Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Flexitarian? Wha' happen?

So I have been on a journey for the last year, trying to figure out my diet. I am trying to be intentional about what I put in my body, why I eat the way I do, and what effect does it all have any way? I really can't explain this sudden minute interest in something that, up until recently, has rarely been a concern, except that I do have some free time at work, and free time leads to thinkging, and thinking leads to all kinds of Trouble, with a capital T.

So about nine months ago I cut dairy out of my diet. Not completely, but mostly. I do make exceptions every now and again, but for the most part I live a milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, sour cream, and butter free life. This was a really hard adjustment to make, and I have had to resort to the vegan friendly item on most menus, because the vegetarian item is a cheesy dish. This decision was purely for health reasons, and I am happy to report that since the dairy boycott I don't use nearly as many medications as I used to. Hooray!!!

Having conquered the dairy dilemma, I felt I needed a bigger challenge. So now no meat, and when that gets boring I will try to live solely on AIR!!!! Just kidding. But I did make a conscious decision to try to eat less meat. Why?!?!? Well the answer could potentially be discussed for several hours as I map out for you the spiritual, social, and physical reasonings behind the decision, but to sum it all up for you, I feel bad about how animals are treated when farmed in mass production. So I want to avoid these meats, which pretty much means I will eat free range meats, sooooo I won't be eating meats a whole lot. To quote a friend who was mocking me, I will only eat animals that were "happy" before they were slaughtered. Isn't that just ironic of me. But there it is. This makes me a flexitarian.

Go ahead, make fun of me, mock me, stare at me incredulously. It's nothing my closest friends and family haven't done already. And while you are at it, go ahead and tell me your story of how you tried to live a vegetarian lifestyle only to fail miserably. Those stories are meant to encourage me, right??? I am in a place right now, where I feel convicted, and I feel that, thankfully, I can do something about it, or at least I can try. So I'm gonna.

Last night was the first night where I intentionally made a meatless dinner. We made rice and bean burritos, with grilled onions, peppers and sauteed mushrooms. We topped them with fresh vine tomatoes and avocado, all atop a flour tortilla. YUM!! Jonathan liked it so much, he said I should open a restaurant. I think I better try a few more dishes before I go that far, you know put the horse before the cart and all. But I am definitally encouraged. This will be hard, but not impossible.


But come on, don't you wanna bite? I call it Burrrito ala Guatemalan.

3 comments:

Megan said...

Oh now stop it. You're making me hungry. And its not even close to lunch time....

Kenfield said...

Okay, so yes, for the record, I was mocking you but only because I love you. I mock my own mother too about the fact that she's now afraid to use her microwave or cook anything in a teflon-coated pan. In fact, I'll probably even be mocking myself the day I start filtering my shower water and stop consuming anything that has touched plastic that contains BPAs. It's a paranoid world we live in but probably for good reason so, more power to you- and hey, maybe "happy" cows actually taste better- supposedly they make better cheese but I still prefer cheese from Oregon- yes, I'm a traitor to my own state. Anyway, your veggie meal looks beeeeaauuutifulll. I admire your ability to make something work if you put your mind to it. You just might make me eat my words someday but for now, I'll be eating a cheeseburger from McDonalds- which even I think is gross but it's so cheap and full of addictive fast food chemicals!
Mockingly, sarcastically, and lovingly yours,
Katie ;)

Emily said...

Ah Sus. :) Is Jonathan okay with no meat living life? he had a hard time with the no-dairy. (as I recall, he likes his cheese) However I do commend you in your vegan attempt. Love you!