Hey Project Planet community!
I've been slowly changing my lifestyle to pescatarian a couple days a week and now to vegetarian a couple days a week. I know that going vegan is one of the most important ways to save the environment because it reduces our carbon footprint and helps conserve water. But living in Jakarta, ordering food is so accessible to the point where cooking isn't as attractive. Obviously this means that our options are more limited and we can't always control what the restaurants are putting into our food. Not to mention that there aren't a lot of specific vegan/vegetarian restaurants out there yet.
Anyway, would love to hear your advices or experiences from anyone- from vegans, the ones who've tried or are trying!
Hey all!
Two years ago, I went vegetarian for a few months. Honestly, it was tough at first (I really, really love meat, you guys), but it kept getting better and better each day. Here are some tips that helped me stay motivated:
Variety is key. Look for new vegetarian (or vegan recipes) online and try them out. You'll be surprised by how creative people are in coming up with plant-based meals. Ever heard of plant-based egg? Yup, that was confusing for me at first too (but really good though!).
Tell your family and friends. Having a circle of people who can support you when going through this kind of transition is going to help. A lot. Who knows, you might inspire them to give vegetarian or vegan a try!
Remember everyone's journey is different. Look, no one expects you to become vegetarian or vegan overnight. Changing your diet takes REAL work. It's going to be easier on some days, harder on others. Take small steps: Meatless Mondays, Pescatarian Tuesdays, or even banning some meat from your diet, preferably beef.
Celebrate every milestone (however small it may seem). Bake a vegan cake, buy eco-friendly soap bars you've been wanting to try out, or anything that helps you celebrate your achievements! What I did was I would put small change into a jar each day I went vegetarian and at the end of the week, I would use what I got to treat myself like going to the movie with friends.
I hope these tips can help anyone who wants to go vegetarian/vegan, or simply anyone who wants to cut down their meat intake and eat more plant-based meals.
But I've got to say, reading this really makes me want to give this another try (I've been reducing my meat intake for awhile now, but perhaps I need to challenge myself even further, har, har).
Hi @GreenNusantara! Welcome to our forum! I have been trying to go vegetarian for a while but honestly it's really hard to do it in Indonesia, because I LOVE to eat our traditional food. I can only imagine how hard it is to go fully vegan! But I really am determined to make the lifestyle change since it is better for the environment and my overall health! You guys should check the movie "The Game Changers", it'll really give you a new perspective on nutrition.
Fortunately, I have been able to cut off red meat (not completely. It's a work in progress!) because of delicious healthy vegan restaurants in Jakarta. The more higher end options are Burgreens, and Fedwell.
If we're on a budget, I'd say the best option is to cook a meal plan, or bring a nice lunchbox from home, and that way you can control both the ingredients and portion of your food (although it is a bit of work).
When cooking isn't an option, and I'm eating out at a restaurant without vegetarian options, I usually become more "plant-based" than vegetarian, which means I'm not strict but I try my best to avoid meat. For example, if the only option is nasi goreng ikan asin, I'd avoid eating the fish, or if I'm in ikkudo, I'd eat curry rice but told the waitress to leave out the meat.
I'm sure there are other more experienced people in Jakarta and I'd love to get an advice from them as well! Thanks for bringing up this topic, what a great one!