Growing Up Vegetarian: Why I Eat the Way I Do (and Why It’s Not a Religion)

I was raised vegetarian.
Not in the “we occasionally have tofu” way — I mean I never ate meat, not once, not growing up, not sneaking a chicken nugget in middle school, nothing. This was normal in my house. My mom was (and still is) a full-time health enthusiast, researcher, tinker-er, and diet experimenter. She’s tried almost every version of plant-based eating under the sun, from simple vegetarian to vegan to raw phases to the whole-food, plant-based lifestyle she’s stuck with for years now.

And honestly? She’s committed. Like really committed.

No isolated oils.
No refined sugar.
No heavily processed ingredients.
Food is fuel, but also love — and she takes that seriously.

My mom cooks this way partly for herself, but also for my dad. Over the last decade, he’s had his fair share of health scares: a stent placed in his heart, struggles with diabetes, high cholesterol… the whole scary list. Changing how they eat wasn’t just a “health phase” — it was survival. A little rebellion against genetics and statistics.

I watched my mom treat food like medicine, but in the gentlest, most loving way. She didn’t shame anyone. She didn’t try to force her way on the world. She just cooked the best meals she could and hoped it helped.

Growing up in that environment shaped how I see food.
But here’s the thing — I don’t think eating plant-based makes anyone morally superior. I don’t believe it’s a cure-all. I don’t think everyone needs to adopt the strict version my mom does, or even the way I do. What I do believe is this:

When you start paying attention to what’s in your food…
you can’t unsee it.

You start to notice how certain meals make you feel.
You start understanding what your body actually likes.
You start realizing that vegetables aren’t the side dish — they’re the whole show.

Eating a whole-food, plant-based diet makes me feel better.
Not perfect. Not superhuman. Just… better. More grounded. More awake. More me.

But I’ll be the first to say:
It can also be downright daunting.

If you didn’t grow up cooking like this, it can feel like learning an entirely new language — swapping ingredients, decoding labels, unlearning habits, trying to make carrots sexy (harder than it sounds). It’s messy. It can be overwhelming. And sometimes you just want a snack that isn’t made of compressed beans.

This little corner of my blog — Eat Your Vegetables — is not about perfection or purity.
It’s not about preaching or pressuring anyone to join a lifestyle club.

It’s simply a place where I share what I know, what I cook, what I grew up with, and the plant-based meals that actually taste good. Recipes that make you feel good. Little tips to make it easier. And the truth about what this way of eating really looks like in the real world: cozy, imperfect, delicious, and a tiny bit chaotic.

If you’re curious, welcome in.
If you’re just here for veggie inspiration, you’re in the right place.
And if you’re overwhelmed, don’t worry — we’re all just figuring this out one carrot at a time.