Verdict on Month 2

“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.” --Paul McCartney

A few thoughts on my meatless month.

Will I stick with it?

While my moral inclination is still to just say no to meat, I most likely will not be able to keep up with the vegetarian thing 100%. My main reason for this is that I do not feel like I’m getting enough protein. There have been several days where I didn’t feel full, no matter how much I consumed. My plan is to be about 80% vegetarian and eat meat only rarely. And by this I mean infrequently, not undercooked.

Also, my plan is to only buy free range and/or organic meat products. Yes, this will be more expensive. But since I’m not eating meat as often, it will work out splendidly.

My last reason for not sticking with the vegetarian lifestyle is that I have lost about 10 pounds and counting. This has required me to basically buy a new wardrobe, because my pants no longer remained on my body on their own. This became problematic in the workplace. While it is nice to lose weight, I feel like that was an unhealthy amount to lose so quickly… and several close friends and family have voiced concerns about my “lankiness.” Yes, that was the word one of them used.

Am I glad I tried this?

Absolutely! It was strangely cleansing. This month opened my eyes to a lot of things and forced me to try an excessive amount of foods that I was previously scared of. I have a new respect for vegetarians and vegans. It is really difficult to defend yourself among meat-lovers. I’ll provide you with the following real-life example:

Dude: What the heck are you eating?

Me: Sesame Tofu and Broccoli.

Dude: Tofu?

Me: Yeah, I’m trying to be a vegetarian for a month.

*Insert cricket noises here*

Dude: But… why?

Me: (Abridged version) I don’t want to kill animals, meat is bad for digestion and meat corporations are cruel and remind me of Sid from Toy Story.

Dude: But meat tastes really good.

I just can’t argue with that kind of intellectual rebuttal.

Would I recommend trying it?

Yes. I think it would give people a chance to try new things that they wouldn’t try otherwise. It also might force restaurants to provide more vegetarian options (hmm… should I have salad #1 or salad #2 and ask them to take off the chicken?). The main reason you should try it is because it makes you realize just how much you eat meat. It’s kind of ridiculous.

Top 5 things I learned from this month:

1.      Tofu is not, in fact, scary. And while the texture is unlike anything I have ever experienced, it is not as revolting as people make it seem.

2.      Spaghetti squash is the best kept secret in the vegetable world. Words can’t describe the ways in which I love and adore this large, yellow entity.

3.      Beans have a perfectly acceptable texture when mixed with other items, such as in chili or soup. But on their own, I still despise them immensely.

4.      I suppose it’s not shocking that meat companies are huge monopolies that treat their livestock and farmers like… pieces of meat. But it still outrages me.

5.      You cannot be overweight if you are a true vegetarian. I mean… honestly, just think about what you cook meat in… butter, grease, fat, unhealthy condiments? This should also not be surprising.

I declare this month a success… mainly because I survived and I learned A LOT.