Arming yourself with a little knowledge on nutrition can go a long way both in convincing yourself that the change is for the good, and convincing, or at least placating, those around you. After a few months of adjustment, your body will also have convinced you.
The main challenge for those who are already vegetarian tends to be giving up cheese (to a lesser extent other dairy products) and giving up eggs. If it’s protein and calcium you’re worried about missing, then worry no longer, as these two things are found abundantly in plant foods. If it’s the taste, then there are alternatives that can taste remarkably similar and do the same thing, but you may have to get more creative in the kitchen. You can bake just about anything that uses eggs with egg substitutes and if you can’t find the packaged kind you can find a recipe for egg substitute or, in most cases, a little oil does the trick. If it’s the scrambled variety you’re after, tofu works well with some herbs and veggies mixed in.
If you’re still finding it difficult to go vegan, turn your mind to the source, commercial dairies and chicken/egg farms, and look into their practices. Dairy cows die an early and painful death, usually due to infection related to constant milking, their male calves crated up for veal. Laying chickens are most often de-beaked and crammed into tiny cages. If they don’t die first from disease, within about two years they are slaughtered and used for pet food or some other form of tinned second-grade delight. The male chicks, they’re just macerated straight away, no use for them. The realities for “free-range”, “cage-free” or “organic” chickens are often not much better.
By carefully thinking about the beginning and end of the life cycle of the food you are eating, and what you could be eating instead, perhaps the transition will be just that little bit easier.
