Right before this semester started I went on a cruise that went on a tour of the Bahamas. This cruise was awesome, but one of its biggest downfalls was the taste of the food and the quality of the food. 

Honestly, I have not checked out of fear, but I know this cruise caused me to gain weight because the quality of the food I had to eat everyday. Every meal was atrocious. When I came back to land and saw a vegetable that wasn’t slathered in butter or some random assorted sauce, I cried. 

After returning home after traveling I knew I had to do something, even if it was to relieve my body from the temporary pain I was in from the crummy food I had consumed for a week straight. 

To fix my body I decided to go on a vegetarian diet. Although meat was not the cause of my body hurting I decided it would be the best for my life to just go full vegetarian. 

I’ve done this before so I knew recipes and planning meals wouldn’t be an issue for me, but for others who may not have experience 

I keep things really simple. I haven’t quite mastered tofu, so I like to keep it heavily derived from beans. Beans are a classic. They’re great for you and have a good amount of fiber. Now I won’t lie, eating mashed up beans all the time is not for the weak. If you have problems with textures, beans may not be the thing for you. 

My favorite beans to eat are garbanzo beans. I’ve found they have the best texture when you cook them, they’re versatile and you can get two meals out of one can. 

Now I’m no cooking star, I was a fat kid who watched Food Network a little too much which makes me feel like a chef. 

But honestly some nights I don’t even care to think about protein, I’ll just roast a vegetable and call it a night. 

Being vegetarian isn’t too hard, you just have to navigate the loss of meat at first.

Living without meat is pretty baller. Meat is expensive. Last time I bought a normal sized tube of ground beef it was between $7 to $8 dollars. That compared to my $1 can of beans has been a nice weight off my pay check. Another thing about cooking meat is that it’s gross. Something about the smell, and feeling of raw meat on my hands just makes me not consume it. With that thought in my head it makes the meal not even enjoyable. I know this may be an abnormal thought to my meat chowing friends. But for me, eating meat is just unenjoyable. 

If you’re thinking about going vegetarian, give it a try. It’s not an expensive thing to try and if you don’t like your experience there’s no one telling you have to continue. It can be a great way to try new food options, and experience new ways to eat foods. If you’re not enjoying it just know you at least tried something new.