Everyone always asks me the same thing when they first find out I’m a vegetarian, “What do you eat, vegetables?” Being a vegetarian doesn’t mean you only eat vegetables. It means following a lifestyle diet of foods such a grains, legumes, fruits, dairy and yes, vegetables… just no meat products.

I have been a vegetarian my whole life due to religious reasons and have not once questioned why. I have never experienced bacon or chicken and am perfectly gratified with how I was taught and raised.

While growing up, I was aware that I would never diverge from my path of being vegetarian, but it did push me out of my comfort zone. While being a vegetarian always made me feel unique and different, it was sometimes not always in the best way.

I remember times when I would get teased for not having meat in my lunch in elementary school, or feeling so out of the group when I got called out for never having meat. But the truth is, it was through these experiences, I was finally able to grow into myself.

Being a vegetarian not only made me feel different as I was able to see that eating this way would benefit me in the long run. It created this burning sense of an adventure — I knew I was unlike most of my fellow peers, but because it was my choice and my culture, I felt free.

One of the primary reasons I love fulfilling my adventure is to put an end to the constant animal abuse. Everyone is aware that animals are slaughtered for meat. In today’s television commercials, these animals are raised in inhumane conditions from the time they are born. Arguably, the situation is even worse for dairy cows and egg-laying chickens, since they are abused for a longer time before being put out of their misery and used merely for protein and taste.

Another logical point is that being a vegetarian involves eating food that is healthy and purely delicious. Being a vegetarian doesn’t mean you live on only vegetables like most people will assume, it means you are eating more vegetables, fruits, and grains than those who eat meat.

The vegetarian diet has been proven to help prevent chronic disease seen in research done by organizations such as the American Heart Association and Harvard Health. A correctly followed vegetarian diet can be extremely healthy and prevent illnesses such as heart disease and Type II Diabetes.

In fact, to all the meat-eaters out there, while yes, I have never had meat and will never crave a piece of steak, I am aware that for most people the idea of giving up meat seems hard. But it really isn’t – if you slowly ease off meat, you become aware of the different alternatives for protein, such as tofu and quinoa.

With all this said, I’m not trying to persuade you to go full out vegetarian. It’s all a matter of degree. For me, exploring this option is an amazing adventure and a multi-sensory experience and will continue to do so, as I am able to try new things at restaurants I have never heard of such as Beetroot and Paneer Curry.