Becoming Vegetarian: Slow and Steady

5) Gradually cut meat from your diet. As we already discussed, few people jump from meat-lovers to vegetarian overnight. Try making the change gradually. You can try a number of methods. One option is to cut meat by meal. Go meatless at breakfast, then lunch, then dinner. Another choice is to permit yourself a certain number of meat dishes per day and step down slowly from there until you have eliminated meat from your diet. Don’t give up if the process is harder than you expected or if you falter in the beginning. Jump back up and try again.

Have no illusions. Becoming a vegetarian is not the simplest lifestyle decision, and it will require rethinking how you live, where you grocery shop, and which restaurants are for you. In the end, though, it is worth the journey – for your health, your environment, and your animal friends.