A lifelong vegetarian recently documented her first experience trying steak, and her unexpected reaction has captured attention.

In a video uploaded to Instagram, Sab from Los Angeles can be seen cutting into a rib-eye steak paired with a fried egg. She informed her audience that she cooked the steak to a ‘well-done’ level using avocado oil.

Admitting that the sight of the beef felt a bit intimidating, Sab, who had never tasted beef before, eventually took a generous bite of the steak.

Appearing both surprised and delighted, the young woman in her 20s exclaimed, “I’m struggling to express how good this is. It’s better than just good.”

Demonstrating her enjoyment, Sab took a moment to “process” this pivotal experience before eagerly going back for a second bite, this time adding a slice of garlic to the mix.

With a broad smile she tried to conceal with her hand, she exclaimed, “Oh my god. It’s delicious, holy s***. This is the first meal I’m actually considering finishing.”

Despite appearing to thoroughly enjoy the meal, dunking the meat into various sides, including avocado, egg yolk and garlic, she remained unconvinced she had been ‘converted’.

But in a follow-up video, Sab – who was raised in a vegetarian household – admitted she now indulges in steak on a weekly basis. 

A lifelong vegetarian (pictured) has shared the moment she tried steak for the first time – and revealed her very surprising verdict 

Revealing her reasons for breaking her lifelong habit, the former vegetarian explained that she was raised eating a meat-free diet, but insisted this her choice and not her parents’.

‘It wasn’t something I was expected to keep up with, my brother started trying fish when he was a little bit younger,’ she said.

But it wasn’t until much later that she developed her own curiosity for trying out meat and fish – and upon discovering her newfound interest, her boyfriend, who is not a vegetarian, jumped at the chance to take her to a lobster restaurant.

She then took her first bite of steak earlier this year while hosting a group of friends at a celebratory ‘meat party’, to honour breaking her lifelong vegetarian diet.

Although she initially wanted to eat only organic, unpasteurised meat, when it came to the party, she chose instead not to ‘limit’ herself. ‘I didn’t want to put those expectations on my friends either,’ she said.

She has since sampled a variety of other meats, many of which she ‘liked the taste of’, but didn’t ‘feel good’ about eating. ‘When it came to eating steak, it was the first thing that felt good to me,’ she said.

As well as enjoying the taste, Sab claimed she saw several health benefits from eating it weekly. ‘I always knew steak… was high in protein and iron,’ she said. ‘I don’t feel bad about what I’m doing.’

Those watching were largely pleased to see Sab enjoying the steak, with many remarking that she ‘needed it’ and that it was a ‘factory reset’.

In a clip shared to Instagram, Sab (pictured), from Los Angeles, sliced into a rib-eye steak nestled next to a fried egg while telling viewers she had prepared the meat ‘well done’ and with avocado oil

‘Welcome back to the real world,’ one said, while a second agreed, writing, ‘Nothing like your first perfectly cooked rib-eye…welcome to the other side.’

‘This is amazing. So glad you are nourishing yourself!’ a third said.

Experts will often recommend that those who haven’t tried meat for a long time, particularly red, should slowly acclimatize themselves to eating it again, since they can become unwell after long periods of abstinence.

But Sab believes that most vegetarians become unwell due to the fact that they don’t like what they’re eating, having not eaten meat for such an extended period of time.

‘I think I did some things that helped me not to get sick,’ she said. ‘I just told myself that it’s a good thing, especially while I’m young, to learn new things about myself.’