The Vegetable-tarian Lifestyle

My baby sister calls me a vegetable-tarian. I think it apt.

People are often curious about vegetarians. Either they a) can't imagine living without meat or they b) think I'm doing it because it's the 'cool' thing to do.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

*ahem*

My reasons for being vegetarian began much like my reasons for choosing clarinet over flute. Someone told me I couldn't do it.
(Are you taking notes? If you tell me I can't do something nothing would make me happier than rubbing my success in your face. In a loving way, of course.)

My friend Estherre decided that she would like to try out the vegetarian lifestyle and I absorbed her fervor and doctrine by osmosis. We set the first of July 2007 as our start date. I basically pigged out on bacon the week before and made myself sick so I wasn't even tempted for the first month. In the beginning I really had no idea what to eat. I kind of walked around my kitchen languidly and looked at all the stuff I couldn't have.
Luckily I had Estherre to help me out, and since she was WAY more gung ho about the whole thing, she helped me figure out some good meal options. At first I kind of lived on meat substitutes but I got braver and tried tofu, stir fry, pasta in a multitude of ways and vegetable based soups. I started getting excited about making the vegetarian lifestyle work for me and now I am totally immersed. I don't have any desire for meat anymore, and instead of seeing what I can't eat, I look at all the things I can have.

The most common question I get asked are the following:
What about protein? Do you get enough?
A year and a half later my grandma still asks me this question. :-)
To that I say, "What about it?" I eat boiled eggs, peanut butter, cheese, tofu, beans and even fish occasionally. I probably get more healthful protein than you.

I do not, at this point in my life, need to take any supplements to make up for anything lacking in my diet.

So why are you vegetarian?
Yay! I like being asked this especially if the listener is genuinely interested. There are two major reasons and they ARE in order of importance.
1. Health. Because of my asthma I absolutely have to maintain a good body weight. If I gain ten pounds over normal it begins to hamper my breathing. So, becoming a vegetarian forced me to really look at what I was eating. Once I caught on to how many preservatives and crap are packaged in food I realized I could be doing better. Not that meat in itself is unhealthy. Anything in excess is unhealthy (except good music), but for me, it's much easier to keep the weight off if I dropped meat products completely. Basically, I am now more aware of what I put into my body.

2. Animal Cruelty. Oh hush, you. This is my blog so I'm gonna talk now. ;-)
I believe that it's perfectly alright to eat animals. God says so, and He's the boss. I don't think that this gives us license to treat them cruelly before they are killed. Without going into a lot of detail (you can look it up if you're really intereted: I don't recommend PETA, they exaggerate) most animals we consume are housed in horrible conditions, butchered brutally instead of cleanly and quickly and are often skinned before they're completely dead. For myself, I cannot take part in an industry that allows those things to happen. I realize this is an unpopular view. :-) I'm okay with that and the last thing I'd ever want to do is force my choices on someone else.

Are you one of those tree hugging, save the whale people?
Really, really people have asked me this. And while I think trees need love and we probably should save the whales since they're part of God's creation, I don't think animals or nature are more important than people. I don't think pets are "fur-babies" and I don't think we should stop testing essential medical drugs on animals (Cosmetics and non-essentials, yes). Do I like animals more than people sometimes? Yes. Not gonna lie. But I'd save your life before I saved my dog's life.
Duh.

So, what do you eat? I mean, can you only eat vegetables?
See I feel like the word vegetarian is kind of a misnomer. All I've removed from my diet is meat. There are still a lot of options open!

On an average day this is what I eat.
Breakfast: Hot Tea with milk and honey, a bagel, a bowl of raisan bran or special K cereal. Boiled eggs rock my world.
Lunch: I love to make fruit and cheese plates. Usually sliced apple, sharp cheddar and a small bowl of pasta do it for me (I admit it, I sometimes crack and have Spaghettio's for lunch instead of being healthy). Peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese or salad is also an option.
Dinner: If I did not have pasta for lunch, I like to do pasta for dinner. Tomato and cheese lasagna is awesome. Omelettes are a GREAT dinner food. I eat a vegetable, usually cooked, but sometimes raw cauliflower, brocolli or celery sticks. Black bean soup, rye breads, veggie burgers, bean burritos. I have a list in case I'm lost.

Snacks can range from cookies to bananas depending on whether I feel like being healthy or I want to cheat. Protein or fiber bars are good if I'm going to be out and about. Despite not being vegan, I've also removed a lot of dairy from my diet. I like chocolate soy milk.

I do eat out. Not so much now that I'm broke. I usually go for pastas, a light fish (like tilapia) or soup. Mexican restaraunts rule.

What about holidays?
This is usually inevitable after the above question.
They are sometimes hard, but most of my family has finally seen that I am not going to suddenly cave and eat the turkey at Thanksgiving so there are plenty of side dishes I can choose from. Mashed potatoes, green beans and sweet potatoes are holiday staples. And pie is awesome. :-D

You eat fish? Real vegetarians don't eat fish.
Not a question, persay, but a valid point. Yes I do eat fish, a couple times a month, and it all goes back to my official reasoning for being a vegetarian. I do it for health, and since fish contains a lot of essential nutrients I don't mind eating it every once in awhile. I suppose I could go around saying, "I'm a fraud vegetarian. I eat fish" but that's kind of stupid. I don't feel the need to explain myself. Vegetarian is basically what I am.

Bottom line, my friends. I feel so much healthier being a vegetarian. I maintain a consistent weight, and I still feel like I have plenty of options as far as food choices go. Don't knock it and all that jazz!

'Quel

And if you have any other question than the ones listed above feel free to ask! I'll tone down the razor sharp wit. ;-)