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In a couple weeks, Phaedra will be going vegetarian... and dragging Saew with her whether he likes it or not.

Why a couple weeks? Because I'd already done the shopping for the next few weeks before I made the decision, and we don't have the cash to replace weeks worth of food. But, as of next shopping trip... no more critters. For now, we'll still do eggs, milk, etc. But I'm wanting to ween us away from that too. No, I have no intention of going vegan, since I see no harm in honey, my cats will still be getting the same food (which has by-products), I'm not throwing out Saew's brand new leather boots, etc. So, vegan is out. But I've already started a bit... got some Silk (soy milk, in vanilla flavor) and it's not bad. Really good on honey crunch w/almond cereal.

Why am I telling you this? Because once this starts, probably for the first few weeks, Phaedra's probably gonna be cranky as she adjusts. You've been warned.


On a completely unrelated topic, it worries me just a bit that one of the ice cream trucks that drives by our house several times a day plays "La Cucaracha". confused

Are you one of the ones who voted "Poor, poor guy"? blaugh

::Long answer warning::

For me, it's several factors... some of this may end up sounding preachy, that's not how it's intended, these are just simple facts and my own feelings about them. So, anything I'm afraid may come off as preachy will be in white text. But, my reasons:

1: The health issue. I've done a LOT of research into it, and for health reasons, it's just an overall good idea. Plus, with the health problems that run in my family, it'll really be helpful. Switching to a veg diet can not only reduce the chances of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers, but can actually reverse hardening of the arteries, and stop and even reverse prostate and colon cancer. Also, it is much healthier for the immune system. If done right, the concerns about getting enough protein, iron, calcium and B12 aren't that hard to take care of.

2: The meat and aquaculture (fishing and fish farming) industries are terrible for the environment. For me, that now goes into a religious thing. A 2-acre salmon farm produces as much waste as a town of 10,000 people... and that's nothing compared to a beef, pork or poultry farm. Whole ecosystems are being destroyed by the by-products of these farms, and the nets of fishing ships. Plus, it's more economical. The amount of grains used to feed the farm animals could feed FAR more people as the meat those animals are processed into. The beef in just one Big Mac represents enough wheat to make 5 loaves of bread.

3: Animal cruelty. I look at my cat, who I adore, and realize that to some people, I'm petting dinner. I feed my pet fish, and think that his cousins are being harvested by the millions, ripped from their homes and tossed to be suffocated and crushed under the weight of other fish on the decks of ships. And I'm offended by that... and by people who abuse animals. But the atrocities done to thousands of animals a day in the meat and fishing industries are allowable by law. That's not right. A pig is smarter than a three year old child, how can that be dinner? These animals and fish feel pain, fear, joy, love... how can I support their torture and cruel slaughter? And fish aren't the only things caught in nets... seals, whales, dolphins, sea turtles and even birds are as well. Then, they're just thrown back overboard with the "unsellable" fish, injured, and left to die in pain. If even 1/4 of what's done to those animals was done to a "pet" animal (cat, dog, etc), the person who did it would be charged with animal cruelty and probably see jail time. But because it's a cow, it's ok? If most people knew what's done to meat animals, they'd be sick to their stomachs. I won't go into all of what's done to these animals here, because it's honestly just too sick. But, if anyone else is interested, I have some sites I can share.

4: And, lastly, weight concerns. If done right (not living on cheese pizza, chips, and soda), it's a lot easier to reach and maintain weight loss goals on a veg diet. If you aren't eating fatty foods, it's not going to show up on your thighs. Now, don't get me wrong, I'll never be tiny and I don't want to be. But some of us (like me), don't seem to have that "Top weight" cut off, where we just seem to stop gaining. And because of that, and what I eat, I'm bigger than I've ever been... to the point where my health is going downhill and I just can't do the things I want to do. For me, the weight issue isn't so much about looks (I don't like the skinny look, thank you), it's about quality of life. I want my old life, when I DID stuff, back. And this will be very helpful for that.

I know a guy here at work who is a lacto-ovo vegetarian, and he's just now coming down to 180, from up around 220 (process of about 20 years)

< is eating a pork chop

O_O HEYYY!!!! scream

*chases mimisi down and reclaims her food..8 that was my breakfast! domokun

I am a half vegetarian, and when I first cut out a lot of meat, I didn't get the nutrients I needed. (I didn't know what I was doing). My nutritionist advised me to keep a food journal to make sure I was getting all the right stuff because I don't like taking supplements. A food journal might be good idea just as an extra precaution when you first make the switch, and that way if you do have any problems, you will know what to fix in your diet.

Also if you keep one for a long time, it has the added bonus of entertainment. I've kept one just about everyday for a year now, and it is fun to look up what I ate 6 months ago. xd