When can you call yourself a vegetarian

How Long Before You Can Call Yourself A Vegetarian

When can you officially call yourself a vegetarian? Is it after your last bite of meat, when you decide to no longer eat meat or something else?

When you can officially call yourself a vegetarian is a personal choice that only you can decide. There are some common moments where people have officially become vegetarians ranging from the moment they decided to no longer eat meat to years later.

When Can You Call Yourself A Vegetarian

It can be tricky determining when you can officially call yourself a vegetarian after you have stopped eating meat.

The answer is different for everyone.

  • It may be the moment you’ve decided to no longer eat meat.
  • The moment you told someone proudly for the first time.
  • A time frame that you feel shows your dedication.
  • The moment you realized that not eating meat isn’t temporary.

Are You A Vegetarian The Moment You Stop Eating Meat

You are a vegetarian the moment that you decide that you are no longer going to consume meat.

Unfortunately, many people that have the best intentions of sticking with a vegetarian lifestyle quit and can not follow through with being a vegetarian.

Do You Need To Be A Vegetarian For A Certain Amount Of Time

Some may say that you can’t be an official vegetarian until you have crossed some determined time frame of living as a vegetarian successfully.

That time frame may feel different to everyone from a month, six months, a year, or more.

Should You Wait Before Calling Yourself A Vegetarian

I recommend waiting a little bit before declaring to the world that you are now a vegetarian.

You never know if you will want to continue being a vegetarian after giving it a try. It may not end up being what’s best for you and your body.

I see no shame in trying vegetarianism and going back to meat-eating. We are all individuals and have the right to make these choices for ourselves.

Unfortunately, people can be so critical of others especially when it comes to our dietary choices.

If you are ready to scream to the mountain tops go for it but, I caution you to be prepared for possible negative comments if you decide it’s not for you after all.

Should you wait before calling yourself a vegetarian

How Does It Feel When You Are Offically A Vegetarian

Once you become a vegetarian you may have mixed feelings.

  • You may be proud of yourself for the choice you have made.
  • Free knowing you are doing what makes you feel good.
  • Opimistic of the future.
  • Nervous of what others might say and think.
  • Wonder if you can stick with your choice.
  • Possibly sad for missing out on some of your favorite foods (until you find more that you love).
  • Grossed out by the sight and smell of meat (especially raw meats).

What Is It Like As A New Vegetarian

Being a new vegetarian can be a hard thing to navigate.

  • You’ve made the step in removing animal products from your diet and are adjusting to those changes.
  • You may go to grab your favorite meal or recipe then realize there is meat in it and you need to make adjustments.
  • Navigating restaurant menus as a new vegetarian can be shocking when you see a limited amount of vegetarian options staring back at you.
  • The smell of cooking bacon may be tempting you around every corner.

How Do Others React To New Vegetarians

Unfortunately, people are not always kind to new or seasoned vegetarians. It may not always be intentional but, can make you feel on the spot and uncomfortable.

Some of the social situations you may encounter as a new vegetarian are.

  • Being asked many questions about why you are no longer eating meat.
  • People trying to jusify their choice to consume meat, in turn making you feel awkward for your choices.
  • People giving you odd looks or blank stares as a response to your news.
  • Hearing funny jokes or remarks about eating meat or being a vegatarian.
How long before you can call yourself a vegetarian

Are You Still A Vegetarian If You Accidentaly Eat Meat

It’s going to happen at some point, you will realize that you just ate something that had meat in it or meat broth.

Don’t fret you do not need to reset the clock and are no longer a vegetarian.

As long as your intentions are to not consume meat you are still a vegetarian.

If you want to eat meat and start eating meat again regularly then you are no longer a vegetarian.

Final Thoughts

I personally don’t know when I officially became a vegetarian.

I had a life-changing moment where I made the decision to no longer consume animal products from cows.

Over the next couple of years, I slowly removed other animal products from my diet as I no longer wanted to eat them or choose to remove them.

At first, I would say “I don’t eat meat”, I think mainly because I was uncomfortable declaring myself as a vegetarian. I had already received enough negative comments and looks that I wanted to avoid that as much as possible.

After around a year or two I started to call myself a vegetarian as I felt proud of my choice and no longer cared what others thought or said about it.

Part of me also felt like I had “done the time” or “hard work” to get me there and I felt confident that I would never go back to eating meat.

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