I've been taking 'baby steps' toward going vegetarian and some day eventually vegan. As I mentioned in my first post, my first step was all the way back in 2003 when our family became beef-free because of the semi-local mad cow incident here in the Northwest.
It was really hard, especially early on after everyone else stopped worrying about the beef. It opened our eyes to just how beef-loving this country is. People have accused us of being 'vegetarians' for giving up that one source of meat. People have been irritated with our choice because it's terribly inconvenient for them. We have had to ask countless times what is in a food when we are not eating at home because sometimes it's too hard to tell by looking alone. We've filled up on appetizers and desserts more times than I could count.
The meat industry really has a hold in our country and they are a powerful force. They support politicians financially which allows them many freedoms. They also use their funds on advertising, which you may not really notice until you start looking for it. There are all kinds of ads from the meat industry. They really don't want Americans believing anything other than that we are so desperately in need of animal meats to survive.
They've done quite a good job at this. We Americans are afraid of not getting enough protein in our diets and we think that the only way to accomplish this is by eating meat. But if you take an honest look around you have to admit that most Americans really are not deficient in protein. We get plenty of fat in our diet! We are one of the most overweight countries around!
Did you know that there are ample supplies of protein from plant based sources? The reason that so many vegetarians and vegans are so thin is not that they are starving from a lack of meat but because they are eating protein sources that the body can easily use, and has no need to store up the excess.
Have you ever stopped to think about the animal kingdom and the differences between the carnivores and the herbivores? The herbivores are the peaceful animals who have flat teeth for chewing plant life. The carnivores are the aggressive animals which have sharp claws and very sharp teeth. They also run faster than your car going down the highway and after eating the meat they sleep for a few days, because that's what it takes to digest all of that meat. The herbivores have daily routines of sleeping just at night and being awake all day.
I'm not sure about you, but I know that I don't have sharp claws and teeth (most of mine are very flat) and I don't run 50+ miles an hour and there's no way that I could get away with sleeping for a few days! It does seem that my lifestyle is geared more towards that of the herbivores.
Remembering that makes it easier to make vegetarian choices. Another thing that makes it easier for me to choose plant based foods over meats is just to think about the lives of the poor animals that make it onto my plate. I won't go into the gory details of the hidden tortures that take place daily - feel free to google it or to read The Kind Diet or watch Food Inc.
Since I am working towards vegetarianism I am not completely meatless yet. I'm working on finishing the meaty foods in our freezer and not replacing them. I am also looking at new vegetarian recipes to start adding to our meals to replace the meaty meals.
Truth be told this has not been as hard as I would have thought. I made the decision for good reasons: my family's health, choosing to no longer support the abusive meat industry, helping the planet, etc. Because I strongly believe in these decisions it has made it much easier to make meat free choices. I don't even find myself wanting any kind of meat.
My baby steps so far are:
1. Going beef-free
2. Deciding and believing in my reasons for going vegetarian
3. Giving up all pork products
4. Limiting my other meat choices and choosing dairy or plant based proteins when possible
5. Learning new recipes, cooking styles and how to shop differently
It was really hard, especially early on after everyone else stopped worrying about the beef. It opened our eyes to just how beef-loving this country is. People have accused us of being 'vegetarians' for giving up that one source of meat. People have been irritated with our choice because it's terribly inconvenient for them. We have had to ask countless times what is in a food when we are not eating at home because sometimes it's too hard to tell by looking alone. We've filled up on appetizers and desserts more times than I could count.
The meat industry really has a hold in our country and they are a powerful force. They support politicians financially which allows them many freedoms. They also use their funds on advertising, which you may not really notice until you start looking for it. There are all kinds of ads from the meat industry. They really don't want Americans believing anything other than that we are so desperately in need of animal meats to survive.
They've done quite a good job at this. We Americans are afraid of not getting enough protein in our diets and we think that the only way to accomplish this is by eating meat. But if you take an honest look around you have to admit that most Americans really are not deficient in protein. We get plenty of fat in our diet! We are one of the most overweight countries around!
Did you know that there are ample supplies of protein from plant based sources? The reason that so many vegetarians and vegans are so thin is not that they are starving from a lack of meat but because they are eating protein sources that the body can easily use, and has no need to store up the excess.
Have you ever stopped to think about the animal kingdom and the differences between the carnivores and the herbivores? The herbivores are the peaceful animals who have flat teeth for chewing plant life. The carnivores are the aggressive animals which have sharp claws and very sharp teeth. They also run faster than your car going down the highway and after eating the meat they sleep for a few days, because that's what it takes to digest all of that meat. The herbivores have daily routines of sleeping just at night and being awake all day.
I'm not sure about you, but I know that I don't have sharp claws and teeth (most of mine are very flat) and I don't run 50+ miles an hour and there's no way that I could get away with sleeping for a few days! It does seem that my lifestyle is geared more towards that of the herbivores.
Remembering that makes it easier to make vegetarian choices. Another thing that makes it easier for me to choose plant based foods over meats is just to think about the lives of the poor animals that make it onto my plate. I won't go into the gory details of the hidden tortures that take place daily - feel free to google it or to read The Kind Diet or watch Food Inc.
Since I am working towards vegetarianism I am not completely meatless yet. I'm working on finishing the meaty foods in our freezer and not replacing them. I am also looking at new vegetarian recipes to start adding to our meals to replace the meaty meals.
Truth be told this has not been as hard as I would have thought. I made the decision for good reasons: my family's health, choosing to no longer support the abusive meat industry, helping the planet, etc. Because I strongly believe in these decisions it has made it much easier to make meat free choices. I don't even find myself wanting any kind of meat.
My baby steps so far are:
1. Going beef-free
2. Deciding and believing in my reasons for going vegetarian
3. Giving up all pork products
4. Limiting my other meat choices and choosing dairy or plant based proteins when possible
5. Learning new recipes, cooking styles and how to shop differently
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