Veg: 10 years, no looking back, April Fools is no joke.

On April 1, 2001 I awoke with a strange idea--I would give up eating meat.  This was about as far left-field of a notion as I could have had at the time.  My grandfather was a butcher.  My father was raised on steak and potatoes and salt.  Who was I to buck such a ferocious tradition? 
    
At the time, I was a 4th year student in college, with I would later realize, a pretty fantastic cafeteria with regular decent options for vegetarians (and vegans mtc) beyond the salad bar.  Honestly, I hate salad because lettuce tastes like grass. 

Before that day, I was the guy who could eat a half dozen fish sandwiches during lent, and kind of preferred eating popcorn shrimp because I could kill more animals per sitting.  Those were some messed up times, I admit.

What exactly changed my mind?  I'm not sure.  It was a strange gut feeling, and as I've learned over the years, the gut knows what the mind can't comprehend.  So, feeling how strong this impulse was, I played along. 

At first, I was a bit timid.  I'd eat bananas and nuts and a side of corn and peas.  Growing up I only ate 3 vegetables.  But, quickly my tastes moved on to risotto, bean stew, and of course tofu.

Looking back on those first days without meat, and how I begged my friend to go get me a burger (which I didn't really want except in my mind), I realize that they were truly revolutionary times.  Also, fortunately,  she didn't go for it.  My will power returned and I lived to fight another day.  That's how the early days transitioning away from meat went.  So, here are some tips from my own experience to help people transition away from meat.

1) Find a good source for vegetarian foods.  Back then, I didn't know how to cook, and was limited by the cafeteria.  I was lucky that the cafeteria had a pretty good selection.  If your cafeteria doesn't, then you should let them know.  Get friends to make comments also. 

2) Don't be afraid to try new things or else you'll eat pasta and salad every day for a week and give up.

3) Find friends who are already vegetarians.  My best friend is a vegan so I always had someone to eat with me.

4)  Learn how to cook, or do some research to find places with veg-friendly options, like Happy Cow. 

5) Learn about the issues.  I was very late to the game on this front.  But, once I learned about factory farms and the ecological impact a vegetarian diet can have, I became an even more vocal advocate.

So, that being said, I am proof that a meat loving person can make the switch and make a real difference for me and my planet.  If I can do it, you can too!