I love vegetarian and vegan fare. Fresh Macadamia Mac and Cheese makes my heart feel fuzzy inside, but sometimes I really want fish. I have been a strict vegetarian before, but found that for my lifestyle it was really impractical. A huge part of this is because I’ve never lived alone, or maybe more importantly, I’ve never not lived with omnivores. My family growing up ate more meat than cavemen, my roommates had a smoker in the backyard, and my live in boyfriend has au jus for blood, maybe if I had been in an environment with other vegetarians my experience would be different, but it isn’t.
Another reason that I’m a part time vegetarian is because I don’t believe in food denial, there are things that I choose not to eat, but I don’t like to put limits on my diet after spending a really long, unhealthy part of my life doing just that. But I do try to make sure that my meat is special, going to farmers themselves for my meat or making sure that is has been raised and butchered ethically. Does it make me sad to eat meat? Sad isn’t the right word, reverent is probably a better way of putting it, but I try to be reverent of everything that I eat, it is a cornerstone of my mindfulness, I appreciate and give thanks to all of the food that I eat, I am thankful to the rice that I eat for growing so healthy that I can give my mind energy, I am thankful to avocados for being so perfect so that I can have flavour and protect my body, and just the same way, I am thankful to chickens or fish for giving themselves to help me make muscles and new cells.
I think of food as fuel and not just food so I like to try to get a diverse array of all food types including protein, and meat is a really protein dense substance which for someone who oftentimes just isn’t hungry, it’s a life saver. I make sure that my protein comes from a vast array of foods, in a given day, I may have quinoa and a protein shake in almond milk for breakfast, black beans with lunch, and a portion of a chicken breast with dinner. Being a part time vegetarian allows me to experience more foods and most importantly it’s what works best for me.
I also feel good about being a part time veg because it supports sustainability and helps support ethical, local farmers, who doesn’t love supporting small businesses?
I also feel good about being a part time veg because it supports sustainability and helps support ethical, local farmers, who doesn’t love supporting small businesses?