Author: Sarah Leung

By Avreet Jagdev

People choose to go vegetarian for many reasons – some do so for their religion, others for health purposes, and some for the animals and the environment. No matter what your reasons may be, being vegetarian has a multitude of benefits — not only for your health, but for the world around you as well.

Harvard research shows that since vegetarians consume less saturated fat and cholesterol than those who have meat in their diets, they are at less of a risk of heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

That’s not all — being vegetarian is good for the environment and can, in fact, help slow climate change, reduce water pollution, and reduce wildlife habitat destruction and deforestation. Raising livestock leads to a very large amount of greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming; a reduced demand for meat decreases livestock production, which means that these harmful emissions are reduced as well.

However, it’s a big change to make, especially if you are accustomed to eating meat. This can make it difficult and intimidating to know where or how to start. Here are some tips to make the process a little bit easier:

Start by going meatless a couple of days of the week

Instead of going vegetarian overnight, try choosing a couple of days of the week where you don’t eat meat (like Meatless Monday)! This will make the process easier and less intimidating. As you become more accustomed to not eating meat, you can add more and more meatless days until it eventually becomes all seven days of the week!

Cutting out one thing at a time

Similar to the last tip, don’t feel pressured to cut all meat out of your diet at once. Instead, try taking small steps by cutting out one type of meat at a time. For example, you can start by limiting how much red meat you eat. Once you become used to this, you can cut out chicken, and so on.

Get creative with your recipes.

The good news is, almost any one of your favourite meat dishes can be made vegetarian or even vegan! Get creative with your plant-based alternatives. Instead of chicken, try seitan or shredded tofu. Experiment with different brands of vegan ground beef for your favourite taco recipe until you find what works best!

Use this as an opportunity to branch out

On another note, instead of sticking to meat-based recipes, use your new diet as an opportunity to branch out completely. Many cultures around the world have primarily vegetarian cuisines or cuisines that are super vegetarian-friendly, such as in South Asia. Try your hand at cooking a traditional vegetarian recipe from a new cultural cuisine!

When eating out, don’t be afraid to ask for modifications

Eating out can be anxiety-inducing for someone who is a new vegetarian, but know that servers and chefs are more than used to accommodating requests, and most of them will happily swap out a meat-based component of an item for a vegetarian one! All you have to do is ask.

Don’t be too harsh on yourself.

Lastly, don’t be too harsh on yourself. Switching to a plant-based diet is a large task, and it’s normal for you to have your ups and downs. The most important thing is that you stick to it!

By Bhargavi Venkataraman

As a third-year university student, I have had many job experiences. Jobs are a great way to learn new skills while also making money towards wants, needs and savings. Of all my job experiences, my first job is one of the most memorable.

I came into the job scene a little later than average. I started my first job as a mathematics instructor at a big education brand franchise that will remain unnamed for privacy reasons in the summer of grade 11. It was run by a couple, and I got hired, along with another candidate, to start over August that summer.

The hiring process was conventional, but as this was my first job, I remember taking it very seriously. I carefully curated a resume and cover letter and took hours to prepare for the interview. I remember sitting in front of the owner in my formal shirt and trousers with sweaty hands, in nervous anticipation of his questions. He took one look at my resume and put it away. He then proceeded to ask me a couple of basic questions, and that was it; I got the job. It seemed too simple at the time, but I did not question it too much in my excitement.

My first days on the job were invigorating. It was a big learning curve to teach in the model of this education brand, but it was also fulfilling to earn money for the first time. I was paired with another employee who would supervise me and was invited to staff meetings where they provided food and lively conversation. Initially, everything was going well. The issues started when the owner began scheduling me for many more hours than I originally agreed to when being hired. As I knew that this was my grade 12 year and that I would mainly focus on school, I asked the owner if he was okay with a certain number of hours per week during the interview. He let me know that it was okay. However, when the school year started, I got scheduled for double the hours I had initially specified. When I conversed with him about this, he would brush off my concerns by saying that it was only for a couple of days. This pattern continued for a long while, and I found myself drained of energy by the end of each day.

Another problem came up a few months later. I had made friends with some of the other employees, and we would talk when we had some free time. We discussed our difficulties with the number of hours we were required to work and some issues with the expectations set by the employers. I did not participate actively in these conversations as I felt uncomfortable talking about superiors in that way. Still, the owner assumed I was also part of the group gossiping about her. She proceeded to berate me for small mistakes publicly and criticize any work I did. The environment became very toxic, and I dreaded coming to work daily.

My journey with this job ended over the winter break of that year. I noticed that I was waiting to get emails from the organization with the schedule for the next week. I called the company a few times, but was still waiting for a response. I eventually let them know I could not continue with the company and wished to terminate my contract.

My experiences with this first job, the supervisors, my coworkers, and the general process taught me many things, which I applied to every future job. I will list some of these lessons below:

1) Don’t be afraid to state expectations/boundaries before starting your job: I think one of the reasons I was able to speak confidently with my superiors about my issues with the hours they were assigning me was because I set clear expectations beforehand about how much I was able to commit. This also helped make my termination easier to digest, as our priorities differed.

2) Speak up when expectations are not met: It is easy to feel like you cannot speak up or don’t have a voice when you are just starting a job or in a lower-level position in a company. However, it is crucial to recognize that you deserve to be valued and that your boundaries should be respected. This role may not be the best fit for you if they are not. I let my supervisors know when I felt burdened by the time commitment. I wish I had taken myself out of that situation earlier, as I became more burnt out and unhappy as time went on in the position.

3) Be careful about workplace boundaries: It is easy to get carried away with the camaraderie of workplace relationships, especially in the first couple of months on the job. However, it is essential to respect the feelings of everyone around you, including superiors, and ensure that you keep within your values when joining group discussions. In my case, I should have removed myself physically from my coworkers when they were gossiping about the supervisor and said something to stop them. This would have been more in keeping with my values.

4) Know when to terminate your role: Sometimes, despite your actions, a position might not fit you. The environment might become toxic, or you might not be able to keep up with the demands at the time. This is when it is good to take a step back and evaluate if the positives of staying in this position outweigh the negatives. If they do not, then consider terminating your role. This is precisely the process I went through. I spoke with my friends and family and also reflected on my own. Eventually, I decided that I needed to quit.

I hope someone else can utilize the lessons I have learned through this experience to help them in their career trajectory. It can be daunting to navigate such an unfamiliar terrain, so it may be worthwhile to see how others did it. Always remember your value and what you bring to the table, be confident in your skills, and learn from every new experience!