To this point, I have learned that there are different approaches one can take in order to transition into their vegetarian lifestyle. The first step is figuring out whether you want to transition into becoming a vegetarian or a vegan. A vegetarian eliminates meat products from their diet (some eliminate eggs and dairy as well). On the other hand, vegans are a lot more strict with their lifestyle. They not only eliminate meat products, but they eliminate all products that come from animals. This tends to be a harder transition for some people, as opposed to becoming vegetarian because it takes a lot more research into finding out which what foods you can eat, and what products (household, cosmetic, clothing, etc) you can use. Next is determining why you want to become vegetarian because it is a lifestyle change. Everyone has their own personal reasons on why they want to do this transition, though it is important for you to know why you want this so that you can reflect on this reason if you ever feel like you might "fall off the wagon". Once you have determined your reasoning behind this transition, you need to find out which supplements you want to take daily and/or which foods are packed with the vitamins and nutrients that you are missing (such as zinc, iron, protein, omega 3, etc).
During research, I have learned how much I would like to become a vegetarian again. I briefly tried to become a vegetarian years back, though I found that I became fatigue all day, every day. However, knowing vegetarians and vegans, I see how healthy they are and wonder why my transition was different than theirs, seeing as I was never a big "meat-eater" beforehand anyways. Personally, I feel like transitioning into this lifestyle would be easy in term of the mental aspect, though I am in a sense, worried, due to my past experience. I know how important it is for me to be focused on my education right now, so I worry about if I will have that constant fatigue feeling again. However, due to my research thus far, I have found a vitamin that seems to be helping. I feel like I would be the type of vegetarian that does not want to rely on supplements because I can get essential nutrients elsewhere, though I feel that taking these vitamin B12 pills once a day will benefit my physical health during this transition.
From here, I hope to be able to educate everyone on two different options, for those who want transition into becoming vegetarian. Before doing any research, I assumed that you would have to take daily supplements. That is just one route that some find works for them. However, for those who want to be vegetarian but are hesitant because of supplements, there are other options out there to ensure you are getting your proper daily intake of vitamins and nutrients. I hope to explore both options through my research, in order to share with others my findings, which might help someone else with their transition.
