Wait, what? VEGAN?

Well, mostly.  

Since reading Skinny Bitch, picking a few brains, and consulting the near-expert advice of my aunt (an RN and vegetarian of almost forty years), I've come to the conclusion that I at least want to give this a fair shot.  So I'm not eating beef, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, or any other meats.  I'll eat fish from time to time which, given my income, is pretty rarely anyway.  I'm avoiding eggs, cheese, and butter and substituting milk and yogurt with their alternatives.  Soy seems pretty good so far.  

If we go back to the drawing board, our bodies weren't originally created to consume such massive amounts of meat and animal products, if any.  We're herbivores without claws or massive jaws full of sharp teeth.  We weren't created to take down a cow--or an elk or deer, for that matter.  And cow's milk was meant for calves equipped with four stomachs, not our simple bodies.  Cow's milk is far to rich and complex for our bodies to handle.  It's total over-kill.

I've never been an animal rights freak.  And I'm still not one.  But the conditions these animals endure to feed us are horrific to put it mildly.  And the slaughterhouses sound like absolute hell on earth.  Considering my body isn't equipped to process what they have to offer, I don't see the point in putting any more animals through the torture.

If that's not convincing enough, look at the health comparisons of vegans and vegetarians versus those who regularly consume meat and animal products.  The catastrophic rates of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and a slough of other maladies is exponentially lower among vegans and vegetarians.  On average, they live six to ten years longer than meat-eaters. Think about it.  In ten years, your kid could get married and have a few kids.  What if you're not around to see those ten years of their lives?

This is not to be taken as self-righteous in any way.  It's just the choice I'm making right now. What you choose to do is absolutely fine.  It's your body, your food, your life.  Frankly, I'm just excited to see all the good things that should come of this! :)

I'm centering my diet on tons of whole grains, beans and legumes, vegetables, and fruit.  With a multivitamin, vitamin-D and calcium-fortified orange juice, and a calcium citrate supplement, I should get more than enough of what I need.  And don't worry about the protein.  The soy, beans, nuts, and Naked protein juice smoothies take care of that.

Tonight, dinner is a masterpiece of a salad.  Here it is, all from Trader Joe's:

• 2 broccoli florets
• 1 celery stalk
• 1/4 orange bell pepper
• 1 1/2 cups sorrento mix of baby arugula, baby spinach, and baby lettuces
• 5 sugar snap peas
• 2 baby carrots
• 1/8 cup edamame (soybeans)
• 2 teaspoons sunflower seeds
• a handful of pea sprouts 
• fat-free balsamic vinaigrette 

And let me tell you, it's delicious. :)