It's not impossible, unhealthy, or weird! - Stepahanie S on turning vegetarian (top-voted action)

Challenge: Share your boldest moment of 2010
Sponsor: Bolder
Action: Becoming a vegetarian and actively explaining to others that's it not impossible, unhealthy, or weird. It's an everyday moment!

My husband and I had been making little changes to our diets for about 2 years. We were trying to get into shape and learn healthier habits. We made small, gradual changes, one at a time. First we cut down our portion sizes, then cut out fast food. Our decision to become vegetarians was an understated moment. About 6 months ago, we were talking about food and meat manufacturing and basically just asked out loud why weren't we vegetarians yet? Initially, we were both concerned about health issues. There's a lot of rumors that you can't survive without the meat, and you can't get enough protein and fat. Some simple research debunked those theories pretty quickly and we decided to take the plunge.

We took about a month to transition, which was very helpful. When we started, we were already eating 1-2 meatless meals a week. I rarely ate meat for breakfast or lunch, so it wasn't that difficult of a switch. We did have some leftover meat that we didn't want to go to waste, so we finished what we had. Then we began buying meatless entrées at restaurants and for home-cooked meals. It actually got to the point where I didn't feel like eating meat anymore and I was forcing myself to finish it not to waste money.

As we switched, the hardest part was comparing meals. I would make a recipe that was excellent with meat and it would be terrible without meat. Don't get me wrong, there are so many great foods that you can enjoy as vegetarians! But as a former meat eater, vegetarian meat replacements aren't the same. They are tasty, and in some cases, better tasting. But, comparison to their meat counterparts will just lead to disappointment.

I think the best tip I could give any future vegetarians is know what you're doing it for. I switched for ethical reasons as well as health reasons. Once you tell people you are a vegetarian, they will question each and every reason you have. You have to be solid on them and not waver. Be informed!! When I can give actual studies and solid information to back up my reasons, people are amazed! This is also how I have overcome the perceptions that people have. I have had people tell me it's weird that I'm vegetarian. I think people just don't understand the vegetarian culture, and so they think it's weird. This isn't helped when vegetarians don't bother explaining themselves or worse, get defensive.

When people ask me questions (even the dreaded "what can you eat?"), even though they can get old, I'm excited to explain that it's not weird. We eat pizza, we eat burritos, we eat normal food, just without the meat. Lastly, try to be understanding with your friends and family. It can be frustrating when your family isn't willing to go one meal without meat. Most of this is because of a lack of knowledge. They think they need the protein or that anything vegetarian is just weird. So just be polite and with time, maybe they'll come around. But always remember that this was your decision, not theirs.