This is THE sentence that stands out every time. It is true that by excluding meat and fish, in theory, you can have deficiencies (which can result in health problems or even depression). Except that in practice, becoming a vegetarian can be prepared and you rarely go overnight from an omnivorous diet to a vegetarian diet. This therefore implies that we learn about sources of protein, iron, vitamins, etc. In fact, vegetarians are often more knowledgeable in nutrition than those who eat everything...
How to explain that vegetarian means that one excludes from one's diet the consumption of animal flesh? Which, by definition, includes fish, which, we remember, is an animal! Some people decide to do without meat and continue to eat fish, this is called pescetarianism or pesco-vegetarianism.
The idea that vegetarians only eat vegetables is quite widespread and yet very far from reality. Excluding animal flesh does not mean that we are satisfied with vegetables. In reality, there are plenty of foods that you can eat as a vegetarian, such as tofu, tempeh, seitan or all the vegetable derivatives that you can find in stores today (we're lucky , all the brands are getting into it!).
Uh… Like everyone else?! The principle of the restaurant is to offer a wide choice of dishes, which allows everyone to find what they are looking for. Inevitably, by excluding meat and fish, the choice is often more limited, but that does not mean that we can generally find an option (even if it means asking to remove the food that bothers us, which we would do if you had a food allergy). And the good news is that more and more restaurants offer vegetarian dishes.
Bad faith, hello. This reflection generally comes from the mouth of a person who is irritated by the vegetarian diet (we don't really understand why) or who is trying to test our will. The best thing to do? Ignore it and don't get into a sterile debate or everything you say will be misinterpreted...
Well, there, it usually starts with a good intention, so it's less annoying, but still. Being or becoming a vegetarian does not make us intolerant people who seek to brainwash people around them and cannot stand the idea of someone eating meat or fish. It's as if we hated celery and forbade our loved ones to eat it in our presence. Absurd, right?!
While it has been proven that the vegetarian diet is more effective when trying to lose weight, it is rarely a motivation to change your diet. Moreover, eating "veggie" is not necessarily synonymous with eating healthy, as has also been shown. Indeed, fries are vegetarian, just like cheese, pasta, mayonnaise, desserts… If you want to lose weight, it starts with eating a balanced diet, whether you are an omnivore or a vegetarian.
