Today is my 3 month mark since I started eating vegetarian. It has FLOWN by. I remember when I first started tossing the idea around over the summer and I was too afraid to take the leap. After reading The China Study it was just the push I needed to give it a try. I've now made it three months and haven't had even a bite of meat and honestly, I'm SO HAPPY!
Eating vegetarian has done so many things for me. It has helped clear up most of my IBS symptoms (sorry if that's tmi but it's true! and I'm 100% sure they'd clear up completely if I gave up dairy), it helped clear up my skin, has given me more energy, and has pushed me to try new things!
I remember when I first got married, my husband randomly purchased clearance black bean burgers and I thought he was a freak. Back then, the idea of being vegetarian hadn't even really crossed my mind. Ever.
The decision slowly crept in over time, an old co-worker of mine was vegetarian. She didn't ever make a big deal about it, but I remember when we all ordered lunch from Zupas and they forgot to leave the meat off her salad and that was when I learned she was vegetarian. I kinda looked up to her. I didn't know at the time, but about 6 months after, I was gonna become a vegetarian myself!
There are a few things that led me to research animal products and a few things that gave me the final push. So I figured I'd share a few of those things.
+ I had been reading and studying The Word of Wisdom. It is a law of health provided by the Lord to help us improve and care for our physical bodies and our spirits. One of the things it says is that meat is to be eaten sparingly. In the average American diet we eat SO MUCH MEAT. Some people can't even imagine "Meatless Monday" or "Vegetarian before dinner", because meat is such a staple in their life. This weighed on my heart and mind for quite awhile and I noticed every bite of meat that went into my mouth and knew it was not eaten sparingly.
+ I watched "Vegucated" which was my first exposure to the effects animal products have on our bodies. My mind was blown! I learned so much about cholesterol and blood pressure and how animal products affected us. This was a big push towards vegetarian. It also had a few factory farm scenes and... BLAH.
+ I watched Cowspiracy which follows a little more of the environmental side of animal farming.
+ I read "The China Study" which shows the science behind nutrition, where and why we get so much incorrect nutrition info (Every few pages I yelled, "IT'S ALL A CONSPIRACY MAN!" It took me awhile to get through this book because it's a lot of info.
+ Following vegan bloggers like Annie helped me see other people who were having great results eating vegetarian/vegan and it made me want to get my own results.
One day I randomly woke up and said, "This is the day, I'm gonna do it!" And on October 9th, I did. I started eating vegetarian and haven't had a bite of meat since. I honestly don't miss it! The only time I do is if I let myself get too hungry and I want to swing through a fast-food place for a burger or chicken nuggets. I've tried so many yummy foods that I would never have tried (quinoa burgers! YUM!) before going vegetarian, I've started cooking more. I've been meal-planning. I've tried meatless meats and love almost every single one I've tried! I've been enjoying every step of the way.
Each day feels like a victory. Saving animals and my IBS one day at a time. ;)
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