could have never imagine I would eat. And there’s a lot more things I can’t wait to try.

Learning about my body: Once you know how good it feels to feel good, you don’t want to go back. I spent many years being a junk food vegetarian but now that I’m eating better, all the years of heartburn (almost every day) have gone bye bye!

Saving money: Believe it or not I have cut our grocery bill since we stopped buying meat. At the beginning I spent money buying a lot of meat substitutes (veggie meat) to make the transition easier but now that we eat less of them we spend less.

It’s better on the environment: I’m happy to know that I have reduced the negative impact on the environment since becoming vegetarian. It feels good to help our earth any way we can. (See this post.) Can I do better? Yes, I can. I need to review my recycling practices.

Don’t get fast food cravings: I can pass by a fast food place or see a commercial with the “beautiful food” they show and I don’t get any desire for it. Not even a little bit. It’s awesome!

Definitely being vegetarian has change my life for the better. It has open my eyes to new things and new foods.

Go veggie!