I am a vegetarian but you won't get a lecture from me. I am not going to give you the stats on why being a vegetarian is one of the best things you can do for the environment and no I am not going to tell you about all the horrible and inhumane things done to innocent animals at the slaughterhouse and no I am not going to try to convince you that eating fruits and vegetables and very little meat will reduce your risk of many cancers. I am going to tell you a little about why I am a vegetarian and what I get out of it. I will say that I am a pretty laid back person about most things but the one thing that I absolutely will not compromise on is eating or wearing any animals.I don't judge those that do eat meat (although most of my friends and in-laws think I am the one who is nuts) , otherwise I would not be married, and have no friends since most everyone I know here in Kansas eats meat with relish. It is a personal choice and one that gives me a profound amount of peace. So, here I go...
Okay, I am a vegetarian and I have been a vegetarian for about 12 years now. I am the type of vegetarian who eats nothing with a face or heartbeat (I am not perfect because I am still working on the dairy-although I only eat organic dairy products). I won't wear leather or fur (obviously) either. Now, I did not start out being a vegetarian for health reasons, but because I love animals and I don't want to be part of what I consider to be a horrific cycle of abuse, and neglect in their demise. Keep in mind that this is just me but my husband and majority of friends do eat meat and well I consider that to be their business. The fastest way to turn someone off to something you believe in is to lecture them. Maybe if I lead by example they will follow-who knows. Now that I am on the road to being a health nut though I would not eat meat because of all the antibiotics, pesticides and who knows what else those poor animals have to have pumped into them that then goes into whomever is eating them (I was actually trying to cure a wild fox of mange and was told to inject food with a cattle and swine product to kill the mange mites. I wanted to make sure that if a cat or bird or raccoon or whatever ate what I injected they would not be hurt from it and my vet told me that no, they would not because although this was a mite killer most humans even had it in their bodies since it was injected into the swine and cattle to kill mites on them and people got it from eating the meat of those animals injected-That is gross to me-I'm just saying you might want to think about what you are eating b/c do you really know everything that animal is being injected with?).
The ironic part for me being a vegetarian is that it is a general assumption by most that I must be a very healthy person because I am a vegetarian. However, I am the chocolate and Diet Pepsi loving, type of vegetarian that I am now trying to overcome which is the very reason I started this health nut wannabe blog (I am very proud that I rarely drink diet sodas now-the chocolate is another matter altogether). Since starting Health Nut Wannabe Mom I am more of a devoted fruit and veggies vegetarian but still I have to watch it or I would eat chocolate morning noon and night. Really I think that for me being a vegetarian is probably the best thing that I could have done for my mind and body. Knowing I am not contributing to another creature's anguish is really what does it for me.
Now, lots of people will argue and argue about blah, blah, blah and animals are here to eat, blah, blah, blah. I am not here to argue and if that is what you believe then well alright for you. This is just what works for me (both my children are vegetarians at this point and very healthy too).
If you are going to eat meat though, I will say this-eat the grass fed organic beef and cage free organic chicken.
If you would like to try a great vegetarian product I recommend the Quorn Turkey roast (you can find it at Whole Foods). I love it and it is of course not really Turkey! If you are interested in delicious meat substitutes just let me know and I can provide a list for you. To your health in both mind and body!
Heidi
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