Recently, both my kids were inspired to try being vegetarians for a month. I thought this was a great idea and decided to join them. At the end, all of us felt like we expected it to be harder than it was, and we were glad we had done it. None of us have continued with a vegetarian lifestyle, but I did learn some things that I would like to incorporate going forward.

First, I would like to point out that there are different types of vegetarian. Some vegetarians eat eggs or dairy, or both. We decided that as beginners, our vegetarianism would allow both, as well as fish. This diet is called pesco-vegetarian, or pescatarian. None of these are veganism, which does not use any animal product in any way, even gelatin or honey. We did not choose to do that.

Eating tasty, well-planned vegetarian meals is easy. They are satisfying and enjoyable, and we didn’t feel like we were missing out when we were at the dinner table. Vegetables come in a wide variety. Some are sweet, like carrots and sweet potatoes. Some are refreshing, like cucumbers, jicama, and bell peppers. Some are filling, like squash, cauliflower, and beans. They can be raw or cooked in different ways, and seasoning them well makes all the difference. Cooking is easier too, because meat tends to be more fussy about being done right, and the risks are greater if it is undercooked. During the month, we even did a vegetarian barbeque.

What is harder is the planning. My kids got to enjoy home cooked meals with very little effort on their part. Ah, the joys of being a kid! For my part though, the job was harder. The biggest risk of vegetarianism is not getting enough protein. There are only a couple of complete proteins that are not from animal sources. Getting enough protein is super important both for health reasons and for feeling satisfied after a meal. As I mentioned, some vegetarians eat eggs and dairy, which makes it easier. Proteins are formed by having all 9 essential amino acids. Many vegetarian foods considered to be high in protein have a lot of amino acids, but almost none have all 9. So the trick is to combine them to get a complete protein. For example, there’s a reason that beans and rice are often served together. Neither is a complete protein (not even beans), but together they are.

Choosing the right combinations to make complete proteins is one of the challenges of being vegetarian. This meant a lot more careful thought had to go into my meal planning. I imagine this gets easier with experience, but for just one month, I was learning on the job. Some prepping in advance helped a lot too. I planned ahead what snacks would be available, as well as lighter meals for lunches. I did like the shopping part. Going straight past the meat section made it faster, and also freed up a decent amount of budget, which allowed us to get more seafood than we usually can. We did try meat substitutes, which were generally fine. They certainly made the planning part easier as they allowed us to use some of our regular recipes, but they were pricey.

While feeding ourselves as vegetarians was easier than we thought, having to avoid the meat was much harder. Sometimes quick meals on the go are necessary, and fast food wasn’t really an option. Some places may have only one vegetarian menu item, if any. Salads would need to be ordered without the chicken, which would mean little to no protein. Some had items that were intended to be made with meat, but with vegetarian substitutes. These weren’t as good as the meat version, which was how those items were intended. Vegetarian meals can shine on their own, but when they try to imitate meat dishes, they are often lacking compared to the original. For us, the best solution was to just plan to be home for lunch.

The other hard part was that meat dishes are just tasty, and there were things we missed and looked forward to having when the month was over. A hard thing about dietary restrictions is that it isn’t about moderation, it means never for those restricted foods. It’s hard to say “never” to any good thing. I personally don’t have a moral objection to eating meat, though I try to buy as humane as my budget will allow. What I’ve learned from this experience is that it’s possible, and enjoyable, to have vegetarian, or at least vegetable-forward meals on a much more regular basis. Doing so will be great for our health and our budget. Though we will continue to have meat as an enjoyable, though not essential element in our meals. Overall, I do enjoy temporary food restrictions, because they force me to get creative and explore new ways of eating.