The truth is that the lifestyle of a vegetarian is not that different than everyone else in the culture. In fact, the odds are that somewhere in your social circle at work, school, church or in your family and friends network, you already know several people who are quietly enjoying the lifestyle of a vegetarian. So to help us get over the negative stereotypes to understand how a vegetarian actually lives, lets examine what is different about a vegetarians life.

The most significant difference in how a vegetarian lives is obvious because it is in how he or she eats. You will not find any meat in a vegetarian’s kitchen. Now this doesn’t mean that a vegetarian cannot live in a family and be at peace with meat eaters. If the home has one vegetarian but others who are not, you will be able to tell from the presence of soy and perhaps more fruit and fresh vegetables in the refrigerator. But the idea that vegetarians cannot be around meat eaters is false. If anything vegetarians are peace loving and can live their lifestyle around others who are not of their belief system very well.

Grocery shopping with a vegetarian is an eye opening experience and one that is quite different in more ways than you would suspect. Being a vegetarian isn’t just about what you don’t eat in that you don’t eat meat. It is also about a completely different approach to diet and foods. So you will not see a vegetarian buying food in the same way most people do. There will be much more time spent in the fresh produce section of the grocery store. The checkout basket of a vegetarian will give him or her away every time because it will be overflowing with fresh foods.

But shopping for food with a vegetarian means shopping in other places than the local grocery store. It means buying grains and beans in bulk at a warehouse store because that is one way that a vegetarian maintains health by replacing the protein and other nutrients that the rest of the world gets from meat and replacing it with proteins from beans and other natural foods. It also means shopping in farmer’s markets and even shopping in a vegetarian specialty store for some high nutrition meat substitutes like tofu.

The vegetarian movement is in harmony with many of the earth first movements such as the organic movement and the green movement. So a vegetarian kitchen will have more organic foods on hand to reduce the presence of harmful pesticides and other substances in the diet. Also vegetarianism affects the lifestyle beyond just the refrigerator and the pantry. You will not find leather clothing in a vegetarian’s closet and you wont find fur there either. That is became for the most part vegetarians are sensitive to animal rights and they don’t want to see the skin of animals used in their clothing.

The house of a vegetarian will also be a recycling house to do all that is possible to cut down on waste and to be earth friendly. Along with recycling bottles and cans as you might expect, a vegetarian recycles a lot right at home. A recycling home will often have a compost pile in the yard for food waste and it will also support a good sized garden to use that compost to grow at home organic foods to supplement a healthy diet.

For obvious reasons, a vegetarian will have vegetarian friends and belong to social groups and attend functions that support the vegetarian lifestyle. Eating out with a vegetarian will mean going to more ethnic food restaurants and you will see a lot of creativity in how to order foods in a restaurant. But contrary to popular opinion, vegetarian eating is more flavorful and diverse than the normal diet.

Just spending a day with a vegetarian will reveal to you a more harmonious lifestyle that is sensitive to the environment and at peace with itself. It is a healthy and happy lifestyle and one that should be attractive to all of us.

Fast food burger places will often make a cheese sandwich if asked (a bun, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles). French fries are a standby, and onion rings, pitas sandwiches, salads, and some bread products are very often made with all lacto-vegetarian ingredients. Many better restaurant chains carry a vegetable or gluten-based burger on the menu. Most fast food restaurants have printed consumer-material that gives details on all the items on their menu.

Pizza has many non-meat combinations of toppings. Many Italian restaurants offer a range of items such as fried mozzarella sticks (although please check the ingredients of the batter unfortunately sometimes they use eggs), spaghetti with meat-free marinara or alfredo sauce, and grilled portabello mushrooms. Check to assure that the pasta is eggless.

Sandwich and subs shops often have subs, veggie pitas and “wraps” filled with a variety of veggies, black olives, and cheese, and served either hot or cold.

Greek or Middle-East restaurants generally serve falafel ground, spiced, fried chickpea (garbanzo bean) patties that are served hot, stuffed into a pita, and topped with a smooth tahini sauce. Hummus and baba ganouj are also vegetarian alternatives. Add a Greek salad with chunks of feta cheese and ripe olives.

Natural food restaurants cater to vegetarians and will have a great assortment of dishes.

Chinese restaurants offer a wide variety of vegetable stir-fry dishes, and bean curd (tofu) specialties that can be made without meat or animal products. One delicious dish is fried tofu with broccoli in a scrumptious garlic sauce. It’s out of this world! Other tasty Chinese dishes include vegetable lo mein and chow mein. In terms of appetizers, we can recommend vegetarian spring rolls (please check that the wrap is eggless) and scallion pancakes.

Buffets and salad bars are available at many mainstream restaurants. Many also have special dietary options which may include low-fat, heart-healthy, or vegetarian items.

Indian restaurants offer soups, side dishes, and many main courses that are strictly vegetarian. Some Indian restaurants are entirely vegetarian.

Becoming a vegetarian is actually easier than you might think. While this eating pattern is different, it is not difficult; while it takes commitment, it is not rocket science.

There are different “levels” of vegetarian eating. So, the first thing you have to do is to distinguish what type of pattern you are most interested in. Because people convert to eating a vegetarian diet for a variety of different reasons, such as religion, animal-rights and health and wellness issues, those reasons will also play a part in what style of vegetarian easting you prefer.

Becoming a vegetarian literally means not eating meat. And for most vegetarians it also means not eating meat byproducts, which include eggs and dairy products. People who eat only a whole food diet will not eat meat at all, nor meat byproducts and eat only raw foods, fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts.

There are actually many different ways of traveling down the vegetarian road. It’s important to know yourself well enough to know which method of moving to a vegetarian lifestyle will be more apt to be successful in your life-moving over slowly or going cold turkey. Many individuals choose to become a vegetarian slowly by eliminating meat and fish from their diet over several weeks. Some people find that eliminating one type of meat every month makes the transition even easier.

After becoming a vegetarian most individuals report “feeling better” and having more energy to perform their daily living activities. In fact some people have so much energy they also take on a new exercise routine.

Becoming a vegetarian is a choice. Every day you choose a diet, an exercise plan, a stress level and your work patterns. By doing what you did the day before you are still making a choice. Sometimes we believe that our lives have been chosen for us, but that just is not the case. By choosing to live a vegetarian lifestyle you are making a choice to include more vitamins, minerals and nutrient dense foods to help your body have optimal health.

However, being a vegetarian is not an ‘all or none’ choice. By eliminating half of the meat that you would normally eat and replacing that with fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, you are also making an effective healthy choice in your life.

It is never whether or not you all are or are not a vegetarian-but rather how much of a vegetarian are you?