I'm putting down my knife.
I heard about this documentary through its Facebook fan page , and seeing the trailer reminded me of how good I felt during the fours months last year when I adopted a vegetarian diet. I learned about the benefits after reading Alicia Silverstone's book, The Kind Diet. Having been a carnivore for as along as I can remember, I laughed when she challenged me to go four weeks without eating any animal products. (I really love steak, and the bloodier the better). As it turned out, it was actually easier than I thought. I even went vegan -- I replaced the skim milk in my morning latte with almond milk, then soy. I stuck to legumes (beans and lentils, mostly), grains, nuts, tons of veggies and fruit. I felt lighter and had more energy, and the way my body was working was phenomenal, if ya know what I mean. Two weeks into it, I started adding dairy back into my diet because I missed my delicious morning coffee the way I was used to it. I had some cheese and yogurt here and there, too. But for four months, I stayed away from any kind of meat - no chicken, pork, or steak. And then one day...
I was at Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza, too hungry to wait for my veggie pizza to arrive, and I killed my streak with... A CHICKEN WING! Yes, a chicken wing. From then on, I slowly started allowing myself to eat meat. First once a week, then twice... six months later, I'm having grilled chicken, even steak, one to two times daily. Blah.
Back to the movie - I haven't seen it, so don't take this as a full on endorsement.* It just got me thinking back to a time when I felt extra good about myself, and inspired me to set a new goal: I'm going to try to leave meat out of my diet as much as possible, but not holding myself to eliminate it completely. If I find myself at a fabulous steakhouse, I'm ordering the filet. But while I'm preparing my own meals at home, or dining out where the vegetarian dishes are just as delicious, I'm sticking to grains. This morning I made a huge pot of Curried Lentils - I will pair this with brown rice, and enjoy it for days to come. FACT: pairing legumes (beans, lentils) with rice yields a complete source of protein, meaning it has all of the essential amino acids your body needs but doesn't produce, minus all of the hormones and antibiotics. It's a lot less expensive, too.
Wish me luck -- or join me, won't ya? I'll leave you with a images of a few of my vegetarian recipes - new ones coming soon!
*Note: I have since then watched the film - highly recommend!
Back to the movie - I haven't seen it, so don't take this as a full on endorsement.* It just got me thinking back to a time when I felt extra good about myself, and inspired me to set a new goal: I'm going to try to leave meat out of my diet as much as possible, but not holding myself to eliminate it completely. If I find myself at a fabulous steakhouse, I'm ordering the filet. But while I'm preparing my own meals at home, or dining out where the vegetarian dishes are just as delicious, I'm sticking to grains. This morning I made a huge pot of Curried Lentils - I will pair this with brown rice, and enjoy it for days to come. FACT: pairing legumes (beans, lentils) with rice yields a complete source of protein, meaning it has all of the essential amino acids your body needs but doesn't produce, minus all of the hormones and antibiotics. It's a lot less expensive, too.
Wish me luck -- or join me, won't ya? I'll leave you with a images of a few of my vegetarian recipes - new ones coming soon!
*Note: I have since then watched the film - highly recommend!
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