“I don’t understand how you don’t eat meat” is the constant, continuous question I get asked on a daily basis when I’m surrounded by all of my meat-loving friends and family. When I first became a vegetarian two years ago, being asked this question took a great personal toll on myself, making me reevaluate my decision of excluding all meat and fish from my diet. Today, after building up my confidence and reasoning for my choice of being a vegetarian from reading blogs and inspiring stories, I realized that the most prominent factors I love about my diet are making healthier and more nutritious food choices, spending less money at the grocery store, and helping the welfare of animals and the environment.
I have always been interested in reading vegetarian blogs because they provide new recipes, motivational stories and health tips to follow. What drew me into the blog “The Smart Girl’s Guide to Going Vegetarian” was the attractiveness of the title and the fact that the author talks about all the main reasons why I love my diet. When I initially went vegetarian, I thought the only thing I needed to do was cut out meats and fish and there, done. What I did not realize at first and what the author of this blog, Rachel Meltzer who is a registered dietitian nutritionist, goes into great depth explaining is the importance of vitamin and macromolecule supplements needed as well.
Rachel’s blog, which she has also turned into a book, is formally aimed at teens and young adults who are potentially or currently starting a vegetarian diet. She can easily relate to people on this diet because she became a vegetarian herself at the age of 12. Her blog is a great “starter pack” that I would recommend to anyone who is considering starting a vegetarian diet. The page is set up as a guide, giving advice on vegetarian recipes to survive occasions like Thanksgiving and Super Bowl Sunday; two days that I personally find myself struggling to find recipes for! She uses the term “VegHead” or VIP (Vegetarian in Progress) in her articles because each blog she posts include her opinions and recommendations on how to survive the beginning transformation into a vegetarian.
The author does not include many sources in her writing but instead involves names and locations of vegetarian and vegan restaurants along with her input and advice on what to order at each place. The majority of her posts are opinion-based, so accuracy could only be measured through others experiencing it. Reading through her descriptive analysis and pictures of the foods and drinks she’s experienced will have the readers mouth watering and wanting to try the same things she has.
One article that stood out the most to me and would interest other audiences of prospective vegetarians is titled “Most Vegetarians go back to eating meat-so should you even bother?” The ongoing struggle of maintaining support and motivation to continue this diet is one of the most challenging concepts to execute. In the article, she explores various methods for a beginner to ease their way into the drastic diet change. She states, “I want to let readers know that they haven’t “failed” if they have a slip up, or even choose to eat meat every once in a while.” As a vegetarian myself, I remember encounters when I believed I failed my diet and therefore, failed myself. Reading her blog inspires those to continue the healthy lifestyle even if there are mess-ups at times, because going vegetarian does not have to be an “all-or-nothing proposition,” as she states.
Having support during a drastic change of lifestyle is one of the key factors to ease the process. Since this is merely an opinion-based blog, it makes reading more relatable which is a factor I would like to include in my own blogging. Rachel’s blog is the support and motivation potential vegetarians need to become aware of things they will encounter, ways to prevent discontinuation as a result of failure or fear, and ideas and suggestions to make the new lifestyle the happiest and healthiest it can be.
If you are interested in beginning a vegetarian diet, or would just like access to delicious, healthy recipes, visit: