“Oh my gosh, you’re a vegetarian! It must be soooo hard not eating steak and chicken wings, Do you even miss them?” This is a question that most vegetarians get a lot from a numerous amount of people wherever they may go. My name is Adrian, and this is why being vegetarian is important for our planet.

I would like to start by saying that I’ve been vegetarian for about two and a half months and to be completely honest, it’s been pretty easy.  Sure I still miss eating some delicious foods like steak, hamburgers, and chicken nuggets but I am sure that will go away after a bit. The best thing about being vegetarian is how many restaurants and food companies make their own vegetarian options. It is really important to try it, so you know which is good and which is not so good.

When people first become vegetarian a really popular option is to go to a local super market and buy anything vegetarian to see how things taste. One of the best and cheapest things to get is pizza. Considering that a regular slice of pizza is bread, marinara sauce and cheese, you can get a big slice for about 2 dollars.  Another popular thing  to get is Chinese or Thai.  Vegetarian Lo Mein, veggie fried rice, and veggie rolls are one of the my favorite things to get.  Cheese Wontons are also amazing and all of this costs under 20 dollars. 

There is another thing that you have to give up in order to not eat meat. Gelatin is a food ingredient which is either horse hooves or pig skin that are in some foods or candy like gummies. If you’re a really big fan of Trolli gummy worms, you are going to have to give them up. Also Haribo gummy bears have gelatin as well. This is why it is important to you look at the ingredients when you go to a 7-11 or grocery store. I also like to make my own food too and the best thing about that is if you make it, other people will enjoy it. Good options to make for that a lot of people will enjoy are vegetarian spicy chili and buffalo cauliflower.

It’s also super healthy to become vegetarian because of all the protein and vegetables in the black bean burgers and veggie nuggets. In morning star nuggets there are 13 grams of protein in one serving. With better habits of eating and turning healthy, then your body will feel better and lose weight because you’re not eating meat. Veggie foods are also super tasty and often under 200 calories. 

The most frequent question that I get all the time is “Why am I vegetarian?” I became vegetarian over two things. The first thing happened randomly, but every time I would eat meat I thought it would taste disgusting.  It could be anything from a $500 steak to a chicken wing, and I would get close to puking. However, the main reason why I became vegetarian is how it affects the animals. I’m not forcing anyone to become vegetarian, but it is just how I feel. So imagine this, you’re a cow that is in a 110 degree barn or shed. It’s super cramped and tiny with about 100 other cows living with you. You barely get any water and the food supply is bleak. You are forced to get up and give away milk, and if you fight back or not follow them then you get beaten by the workers. Two things may or may not happen in your lifetime: You could get killed and turned into McDonald’s new burger or live there draining your milk, overproducing to make baby cows.  After the work is done with you they kill you without a thank you in the world.

Being vegetarian can help the planet so much because you are saving a chicken or cow when eating  veggie nuggets or veggie burgers. Remember that this is the real world and animals get threatened when you order out extra bacon on your burger.