Every time I see someone after a long period of time I’m greeted with, “you still a vegetarian?”

I’ll be honest, I could never go vegan. I know my diet would become so unhealthy with a reliance on junk food if I relied on a vegan diet.

As a vegetarian, the only thing I don’t eat is meat. Chicken, beef, pork, etc.

Technically, I’m a pescatarian. I eat fish which tends to be my main source of protein. But believe it or not, meat isn’t the only food out there with flavor and the capability to keep us healthy. I love eating fish, I love Chinese food, I love sushi, I’ve learned to love beans, hummus and so many other foods I had never tried before turning to a vegetarian diet.

If anything, since becoming a vegetarian I’ve become even more health-conscious. I pay attention to what I eat and often have to plan meals since I know the biggest nutrient I’m missing without meat is protein. I never used to be a breakfast fan. I love breakfast food, but not at breakfast time. Over the last few years, I’ve started making myself eggs and toast and eating actual breakfasts almost every day. I’ve grown to love a tuna sandwich and I’m almost always in the mood for egg salad.

In the beginning, I worried a lot of people because I didn’t really know what I was doing. I had made the decision to switch to a vegetarian diet without any idea about how to do it in a healthy way. It took me a little while to figure it out, but once I did, I found a whole new group of foods I had never tried before.

I found myself at vegan restaurants, with loads of skepticism, and enjoying every bite. I discovered a love of veggie burgers, something I had never tried before.

I learned so much about myself and the things I’m willing to try.

I find myself so much more willing to try new foods ever since I stopped eating meat. Such a simple lifestyle change led me to tasting and sampling a million foods along the way and finding so many restaurants with dishes requiring no meat but holding a ton of flavor.

Even if it’s just for a week, a month or a few months, I really do recommend testing out a vegetarian diet. You might miss meat at first, but as you taste around, you will find so many other foods and you will forget about mean all together.

Give it a try! If anything, at least you can say you tried something new.