I can't believe that 3 years went by since I went to the cinema with one of my dance friends, saw 'The Last Pig' and got traumatized for life. Hehe, I'm kidding.

I felt like I needed to do something special for my 2020 #vegetarianniversary, so here I am, sharing three lessons I learned by being vegetarian for three years.

VEGETARIAN DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN HEALTHY

During my first years of being vegetarian, I thought that I was being ‘WAY HEALTHIER’ than my friends by choosing tofu over meat. And THAT was such a wrong perception that I somehow formed in my head.

There is a lot of plant-based food which is not healthy for you AT ALL.

To be honest, you can consume potato crisps, McDonald fries, Nutella 24/7 and still call yourself a vegetarian.

It’s normal to gain/lose weight by following this diet, it’s ok to let yourself have some vegetarian junk food from time to time.

It’s all about the balance – it does not matter what your eating preferences are or what diet are you following.

PRESSURING PEOPLE INTO TALKING/LISTENING ABOUT VEGETARIANISM/VEGANISM WILL NOT ENCOURAGE THEM TO TRY IT

'Ew, you're eating a steak in front of me'

'OMG wait, I'll show you a video about factory farming, you will see how the animals are being tortured'

'You are so selfish by eating all these dead animals'

I see y'all vegetarian/vegan world Karens (or veggie police), I truly do!

These are only a few phrases that I came across while scrolling through various vegetarian/vegan Facebook groups or have heard people say in real life.

During my first years of being vegetarian, I truly did feel like I needed to get ‘the message’ across to everyone (It was not THAT extreme tho). But now I realise that it is everyone’s personal choice to choose the diet & lifestyle they want to follow. Pressuring your ideals onto someone is wrong and toxic. (It goes both ways – don’t pressure a vegetarian person into eating a steak too!)

Not everyone can keep track of the food they are consuming every day, not everyone has time to cook, not everyone can keep the balance of iron, B group vitamins and minerals without the help of the 'easily digested' meat.

It's all about your personal health at the end of the day. Do what works best for YOU.

IT TAKES TIME TO BE ACCEPTED AS A VEGETARIAN IN YOUR FAMILY/FRIEND CIRCLE

Or in other words – a message for people, who are not living independently/living with someone who loves meat too much.

I feel like this lesson I learned is very personal. Since I came from a traditional Lithuanian family, meat always has been one of the main ingredients in almost every meal. It came as a shock at first (to everyone), but I was also very supported from day one.

This lesson I learned might be a bit irrelevant to explain in 2020 since the vegetarian/vegan/plant-based food industry is at its peak right now. And also, the variety of plant-based meals in restaurants and plant-based products in the supermarkets is ENDLESS (that’s what I noticed by living in the UK; Lithuania needs to step up its game but still, I am truly proud of LT too!).

BUT, I just wanted to get this message out there for people, who are reading this and are feeling scared to change their diet because of the fact that it might scare their parents/significant other/friends they are living with…

EVERYONE WILL GET USED TO IT. I PROMISE.

(And will also start cooking more veggie meals for themselves too!). IT JUST TAKES TIME.

Show them, that you are educating yourself on vegetarianism, gain their trust and tell them, that you can take good care of yourself by cooking healthy meals, keeping track of your daily vitamins/supplements. That should help!

I hope that you enjoyed reading my #vegetarianniversary's BRAIN DUMP. Can't wait to share more! Until next time.