Why I Chose to Become a Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian

About a month ago, I made a decision that I had been thinking about for some time. I decided to become a lacto-ovo vegetarian.

For anyone who is not familiar with the term, a lacto-ovo vegetarian is someone who chooses not to eat meat, fish or seafood, but still includes dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yoghurt, as well as eggs, in their diet.

For me, it is a personal choice. I am not making some grand statement about how everyone else should eat, and I certainly have no intention of becoming one of those people who tell others what they should or should not have on their plate.

Everyone has their own reasons for the choices they make, and I respect that.

So why vegetarian?

There are plenty of arguments both for and against vegetarianism, and I think it is important to acknowledge both sides.

One of the biggest arguments in favour is animal welfare. For some people, the thought of eating animals simply becomes increasingly difficult to reconcile with how they feel about animals themselves. That was certainly something I thought about.

There are also environmental arguments. The production of meat, particularly on a large scale, has an environmental impact. Farming uses land and water, and livestock production contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Eating more plant-based food can be one way of reducing an individual's environmental footprint.

Then there is the health argument. A well-planned vegetarian diet can include plenty of vegetables, fruit, beans, lentils, pulses, grains, nuts, and seeds. These foods can provide plenty of fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Of course, simply removing meat does not automatically make a diet healthy. You can be vegetarian and still eat an enormous amount of highly processed food, chips, cakes, and other foods that are not exactly nutritional superstars.

That is something I am very conscious of.

There are also perfectly reasonable arguments against vegetarianism. Some people enjoy eating meat and see it as an important part of their diet and culture. Others find vegetarian diets difficult to maintain, particularly when eating out, travelling or trying to feed a family with different preferences.

There are nutritional considerations too. Anyone changing their diet needs to make sure they are getting the nutrients their body requires. Protein, iron, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids are among the things vegetarians need to consider.

For me, becoming vegetarian is not about believing that one diet is automatically right for everybody. It is about finding something that feels right for me.

Vegetarian or vegan?

This is where things can get a little confusing because vegetarian and vegan are not the same thing.

A vegetarian generally avoids meat, fish, and seafood but may still eat animal products such as dairy and eggs. That is where the term lacto-ovo vegetarian comes from.

A vegan diet goes considerably further. Vegans avoid all animal-derived foods, including meat, fish, seafood, dairy, eggs, and usually other ingredients made from animals.

But veganism is not simply a diet.

For many vegans, it is a lifestyle choice based on avoiding the use and exploitation of animals wherever practical. That can include avoiding products made from leather, wool, fur, and other animal-derived materials, as well as considering cosmetics and household products that involve animal testing or animal-derived ingredients.

That is a much bigger commitment than simply deciding not to eat meat.

Why choose vegan over vegetarian?

There are many reasons why someone might choose to become vegan rather than vegetarian.

For some, it comes down entirely to animal welfare. They may feel that if they have decided not to eat animals, continuing to consume products such as milk and eggs still involves animals being used for human consumption. Becoming vegan, therefore, feels like the more consistent choice.

Others are motivated primarily by environmental concerns. They may believe that removing animal products from their diet has a greater environmental benefit than simply giving up meat and fish.

There are also people who start as vegetarians and gradually move towards veganism. They might initially give up meat, then fish, and eventually dairy and eggs as their understanding of animal agriculture changes.

And then there are people who simply feel more comfortable being vegan.

I can understand all of those reasons, even though I have chosen a different path.

My choice is my choice

I think this is the part that matters most to me.

I have chosen to become a lacto-ovo vegetarian, but that does not mean I think everybody else should do the same.

Food is a very personal subject. People have different cultures, traditions, tastes, budgets, nutritional requirements, and beliefs. What works for one person might not work for another.

I also do not think becoming vegetarian suddenly makes someone a better person. It is simply a choice I have made for myself.

Likewise, I have no issue with someone choosing to eat meat. I am not interested in judging what somebody else has for dinner.

There is enough arguing in the world without turning the dinner table into another battleground.

A month into my new life

It has only been about a month, so I am still finding my feet.

There have been some adjustments. Foods that I previously took for granted now require a little more thought, particularly when eating out or deciding what to cook.

At the same time, it has encouraged me to experiment with food. There are plenty of vegetarian meals that I had probably overlooked in the past, and discovering different combinations of vegetables, eggs, cheese, beans, lentils, and other ingredients has been interesting.

I am not claiming that I have suddenly become some sort of expert vegetarian. Far from it.

I am simply trying something different and seeing how it works for me.

Perhaps that is the most important thing about making changes in life. We do not always have to have all the answers before we start.

No judgement here

There are plenty of heated arguments surrounding vegetarianism and veganism.

Some people argue that everybody should give up meat. Others argue that vegetarianism is unnecessary. Some believe veganism is the only morally consistent option, while others see it as an extreme lifestyle choice.

Personally, I have no interest in telling other people what they should believe.

I have made my choice because, at this point in my life, it feels like the right choice for me.

Someone else may make a completely different choice, and that is fine.

At the end of the day, what we eat is just one part of who we are. I would much rather have a sensible conversation about our differences than start an argument over what is sitting on somebody else's plate.

So, for now, I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian.

It is my choice, it suits me, and I am going to see where the journey takes me.

I have published 132 articles in two years

Yesterday, I checked the stats for my recent article, Nature Is in Crisis, But Why? on my David Wilson Out and About blog, and I was pleasantly surprised by how many views it has had so far.

What surprised me even more, though, was realising that I’ve now published 132 articles over the past two years. When I think about it, there’s been such a mixture of subjects along the way, and I suppose that reflects the different things I’ve experienced, thought about, and become interested in during that time.

I actually started writing during a particularly bad osteoarthritis flare-up, when I was stuck at home for several weeks. With not much else to do, I found myself looking back over my life and thinking about where I’d been, where I was going, and what really mattered to me.

Writing about my experiences, my thoughts on the past, and my hopes and concerns for the future has become a bit like therapy for me. It gives me somewhere to put my thoughts, and it helps me through those darker patches when my osteoarthritis and back problems stop me from doing the things I enjoy.

It’s also made me realise just how precious life really is. And if, somewhere along the way, something I’ve written has helped someone else who might be going through a difficult or confusing time, or perhaps struggling to come to terms with something in their past or present, then that makes all those hours spent writing worthwhile.

I never really set out to write 132 articles. Of course, it all started with one.

I started writing because I needed somewhere to put my thoughts. 132 might sound like a lot, but for me, writing is simply something I enjoy. I find it relaxing to sit down in the evenings, put some music on, and jot down my thoughts or turn them into an article.

So, two years later, I’m still doing it. I suppose that says something in itself.

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It: My Bucklos Bike Seat Mistake

The Bucklos Extra Wide Seat arrived last night, and I must admit, I think buying this seat was a mistake.

I’m not really sure what I was thinking when I ordered it. I did read and understand the dimensions, but once I actually held it next to my 16-inch iSinwheel U4 folding e-bike, it looked ridiculous. It’s simply too big for the bike.

The iSinwheel U4 already weighs 26.5kg without any accessories, and this seat adds another 1.1kg. That might not sound like much, but when you’re having to lift and carry a folding e-bike, every bit of extra weight makes a difference. The extra bulk also makes the bike more awkward to handle.

To be fair, the seat itself looks and feels like a good-quality product. I just don’t think it’s suitable for a bike of this size.

Having said that, since recording my road test video and slightly raising the original seat, I’ve found it much more comfortable than before. So, for the time being, I’m going to stick with the seat that came with the bike.

I think the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” probably sums this one up perfectly. Sometimes you just have to admit that the original was actually fine in the first place.

Nature Is in Crisis, But Why?

I often find myself wondering just how much damage we humans have done to the natural world around us. We talk about climate change, disappearing wildlife, polluted rivers, plastic in our oceans, and the destruction of habitats, but sometimes I think we forget just how connected all of this really is.

Nature is in crisis. There is no getting away from that.

But the question I keep coming back to is this. Is it us that has caused it?

Well, of course it is.

For thousands of years, humans have changed the world around us. We have cut down forests, drained wetlands, built roads and towns, polluted our rivers and seas, overfished our oceans, and pushed wildlife out of the places where it once lived.

And as our population has grown, so has our impact.

But here is the thing that gives me some hope.

Nature is incredibly resilient.

If we were to disappear tomorrow, nature would not simply collapse. In time, it would begin to reclaim the world we have built. Plants would grow through cracks in our roads. Buildings would eventually fall into disrepair and become habitats for wildlife. Rivers would continue to flow, and forests would spread.

Given enough time, nature would recover.

It would recover without us.

That is both an amazing thought and a rather uncomfortable one.

The problem is that we cannot simply walk away and expect everything to put itself right. We are here, and we have created the problem, so surely we have a responsibility to become part of the solution.

The good news is that we do not necessarily need to do something extraordinary.

Sometimes it is about allowing nature to do what nature does best.

We can protect and restore habitats. We can plant native trees and wildflowers. We can create ponds and wetlands. We can leave parts of our gardens to grow naturally rather than trying to make everything neat and tidy. We can reduce the amount of plastic and waste we produce. We can stop polluting our waterways and think more carefully about what we put down our drains.

We can also make space for wildlife.

A small pond can provide a place for frogs, insects, and birds to drink. A patch of wildflowers can provide food for bees and butterflies. A hedge can become a home for birds and small mammals. Even leaving fallen leaves in a quiet corner of the garden can provide shelter for insects and other creatures.

None of these things on their own will save the planet.

But perhaps that is the wrong way of looking at it.

We do not always have to save the whole world.

Maybe we simply need to start looking after the small part of it that is within our reach.

I think we have also become obsessed with controlling nature. We want tidy gardens, straight lines, perfectly cut grass, and everything looking exactly as we think it should.

But nature does not work like that.

Nature is messy.

Nature is unpredictable.

Nature is insects buzzing around flowers, birds nesting in hedges, weeds growing through cracks in pavements, and trees dropping their leaves in autumn.

Perhaps instead of constantly trying to control nature, we should sometimes step back and let it get on with being nature.

There is another important point here.

We often talk about protecting nature as though we are doing it purely for wildlife. Of course, wildlife matters, but we are also protecting ourselves.

Healthy forests help regulate our climate. Wetlands can help reduce flooding. Healthy soils help grow our food. Insects pollinate crops. Oceans help regulate the climate and provide food for millions of people.

Nature is not something separate from us.

We are part of nature.

Somewhere along the way, I think we started behaving as though we were above it rather than part of it. We have become very good at taking from the natural world, but perhaps not so good at giving something back.

And that needs to change.

I am not suggesting that we all suddenly give up our homes, cars, technology, and modern lives and go and live in the woods.

That is simply not realistic.

What I am saying is that we need to become more conscious of the consequences of what we do.

Every decision has an impact.

• What we buy.
• What we throw away.
• What we eat.
• How we travel.
• How we use energy.
• How we treat our gardens, our rivers, our countryside, and the wildlife around us.
• Individually, our actions might seem insignificant.
• But multiply those actions by millions of people, and suddenly they become very significant indeed.
• I also believe we need to stop thinking that it is too late.
• Yes, we have caused enormous damage.
• Yes, some species have disappeared forever.
• Yes, some habitats have been destroyed beyond repair.
• But that does not mean we should simply give up.
• Nature has shown us time and time again that when given the opportunity, it can recover.
• Give a river clean water, and wildlife can return.
• Restore a wetland, and birds can come back.
• Protect a woodland, and it can flourish.
• Give insects somewhere to feed and breed, and their numbers can increase.
• Give nature a chance, and it often takes that chance.
• So perhaps the answer is not about trying to control nature.
• Perhaps the answer is about giving nature room.
• Room to breathe.
• Room to grow.
• Room to recover.

And perhaps most importantly, room to exist without us constantly interfering.

I think we owe it to future generations to do better.

Not because humans are the most important species on the planet, but because we have the ability to understand the damage we have caused and the ability to do something about it.

Nature will probably survive us in the long term.

The real question is whether we are willing to change enough to allow nature to survive alongside us.

Because this planet does not belong to us.

We are simply temporary residents.

And if we want our children, grandchildren, and their grandchildren to experience the same wonder of a wild river, a woodland full of birds, a meadow full of insects, or a coastline teeming with life, then perhaps it is time we stopped asking what nature can give us and started asking what we can give back to nature.

It might be one of the most important things we ever do.