Before I started my vegetarian diet, I was apprehensive but eager. I usually get a fair amount of meat in my diet, so I wanted to see how altering my meals would affect me. Throughout the week, I was surprised to find that I definitely did feel some changes due to my diet. I felt much hungrier than I do usually and found my- self craving snacks almost every hour—even right after I had a meal. Additionally, I had headaches that lasted for long periods of time.

On day 3, I went to Jack-in-the-Box to get a snack after tutoring and ordered chicken nuggets before remembering that I could not eat them. I started to real- ize that my regular snacks, such as beef jerky and salami, were off-limits. I also realized that these snacks are high in protein, and I needed to find other ways to get those necessary nutrients into my body.

Overall, although going on a vegetarian diet can have positive environmental and health impacts, I noticed negative changes in my appetite and overall physical feeling. Lara Stephenson of Palo Alto Nutrition agreed with my views and pointed out that while abstaining from eating meat can be one option for supporting animals, there are other ways to do so while staying healthy. While vegetarianism might not be for me, I would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to try it to maintain a solid diet that includes necessary amounts of protein.