There are a multitude of reasons why people decide to go vegetarian. Perhaps it is because of religious traditions. Perhaps it is for animal rights. Perhaps it is for to eat healthier. Perhaps it is because of food intolerances.

Regardless, there are many benefits to going vegetarian, such as preventing heart disease, promoting an overall healthy diet, preventing animal cruelty, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing risk of cancer.

So, with everything in consideration, here's a recap of my adventures in going vegetarian for one full week. While it was a relatively short amount of time to be vegetarian, as compared to vegetarianism as a lifestyle, it was a way for me to, in a way, try it out.

I wanted to try out vegetarianism to eat healthier, to promote animal rights, and just to see what it was like for people who are vegetarian or have been for a long time. Despite the reasons, many of us non-vegetarians may not realize that dietary restrictions like these may be harder than you think.

Throughout the week, when I mentioned it to friends, the most common response was "why?" as if they were offended by the fact that I wasn't eating meat, and my response was, "why not?" Why should people question your life choices? Especially since, as mentioned, there are countless reasons as to why someone may be vegetarian. Perhaps this is why many vegetarians and vegans are not very vocal about having certain dietary restrictions in fear of stigma.

One week later of having to replace the meat with beans in my meals, vegetarianism was not as hard as I thought. Most places nowadays provide vegetarian options wherever you go, it's just a matter if being willing to go for that sofritas bowl instead of the chicken bowl at Chipotle. Similarly, many restaurants provide vegetarian options, as long as you ask for them.

While cooking at home is easy, since I am able to buy and make the foods that I can eat, this shows how this can be restrictive to people who eat vegetarian on the regular. This may mean that they are forced to make meals at home instead of being able to go out to eat with friends.

What I did find difficult during the week was when I went to events in which food was catered. Which, as a college student, many events throughout the school include catered meals. One meal in particular that I went to consisted of chicken and a side salad. It didn't provide any vegetarian options, since technically, people could just eat the side salad, but clearly that was not a substantial meal, and I ended up having to get more food to eat later.

Similarly, dining halls may not provide adequate vegetarian options. Many of the foods there are prepared foods, so you cannot ask for them without meat. While dining halls pride themselves in providing vegetarian options, the option of eating the same salad every single day doesn't really seem like much of a vegetarian option to me.

So overall, with will, going vegetarian wasn't too hard. However, it was only for one week. I realized how difficult it may be for friends who are vegetarian—how they may not be able to eat at certain places that don't offer alternatives. It was an interesting experience to try out, and something I would recommend for those who have been considering going vegetarian—it doesn't hurt to try, right?

All in all, as much as I enjoyed this week of trying foods I've never tried before, and eating healthy, I cannot wait to stuff my face with a burger.