I remember a year ago or so my husband and I would laugh at how we could never become vegetarians. "We would be protein deficient!" we would say. But little did we know that a plant based diet can offer much more protein, and in a healthier matter.
If you haven't already, I highly encourage you to watch "Food Inc". and "Food Matters", two extremely informative documentaries on our "FDA" approved meat in this country and the benefits of adding plants to your diet as your main source of food. (both are on Netflix.)
http://www.takepart.com/foodinc
http://www.foodmatters.tv/
It's not saying "you have to be a vegetarian" and it's not one of those graphic Peta videos where you never want to eat again, it's informative and will get you thinking. It will help you to realize why you should buy organic when you can, why you want grass fed beef and hormone free/ free range eggs & chicken. It's full of the important things that this country won't tell you. And that is the scariest part, we as Americans have no idea what is going into our food anymore. Sad, but true.
I made the decision to eat less meat (and eventually cut it out) because of Food Matters. It's an excellent documentary that talks about super foods, what vegetables are great for you, how to cook them to retain the most nutrients, and how we can reverse and even eliminate a lot of common disease in this country if we switch to a plant based diet and exclude meat. But let's get real, we as American's want a quick fix, a cure all pill, that will let us eat how we please and still keep going with heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and more. And that's how the world has us programmed to think, we can do what we want and take a pill to make us keep living. What kind of a mind frame is that? Think about if we all ate better, didn't have preventable disease, and were healthy Americans. You know who would lose? Pharmaceutical companies. And quite frankly, I'm ok with that.
I highly encourage these documentaries, as they will open your eyes on what we are eating and what we should be eating. I personally am keeping fish and seafood in my diet, and will be buying from trusted sources. Be careful about being a vegetarian, as you can still eat tons of cheese, butter, and dairy.. and that is enough to make you gain weight on a veg. diet.
Here's a great article about truth's on eating a vegetarian diet: http://www.udlnewhaven.com/?p=626
I believe everyone's diet is their preference, and I will never judge someone for eating meat. So I hope that I don't face criticism for not eating meat. I've already faced it a bit, but most people in my life have been really supportive (including my husband.. who before watching "Food Matters" wasn't entirely on board."
I'll end this post with the idea of labeling how we eat. I'm not entirely sure why it matters. Like I said, diets are an individual preference. I prefer to include seafood but take out all other meat. One day I plan to go Vegan. But there are so many kinds of "vegetarian" diets out there, that you don't have to succumb to one way of eating. Do what is healthy and best for you personally, and stick by what you choose. (Did you know there are "fruitarians" out there? Me neither until recently!)
Cutting out meat is hard at first. At least for me it was. But I'm learning and experimenting and now I view it as a lot of fun and a challenge. I plan to make all kinds of meals (and already have) that are delicious and meat free. I couldn't have made this decision at a better time, with the spawn of Pinterest to help me find recipes.
These black bean burgers were easy & yum!
I hope all of you out there will sit down and watch a documentary or two on nutrition and food in this country. At least know what happens to your food before you eat it.. (I think we have all seen the pink slime video..). Be in the know. Make smart decisions. You only get one body and one life, so choose wisely what you put into it.
Mad love,
Ash
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