Adaptations of popular diet restrictions are extremely prevalent in today’s world and the age of those switching is starting younger and younger. Those as young as 12 years old are now announcing they are either vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or all of the above.
I want to talk about something a little touchy, a subject which raises a lot of hairs – but I genuinely feel we need to uncover the truths and get down to the niddy griddy.
Now – before I dive too deep , I want to make something clear. This post doesn’t go for everyone and anyone, read it, find your WHY and ask yourself the vital questions needed. I totally support vegetarians, vegans and any other lifestyle choices if you’re doing it the healthy way, and for all the right reasons!
Right, let’s get started.
Whether you’re a vegetarian for health, religious beliefs or for an ethical reason, there is a TON of quality research supporting the health benefits coming from a strictly plant-based diet. On the contrary, there is also an overwhelming amount of research to show a growing amount of people (especially women) adopting vegetarian and vegan diets for a way to lose weight, maintain low body fat and mask restrictive disordered eating patterns.
So, if this is you, I want to you to find your WHY. Does this come from a place of health, balance and clarity? If so, power to ya sista – keep it coming. If not – perhaps you need to re-evaluate what you’re putting in your body and WHY.
There was a study done by the California State University-Northridge, conclusions stated that those students who adopted a vegetarianism diet were at greater risk of developing an eating disorder than their meat-eating peers.
In today’s health conscious world – being a vegetarian is pretty cool and pretty respected. People are always questioned why they chose to eat that way, and there are a million and one reasons they could choose. However – are they masking a deeper concern? This is my worry. Being a vegetarian allows them to openly control what they are eating without attracting negative attention to their behaviour.
So I ask you to find your WHY. Be honest with yourself and really dig deep into why you choose to nourish your body the way you do. As stated before, if you’re being smart about your vegetarian lifestyle and it’s for all the right reasons then rock on. If not – perhaps it’s time to do a little self-discovery and food re-evaluation. Perhaps it’s time to take an honest exploration of the motivations behind cutting out animal meat from your diet. Taking the time to authentically explore your reasons behind the choices is one of the greatest gifts you can reward yourself.
 
Ps – If you're ready to take the next step and finally end your battle with food, you're ready for the Society. Click here to apply.