So this morning I woke up and realized it has already been a month since I started my “one-month vegetarian challenge.” I can safely say that I am proud of myself for completing this month without cheating. I’m not going to lie; it was hard to choose restaurants to eat out with my boyfriend and friends since they eat a lot of red meat, fish, and chicken. Plus, it gets annoying when you have to deal with people suddenly becoming concerned nutritionists and telling you that a diet without animal meat could potentially be harmful to your health (also everyone asks how I don’t crave bacon or chicken wings). I also wanted to clarify that I am a vegetarian (not a vegan) thus I am still consuming animal products like cheese and eggs. So far, I have not felt “drained of energy” or sick probably because I have been careful to balance out carbs, protein, and fiber in my meals. Even though carbs are “the enemy” in the minds of many people, I can attest that eating large portions of grains such as rice, beans, bread, and chickpeas has not lead me to gain weight. Anyhow, now that I have been vegetarian for a month, I think I want to continue eating this way 95% of the time. I’m planning on making 50% of my meals vegan, the other 45% vegetarian (cheese and egg), and 5% pescetarian. Yes, I’m choosing to occasionally eat fish because the hardest part about being a vegetarian is missing out on sushi, poke bowls, and a nice crispy salmons fillet. Apart from that 5% percent exception, I’m really happy with my diet at the moment, and I hope that my posts have inspired you to at least try vegetarian and vegan meals a couple of times a week to cut on your consumption of animal products!