Should you be a vegetarian?

This article was inspired by a conversation that I once had with my cousins. We were talking about how people love to jeopardise their friends' efforts to be healthy.

If you're trying to avoid sugar, they try to convince you to have it. If you're avoiding cheese, they tell you about how they can't live without it and how delicious it is. If you want to stop drinking coffee, they take you to a coffee shop and torture you with the aroma.

What is it with us humans? Why do we feel a sense of satisfaction when we know someone else's health efforts have gone out the window?

A few months ago, I was out with friends for dinner. I decided to order a vegetarian dish. And, before I knew it, I found myself struggling to defend my choice to order vegetarian.

One thing I know for sure: people are very attached to their eating habits, and if they find that you're doing something different, they would often defend their eating habits with their lives!

The conversation went on about how they love meat and cheese and cream and how they would not feel good if they had to avoid it and how 'everything in moderation' is always best, not going to extremes ... blah blah blah ...

It is often said that 'people would rather change their religion than change the way they eat'. Along with politics and religion, food is usually a topic that would often get people fired up in conversation.

These are questions that I get very often. Are you vegetarian? Are you vegan? Don't you crave meat? How can you live without dairy? Don't you have eggs? Are you human?

And, my answer is always the same: 'It doesn't matter because what works for me might not work for you.'

For many people, the idea of changing their diet makes them very uncomfortable. I totally respect that. I was there myself once. I know what it's like. But if even one per cent of you is curious, then keep reading because some points might just make sense to you.

So, the question that might be on your mind is: 'Should I become a vegetarian?'

Generally speaking, vegetarians do not eat meat or poultry (some also avoid seafood) and vegans choose not to eat any products coming from animals, including all meat, dairy products and eggs (and some even avoid bee products).

When I started looking into having more plant-based foods in my diet, here are some of the thoughts that kept popping into my head:

Eating animal products is OK as long as it's not frequent.

I don't believe in extremes - everything in moderation. Vegetarians and vegans are a bit extreme.

I would have to change all my eating habits and that's too difficult.

I would not be able to change my whole family's eating habits because it's too difficult.

If you are having any of the above thoughts, then you're not alone. Changing the way you eat is a HASSLE. So, before you can even start trying it, you have to really be convinced!

Here are some points that might help you see things from a different perspective. Please note, however, that I'm NOT trying to convince you - I'm just giving you the other side of the argument.

These are some of the things that made sense to me.

The animals we eat do not have good living conditions. They are crammed, often sick and feed on horrible food.

The animals we eat are injected with hormones and antibiotics. These hormones and antibiotics are passed on to us.

The animals we eat are scared. They know they will be killed and it can have an impact on the quality of their meat.

Animal products cause acidity in our body. When our body is too acidic, we are more likely to get sick.

Animal products cause the body to produce mucus. If we produce a lot of mucus, then we create the perfect environment for germs.

Animal products are harder to digest.

There's NO WAY for me to tell you whether or not it will help you to go vegetarian or even vegan, but I can tell you this: You will never know unless you try.

For more health tips and recipe ideas, log onto my website to get onto my exclusive email list. www.AliaAlmoayed.com