Vegetarianism in The Netherlands
Sustainable food is serious business around here.
Vegetarianism is a very common lifestyle in the east and has been growing in the west in the last decade. However, many of occidental cultural rituals and habits revolve around meat and many times it makes it complicated to even consider leaning on more sustainable food.
I have considered becoming a vegetarian several times and had already reduced my meat intake, but, as a Brazilian, I did not consider abandoning meat to be viable or practical. It would mean having to cook more for myself, sometimes even eating something other than what my family would have. Having meat in every meal in Brazil is simply the norm for middle class families.
And then… I moved to the Netherlands for an exchange program and it turns out that Dutch people have a completely different relationship to food — and to meat. The difference can be noticed in one quick walk around a supermarket or while reading a restaurant’s menu: here they have vegetarian options for almost everything, everywhere.
It is also interesting to talk to Dutch people and observe them eating: many eat little or no meat. When asked about why they avoid having animals on their plate, the most common answer would be “because it was something simple I can do to reduce the impact we have on the planet”.
Although I know meat production, especially red meat, has a huge role in climate change (and that has been a major reason for me to reduce my consumption of meat), this is not the most common answer you would get from a vegetarian in Brazil. My Brazilian vegetarian friends would probably say it is because of their love and respect for animals or for their own health and well-being. In the Netherlands they actually aim to eat sustainable food.
Of course, there is an important aspect to be considered: prices. Buying meat here is very expansive, even more than in Brazil, and of course it makes it even less attractive. For me, as a broke student, that is a very relevant point.
That is not, however, the determining point for them. A good example are my equally broke Brazilian student friends, who spend money on meat because they feel it is necessary, while Dutch people I know who live in a comfortable financial situation don’t do it that often. In the Netherlands people do think more about the environment and have a different mentality towards food.
Are there more vegetarians in the Netherlands?
You can imagine how confused I was when I found out that there is actually a bigger percentage of the Brazilian population who follows a vegetarian lifestyle than of Dutch people! In the Netherlands it is very common for people to be more flexible and not to restrict themselves as vegetarians, but to eat a lot less meat on their routine than an average Brazilian.
They not only support eating less meat, but also worry about the disposal of the residual food, it being produced in a fair way and being nutritional at the same time.
But for me, the most shocking part was the effect it had on me. I now spend many hours of my day searching for vegetarian recipes, understanding how sustainable food is and walking around the supermarket analyzing all different plant-based options I have. I am fascinated!
In the last month I have not bought meat to cook and I do not miss it at all! I see other people eating no or little meat as well and I’ve been trying new recipes and protein sources. It is way easier than I thought it could be. Being in an environment that cares about how sustainable food is and having examples of other people who live like that has made me change as well. Also, the flexible mindset of not having to limit myself as a vegetarian makes it seem way more feasible.
And the best part is that I can lessen my negative impact on our planet as I get closer to vegetarianism, even though I am not 100% there yet.
I can take two main things out of my month living like the Dutch. The first is that the environment you are in has a major role on how you perceive ideologies and on your behavior. The second is that vegetarianism is a beautiful and very colorful journey that offers us many healthy and nutritious possibilities. Give it a try!
If you want to do as I did and live more like the Dutch, here are a few tips:
- Get informed on where your food comes from (read the packaging!).
- Read about climate change and the role cattle plays on it.
- Look online for vegetarian recipes. There are many incredible instagram accounts that teach delicious dishes with zero meat. I particularly love @plantbased.io recipes.
- You don’t have to cut meat out of your life entirely. Try having a few vegetarian days a week to start with.
- Leave your prejudice behind and indulge yourself in plant-based versions of your favorite foods. What about a veggie hamburger?
Sustainable food is not only vegetarian, but eating less meat helps reducing the impact of your food in the planet a lot. If you want to do more as an individual to stop climate change, consider vegetarianism as a lifestyle and surround yourself with people that feel the same, it will be for sure easier!
Once you’ve tried a few weeks living like this, let me know how it went!
