Embracing a vegetarian diet... with Adrian

Adrian, one of my friends, is a Romanian student in Sheffield, UK. He cares deeply for the animals and the environment and uses his voice on instagram to raise awareness of the bad effects human activity has on them, including dietary choices. While he was in Romania he came to the realisation that switching to a vegetarian diet is one first step he can take to help the animals and that's why he made a plan. Today we will discover his story and the hardships one has to overcome in order to become a vegetarian.

I. What steps do you think would be necessary in order to switch to a vegetarian diet?

"Well, in my case the first and most important step would be to move away from my parents and live on my own since their diet and most of the recipes they cook include meat. I could prepare my own vegetarian food for a while, but I guess there would be moments when I would fall prey to temptation of trying meat again.

I believe another relevant step would be to get informed about what to expect from a vegetarian diet and to mentally prepare myself because suddenly cutting meat might have a big impact. I'm sure some research will help me overcome the challenges and keep me healthy.

Lastly, as I am an impulsive person when it comes to food, I think I need to

prepare myself with an army of appealing veggie recipes

that would help me resist any junk food temptations. I am hopeless sometimes though.😊"

II. What steps are you actually willing to take to make the change?

"I am planning to replace meat from my favourite foods with soya or vegetables as I am pretty sure there are tons of meat alternatives to choose from. As I previously mentioned, I am planning to move by myself at the end of September and I truly believe it would positively impact the transition to vegetarianism.

I would also love to join a vegetarian/vegan group at university or in the city, because I know from my past experience that gathering people with similar habits around you will ease the adoption of those habits for yourself."

III. From 1 to 10, how hard is the transition for you?

"Depending on the case, I think it could range from 3 when I am at the store buying vegetables and creatively thinking about what to cook, to 10 when I am at home with nothing left to eat, starving and scrolling through a lot of takeaways with tasty food."

IV. What’s your motivation to change your diet?

"I will be honest saying that I DON’T KNOW for sure yet. It can be because I want to see what happens when I cut meat off from my daily intake, or because I know I'll come across so many positive reasons that will make me continue this journey. Or because I want to lose a bit of weight and keep myself healthy...

However, something I know for sure is my love for the animals (all of them). This is my MAIN motivation to give up on eating meat."

V. Do you think you’ll be consistent with this plan?

"This is a hard question but I believe in my ability to do it. Even though I was raised in a family that consumes meat and it would be complicated to cut it all off out of a sudden, I will do my best to maintain this lifestyle. However, I don't want to eliminate it from my diet gradually because I feel I'd never be able to reach my goal this way. All in or nothing."

VI. Do you think you’ll ever switch to veganism?

"I know that vegans do not consume any type of animal products like eggs and milk because the food industry tortures the animals in order to obtain them. I have to be honest, it's hard to give up on eating some products, but I believe there's a way of eating milk and eggs without harming animals: buying those products from local farmers where the animals live a closer to normal life. However, I am willing to try all types of plant - based milk."

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Honest and funny, Adrian talked about his journey towards a vegetarian diet. From researching to preparing mentally for the change, from experimenting and trying new recipes to joining groups and communities, from remembering the reasons constantly to finding new ways of eating, he offered us some great tips to help with the process.