Hi,
My name is Summer. Over 10 years ago I made the decision to become a vegetarian and at the time I found this transition quite difficult. It wasn’t so much because of the intention of making the decision, but from the limited support and options that were available around me.
Apart from standard fruit and vegetables, there were very limited options available in local supermarkets and grocery stores. As well as this, my friends and family didn’t have any intention of having a meat free diet, which wasn’t an issue except that it proved difficult when cooking meals for myself but for others in our household.
Dining out at restaurants and dinner parties was especially challenging with the limited options available. Whenever I decided to eat out with friends, my only options were either a ‘Caesar Salad’ (without the bacon and chicken) or if I was really lucky, a mushroom risotto! I found myself coming home hungry a lot of the time, so there were many occasions I found I would just end up eating on my own at home, purely due to lack of options available to me when dining out.
The journey in the beginning was pretty tough and if it wasn’t for the health benefits I was feeling I probably would have turned back to a diet containing meat. The good news is that over the years, these challenges have eased substantially and it is far easier to live a vegetarian lifestyle (both at home and when traveling!). The community and even medical industry is far more aware of the health benefits of a meat free diet, and the ‘hippy’ stereotype is no longer associated with this type of lifestyle.
As the years have gone on I’ve had a lot of friends, family and colleagues notice the difference in my energy levels and naturally they’ve asked questions around what I’m doing differently. It’s led to my being able to coach and guide a lot of them in ways to increase their fruit and vegetable intake – some even transition to a vegetarian diet all together! I’ve been able to see firsthand how this journey has become much easier and more enjoyable to take than when I made the transition.
I am really passionate about this lifestyle choice and this is a really exciting time for anyone to make the transition to becoming a vegetarian. There are a number of benefits for making the change including health, moral, even spiritual benefits and I invite you to join me on this journey as I share with you my tips, guides and resources into the world of being a vegetarian.
Summer x
