I have not eaten meat since mid-August. For my 26th birthday, I wanted to take on a personal challenge: a vegetarian diet for 1 year. I'm a month and a half in, and I can say with great conviction that I have no plans of returning to an omnivorous lifestyle next August. Why? I feel great, I do not miss eating meat, and last night I saw a video of baby chicks being thrown live into grinders because they were not deemed "useful" by factory farm workers.
This, of course, was not the first documentary footage I have been exposed to regarding the animal industry. I've seen plenty, and I was always bothered, and I always toyed with the idea of becoming a vegetarian. So why now? I'm trying to be just as focused on doing as I am on thinking and talking. So around my birthday, I told myself, my husband, and the Facebook world that I was committing to this. No extensive research or overthinking --- I knew that it was something worth doing, so I did it. And I have no regrets.
I'll tell you a bit more about the journey thus far through answers to the following FAQ:
Why was the idea of vegetarianism appealing to you?
To be honest, I've never been the biggest meat-eater. I've always been just as happy with salad and veggies (and bread...), but I did grow up eating chicken nuggets and burgers, like most kids. Even up to the turning point in August, I was not one to turn down Chick-fil-A or a Mid-City Grill burger. But when it came to cooking for myself, meat was never really a priority. If my packed lunch did include meat, it was generally a terribly processed frozen meal that I grabbed in a hurry.
Which leads to another appealing point: I knew that dedicating myself to a vegetarian diet would force me to be more conscious about my food choices. I would have to plan. It would be harder to opt for fast food. I would eat more REAL food, which is something I've also been silently passionate about for a while.
So is it about animals at all?
Absolutely it is. I've been a lover of animals for a long time. I've never been crazy about the fact that animals are killed for us to eat, but I always joined in with the rationalizing masses, reasoning that animals were given to us for food, that we need meat to be healthy, that buying "ethically sourced" meat was ok because the animals didn't suffer. But the more I think about it, the more I disagree with my own former thoughts. I don't believe we need meat to be healthy. I believe that animals experience sadness and fear and pain, even if they are killed "humanely" (which most absolutely are not). A lot of it has to do with my ideas about life and love and murder and God and, well, all of that is another story that I'm still sorting out, but I'd love to talk about it. My bottom line is: if we can choose to live happy and healthy lives while allowing all other creatures to live happy and healthy lives, why shouldn't we?
You think animals are more important than people, you communist.
That wasn't a question, but I will address it anyway.
I don't think animals are more important than people. My top priority - as a disciple of Jesus, a wife, a friend, a therapist, generally as a human functioning in the world - should always be the well-being of my fellow human beings. I love animals and I want them to enjoy their existence, but I love people more --- and believe it or not, the choice to not eat meat is a great way to love your neighbor. Do some research on the amount of water and crops used to feed (fatten) cows and pigs and chickens so that they can be butchered for us to consume, then think about how many hungry people there are in the world --- we could feed people and give them clean water if our resources were directed away from raising animals for meat.
Besides all of that, I also believe that being kind and compassionate toward animals and the environment can only make us more kind and compassionate toward our fellow humans.
What do you even eat?!
All kinds of wonderful things! I eat grains and vegetables and fruits and nuts and seeds in SO MANY combinations. I still eat eggs, butter, and cheese, but I may try to eliminate those in the future. I don't use dairy milk, but that's mostly because I've preferred almond and cashew milk for a long time. Following a vegetarian diet does not mean subjecting yourself to salads every day --- it's so much more fun!
Does this vegetarian thing go beyond your diet?
It does indeed! I'm in the process of transitioning my personal care and home products to more natural and cruelty-free products (come back tomorrow to hear more about those!). I'm working on being more thoughtful in my purchasing in general, because I know that every dollar is a vote. I'm also trying to cultivate an overarching lifestyle in which my ultimate goal and focus is love and compassion to all beings.
So that's where I am today, and I am thankful. Thankful for so many things, but most of all I am thankful that this is a process. We are all on journeys, and I am thankful that my journeys are coinciding at this point: child of God, wife, daughter, friend, professional, and a force for well-being and compassion. Here's to growth on all of these paths.
