My love for animals and the Earth surpassed my love for the taste of meat

I have always been interested in becoming a vegetarian!! I love animals and I believe that they deserve life. I am also very much in love with our planet and I have always been interested in ways I can contribute to its preservation. I took the Challenge and to my surprise I did ok!!! I must admit that my weakness had always been chicken wings and fish!! Those two were a little bit difficult to part ways with!!! But as I was doing the Challenge I received e-mails about why it is a good idea to omit these animals from our diet!! I did additional research as well! I watched videos about animal cruelty, I learned about shrimp fishing and how it destroys our ocean ecosystems and to be honest it made me too sad to want to eat any of these things!!!

As I have mentioned above I am in love with our planet in all of its intricate beauty and miraculous ways and it breaks my heart to realize even more how it is being destroyed in spite of our ever extended awareness. We can live VERY healthy lives WITH a meatless diet... I no longer see a point to eating meat because there are far too many benefits not to!!

Indeed I did love the taste of meat, I can admit to that, but my love for animals and for the environment FAR surpass any love for a taste especially if I get tasty meals that are MEAT FREE!!!

I have challenged myself indeed and I now eat with a clear conscious and a wonderful feeling of pride that YES, I CAN DO THIS... I can be a vegetarian, although its not always easy... I accept the continued challenge of a meat-free diet in exchange for a clear and sound conscious, great health, good food and to be an example of the small sacrifices made to my first true love... mother earth!!!

Keep the love alive... as well as the animals and our planet = )

The meat conqueror,

– Kiya, late 20's, Toronto

Best of all I don't feel guilty

I have wanted to become vegetarian for a couple of years but almost everything I ate had meat, so I'd say "ah, forget it, it tastes good" and pig out. I am a fan of PETA and I'm always reading stories and news, and watching videos (like Meet Your Meat) because I am an animal lover.

I didn't like thinking that I love animals and still eat meat after knowing how much torture they go through just to be the hot dog I'm having. I decided to not eat meat anymore. I did find it hard at first because our fridge was packed full of meat, sandwich meats, steaks, nuggets. I actually got disgusted. I still live at home and my parents are all "meat is good, eat meat", but I've asked them to not put any type of meat in a dish they're making or to make it separately.

I have been vegetarian for two months (not long I know) and I feel fine. I don't miss any cooked dead animal at all, and I am eating a lot more fruits and vegetables than ever. I have lost about 10lbs in the past 3 months, I am overweight and dread exercising, so learning that I lost weight by just eating is awesome!

I now take into consideration what I eat, instead of just taking something out of the freezer and popping it into the microwave or buying fast food, which is what I used to do a lot and was the origin of my weight gain. But since the majority of frozen dinners and fast foods have meat, I don't eat them anymore. I am eating a lot of fresh foods now, less greasy stuff, and best of all I don't feel guilty. A couple of people I know said they didn't think I would last not eating meat. I even inspired my brother to not eat meat but that only lasted 2 days. I think one day he will change, just like me. I will definitely stay vegetarian and hopefully one day become vegan.

– Eliya, early 20's, Toronto

Learning how to eat nutritiously without meat

I had considered becoming vegetarian for a long time, but was finding it difficult to take the plunge. Years ago, I had attempted cutting out meat several times, but always lacked the resources and correct information to do this successfully. Over the years, myths about vegetarian diets lacking protein and iron lead me to believe that I would have to continue eating meat to be healthy. The Veggie Challenge gave me not only the inspiration to try this diet out again, but also the correct information on how to eat nutritiously without meat. I am signing up for the three week phase two, and look forward to keeping up this healthy diet!

– Elizabeth, early 20's, Toronto

I loved trying new foods and recipes

I took the Challenge as part of a school project. I was doing research on whether a vegetarian diet could reduce the risks of developing cancer. I wanted to see if I could reduce my meat intake and still enjoy eating out and amongst friends! 

I loved trying new foods and recipes although some were lengthy. I found a lot by googling 'vegetarian recipes', and went on from there! It was great, I couldn't wait for my daily e-mail!

I actually made a blog of my veggie challenge. Enjoy!

– Ashley, early 20's, Toronto

I feel like I'm much healthier already

I was pretty much at a vegetarian diet when I started. I decided to try the Challenge to see if I could stay meat-free for over a week. I've succeeded but I am still not 100% animal free as I am still finding it hard to find vegan dairy products.

My boyfriend and I have enjoyed the variety of food I've been preparing and it is a nice change to the processed frozen food we used to eat. I feel like I'm much healthier already and I have been enjoying the adventure of cooking new recipes and hunting for unknown ingredients.

There have been difficult times during this past week. Eating out with meat-eating friends has opening my eyes to the fact that most restaurants have a very poor vegetarian menu*. Despite the difficulties, I continue to strive for the goal of someday becoming vegan.

– Natalie, early 20's, Mississauga, ON

*Note: To find a restaurant near you see our World links page or our detailed pages for Toronto.

I still am afraid to try the dreaded vegan cheezes

Through the Veggie Challenge, the emails worked as a reminder that I have to be vegan. For years before I started the Challenge, I was lacto-ovo vegetarian and I wanted to become ovo-vegetarian. In the end, I became vegan. At first, not eating dairy was hard because it was a daily part of my diet. I replaced dairy with other vegetables. I still am afraid to try the dreaded vegan cheezes. Overall, the Challenge was great.

– Ariel, teen

*Note: Daiya is a new brand of vegan cheese that has been getting rave reviews for its ability to melt and mimic dairy cheese. In Toronto it is available at the Big Carrot and Panacea, and the Magic Oven restaurant chain uses it on their vegan pizzas. But best not to over indulge – like other vegan cheeses, over 50% of total calories come from fat, but the good news is Daiya no longer lists saturated palm oil as a potential ingredient.

Trying to go vegan was much more difficult

Several weeks ago, I became more interested in the origins of my food and I started investigating different resources. This lead me to the Toronto Vegetarian Association website and, of course, the Veggie Challenge.

I didn't think it would be difficult to avoid meat for a week. My meat intake is normally low and I assumed the Challenge would be fairly easy. Having recently learned about the state of dairy and egg farms, however, I also wanted to avoid all animal products as much as possible. I found this MUCH more difficult. while I did cut back extensively on dairy/eggs, I wasn't able to follow a strict vegan diet. I'll just have to keep working on this!

My friends and family have been supportive, though perhaps a little confused. I'm using this opportunity to inform them about the environmental, social, and ethical impact of our food consumption.

– May