A simple question changed my diet: My sister Joyce wanted to go back to being a vegetarian and asked if I’d be interested in doing the same. I shrugged. Why not? I had always eaten meat—my freezer had been filled with chicken breasts, steak, pork chops and ribs—but I had given it all away when I moved. Cooking and eating meat felt unnecessary if Joyce wasn’t joining in. So I joined the cause—and it wasn’t that hard. 

Some prep work made the decision easier. I stirred up a batch of rice and froze it in portions so we always had it ready for stir-fry and as a side dish. Joyce picked up copies of “Forks Over Knives,” a plant-based recipe magazine, and I became an instant vegetarian.

For Joyce, eating plant based was a moral choice after watching documentaries that exposed the realities of livestock farming in this country. For me, it was mostly about health. Learning about hormones, antibiotics and filthy living conditions for cows, chickens and pigs made me rethink my go-to Whoppers and chicken nuggets.

At my old home, I grew Fuji apples and two kinds of peaches. I also had three raised beds and a cold frame, so fresh out of the garden was easy. Here, I’ve made the most of 24 feet of raised bed and several pots to grow tomatoes, beans, peas, onions, chard and spinach. Farmers markets set up twice a week within a mile of our house, many of the stalls offering organic produce, which Joyce prefers.

I’ve always liked to walk and exploring my new neighborhood was an adventure. Wildlife ponds just five minutes away gave me another opportunity to rack up one or two miles a couple of times a week. Gardening is one of my passions and I set about relandscaping my sister’s neglected yard, which took the place of joining a gym, doing 100 sit-ups or any exercise I hadn’t been doing before. The only real change I made? My diet.

Within a few months, I started seeing real changes. My jeans needed a belt, my tops hung loosely and my two best dresses no longer fit. I had to go clothes shopping, and if you know me, you know I would rather eat dirt than shop. 

Even better, my latest blood work showed my cholesterol had dropped—a very good thing.

Eating out isn’t easy. Most restaurants have few meatless choices, so salads and vegetable soups have become my fallback foods. Have you noticed that restaurants put chicken in almost every salad but don’t reduce the price if you ask for it without the meat? Still, in the past 18 months, I’ve noticed an improvement, with Italian and Mexican restaurants adding more vegetarian options.

Since going vegetarian, people often ask, “Where do you get protein without eating meat?” Many vegetables are rich in protein and don’t come with the fat found in meat. Edamame contains 18.6 grams of protein per cup, followed by lentils, black beans and chickpeas, each with 14-15 grams per cup. Green peas, Brussels sprouts and spinach have more than 5 grams per cup. Even mushrooms, broccoli and sweet potatoes contain more than 2 grams per cup.  

I’m not a purist. I’ve eaten meat five or six times in the last year and a half because sometimes I enjoy a rotisserie chicken or a steak. For me, being mostly vegetarian is a choice. I don’t beat myself up if I have a hamburger instead of an Impossible one, and I don’t condemn anyone who eats meat on a regular basis. 

Overall, I’m eating my veggies and plenty of them. Try it; you’ll like it.