Going Vegetarian

This is the year I stop thinking about all the things I want to do with my life.  This is the year I start doing them. 

Step One: Become a Vegetarian.

Why on earth would I want to do that? Well, because I’ve spent half my life wanting to.  Better late than never, right? There’s no time like the present. Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today?

The point is, I’m sick of floating through life. And to prove to myself how truly sick of it I am, I’m forcing myself out of my comfort zones.  One of those comfort zones is food.  A connoisseur of convenience, I’ve let the lack of variety and options at supermarkets dictate to me what I should put in my body. But I’m taking responsibility for those decisions now. I’m taking control.  And I’m going to be a vegetarian.

I think everyone who becomes a vegetarian has to do it for their own reasons.

For me, it boils down to two very simple things:

1.      My health.

2.      My earth.

I’ll expound.

I’ve realized that it’s about darn time I start paying attention to what I’m putting into my body.  I just turned 30, and I’m in all right shape,  But ten years from now, or twenty, if I keep eating the way I do, I know I won’t be able to claim that I’m still a healthy person.  Because I won’t be a healthy person.  I’ll be fat.  Maybe even obese.  Better to quit while I’m ahead.

Having done a little research, I’ve discovered a few things.  The health benefits of cutting out meat far outweigh the health benefits of continuing to eat it. Heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, do I really want to spend the rest of my life pumping my body full of things that increase my risk for all of these?  Especially when the alternative is to nearly eliminate the possibility of getting food poisoning while getting the nutrition my body needs, cutting out harmful fats, and heck, maybe even losing some weight.

Then there’s my earth.  See, I’m a treehugger.  Maybe not as extreme as some.  I reuse and recycle everything that I can.  I buy things packaged in recycled materials when they're available.  I do a bunch of little things that are supposed to help. Replaced all my light bulbs with compact florescent light bulbs.  My heater is set on a low temperature, air conditioner set on a high one, clothes washed in cold water, chargers unplugged when not in use, no lights on in rooms no one’s in, canvas shopping bags in use.  Lots of little things that add up, you know?  Now I can add not perpetuating the harmful effects livestock have on the earth and the people who live on it to my little list. 

Seeing as this is something where facts, not opinion matter, I offer you these:

A report from Cornell on how many humans could be fed with the amount of grain livestock consumes: http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/Aug97/livestock.hrs.html

World Rainforest Movement’s report on the underlying causes of deforestation: http://www.wrm.org.uy/deforestation/indirect.html

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s report on methane sources and emissions:

http://www.epa.gov/methane/sources.html

My plan of action:

I’m going semi-cold-turkey (pun intended).  I still have a few servings of chicken and fish in my freezer and refrigerator.  I’ll use them for one meal every other day until they’re gone.  When it comes to specific ingredients, I’m going easy on myself in the beginning.  Once I get the basics down, I’ll go a little more in depth – dissecting the ingredients in the not-obviously-vegan things I think I should be able to eat.  I’m not completely ditching dairy products, as I think I might go into shock from all that change. But, I am replacing it when and where I can (especially the cheese, because let’s face it, cheese might be super yummy, but it’s SO not good for you).

I’ve stocked up on beans, hummus, veggies, fruits, soy yogurt, veggie cheese, veggie burgers, veggie “chicken nuggets”, pita chips, organic granola bars, almonds, meatless meatballs, and I’m sure there’s something I’ve left out.

Today is day one. I've had a granola bar, almonds, humus, pita chips, carrots, an apple, and water. Veggie burgers and fries are on the menu for dinner. 

So far, so good.