My First Vegetarian Victory

I had my first big test last night on my resolve to be vegetarian.  My wife and I went to a block party in Brooklyn.  There were chicken and sausages.  But there was plenty of vegetarian fare too.  My wife has been a vegetarian for over twenty years so the people hosting the party knew to make sure there was plenty of meat free fare to enjoy.  Most of the family didn’t know I’d just become a veggie so they must have been surprised!  So when I went to get my food I looked at the meat and wasn’t even tempted.  In fact I was a little revolted at the idea of eating it.  There was plenty of pasta, eggplant, broccoli etc.  I only needed a plateful.  It seems when you don’t eat meat you get satisfied more easily.  I’m also enjoying not having to put up with that uncomfortable bloated feeling that often comes with eating meat.  Especially red meat. 

I feel more secure and confident in my new vegetarian lifestyle.  Confident that I can maintain this.  Confident that I will never eat meat again.  It’s now over a week since I decided to give up meat.  I don’t miss it at all.  I haven’t had any craving at all for any of the meat I used to consume.  I don’t even miss bacon and I thought I’d miss that most of all.

I’ve also given up dairy milk.  I discovered coconut milk.  It actually tastes better than dairy milk.  I’m looking forward to my first trip to Trader Joe’s as a vegetarian.  I’m going to try vegan cheese and butter.  I’m not sure I’m going to go 100% vegan but I’ll go as close as I can. 

I feel better now I’m not eating meat.  I feel better emotionally.  My conscience is clear knowing no animals have to die for me to eat.  I’ve always been an animal lover.  I no longer felt I could say that and yet continue to eat animal flesh.  I also feel better physically.  I have more energy.  People often think you need to eat meat to get enough protein.  But, in fact, animal protein is actually the worst protein you can have.  Plants have protein.  Nuts and beans have protein.  I also eat a greater variety of food since I gave up meat.  I’m looking forward to experimenting with new dishes.  I’ll be sharing more blogs on my new healthier lifestyle.

Making A Change For The Better

So it’s day three since I decided to become a vegetarian.  This might be the longest I’ve ever gone without meat.  Even when I was sick I would often have chicken soup. 
 
We went out to eat last night, my first restaurant meal since I cut out meat.  I tried eggplant rollatini for the first time and I loved it!  If I’m going to eat like this all the time as a veggie, I won’t even miss meat! 
 
My wife’s favourite food is eggplant parmagiana.  She has been a vegetarian for over 20 years.  I guess we can share when we eat out or taste each other’s meals! 
 
I’ve been reading up on the benefits of various vegetable dishes.  I’m a diabetic and I’ve been reading about how coconut, oats and soy all help regulate blood sugar levels.  So that’s another big reason to stay the course.  I’ve never read about any piece of meat having that sort of benefit.
 
So far I’ve had no cravings for any meat (although I know it’s only been three days and the real test is to come when I’m eating food with other people who are eating meat).  If I do feel any craving then I’ll just remind myself why I made the choice to become vegetarian.  I don’t see any major problem, though.  I simply don’t like the idea of eating meat anymore.  I’ve always been an animal lover and I just can’t live with the idea of an animal having to die so I can eat.  The simple truth is we don’t need to eat meat.  It’s not essential to our diet.  With the choices available to us today we can get all the nutrients we need from eating a vegetarian diet.  Most people eat meat simply because they’re conditioned to, because everyone else does and because it tastes good.  Those reasons are no longer enough to justify to myself any reason to continue eating a creature that had to be killed so I could eat it.
 
 My change came when I was eating a burger several days ago and the thought came into my mind that I’m eating a dead cow.  Suddenly that burger didn’t taste so good anymore.