For eight days now I’ve been a herbivore.

I have accepted my own challenge as a final project for a class to become a lacto-ovo vegetarian for three weeks. Lacto-ovo meaning that I can still eat eggs and dairy, but not meat or fish.

Although I’m only one-third of the way through my journey, I can say that it hasn’t been the worst thing I’ve ever done.

There is A LOT of research that goes into becoming a vegetarian. I’ve had a few instances where I had no idea what I would have for dinner and became a bit uneasy. Meals weren’t as easy as running to the Trident or grabbing McDonalds; both places have limited vegetarian options.

Because I’m jumping right into this new diet, I was worried about losing nutrition. I now carry around a pill box with all of the vitamins I take. I went to Walmart and grabbed an iron supplement, vitamin C, vitamin B12 and folic acid. On top of that, I was already taking biotin and vitamin D3.

I feel like an old person.

My daily diet consists of a lot of fruit, rice, vegetables and hummus. Lots of hummus. I think it has to be that way when living in the dorms and always being on the run between class and work. I don’t have a lot of time to prepare meals ahead of time.

Because of that, I typically end up scrambling for food during my dinner break. Then I end up snacking on some carrots and strawberries instead of having an actual dinner.

My biggest thing now is that I’ve actually noticed myself eating healthier. I don’t run to McDonalds on my break because I can’t eat anything there but fries and parfaits, and they aren’t my favorite.

I was an avid Diet Coke drinker as well, but within the last week I’ve only had it twice. This is unheard of for me.

The temptation has been hard, I can’t lie about that. But I have made a conscious effort to not break my promise. I even ate a black bean burger at one of my favorite places for locally grown hamburgers. I really don’t like beans and I try to avoid them at all cost.

I’m sure that once my three weeks are up, I’ll eat meat again. I love it. But that isn’t a promise; I still have two weeks to change my mind. My mom even made a reservation at our favorite steakhouse for what she is calling “the best day.” In her mind, “the best day” is when I can eat meat again.

For now I just need to keep from having the reoccurring dream where I eat a piece of chicken without thinking twice about it resulting in failing my project, and my class.

Wish me luck.