It's An Art: 5 Ways Being A Vegetarian Made Me More Creative

These days, it's not easy to make a decision when you're choosing a meal.

From sugar-free to low-fat, and Whole Foods to organic, there are so many options when it comes to the best option for you.

I became so confused, I could no longer tell what was actually healthy and what was simply a health trend.

Meat has never been my favorite ingredient, but I didn't want to completely cut it out of my life.

I always liked to cook and host dinner parties for people. I love dishing out chicken recipes, lasagnas and hosting BBQs for my friends, and crowd pleasing meals usually involve meat.

However, besides the parties, I wanted to include more green veggie recipes into my daily routine. I started making different pumpkin, sweet potato and veggie burgers.

Many alternative dishes, such as spinach lasagna and chickpea meatloaf, became my big experiments.

Without really noticing, I slowly began to skip the meat section at the supermarket.

I made the list of things I wanted to try to make, and suddenly, it became longer and longer. I had more dinners, recipes, veggies and (the most important thing) happy guests who were always amazed by what was on the table.

With time and more cooking experiments, I turned into a vegetarian without even realizing it.

Because of this new food culture, I became more creative.

Although I always tried to be as sustainable as I could, vegetarianism has nothing to do with saving the animals or protecting their rights.

I found another side of creativity in it, and this is why I think vegetarianism is a kind of art.

Here's why:

1. Your recipes get more creative.

Instead of making typical lasagna, burgers, etc., you actually spend more time trying to arrange different tastes of vegetables that will go well together.

2. You let yourself to improvise.

When you notice the traditional recipe cannot be followed (because it involves meat), you know you can try with your own substitutions.

There's nothing traditional to ruin here!

3. You get in touch more with the nature and the seasons.

Once you realize how great different vegetables can taste, you actually start paying more attention to real, organic greens and in-season produce.

You may even realize you can serve baked pumpkin with cheese, or you can add some sweet potatoes with good spinach filling as the main course.

Your simple side recipe ingredients begin to substitute your old, traditional meat favorites.

4. You start making more homemade food.

Just because the traditional, mainstream stuff doesn't satisfy you anymore, you try to appreciate good, homemade meals.

You know what ingredients you're using, and what best suits your own taste.

That may take time, and you will enjoy your creative time in the kitchen.

5. Your dinners and Instagram pictures look more colorful.

Of course, you're proud of being able to make something different, and you may pay more attention when you're preparing the food.

However, when vegetarians substitute main meaty dishes with fruits and vegetables, they'll be able to appreciate the produce's natural color.

They're making the table look more playful, and the Instagram pictures are amazingly colorful, even without a filter.

Those might be silly and simple reasons, but I feel like my sustainable vegetarian lifestyle made me more creative.

I'm grateful I've been able to enjoy cutting meat out of my life without trying too hard.