Why I Am A Plant Eater

The other day Noah and I were playing restaurant. He was the waiter and I was the customer. He came for my order and I said the first thing that popped into my head.

Me: "I'll have a hot dog please sir!"

Noah: (breaking character, and rolling his eyes) "Mama! You can't order a hot dog. You are a plant eater!!"

So, even though I have tried not to make too big a deal about it, my son has picked up on an important fact. I have gone vegetarian. Or, in terms that a dinosaur loving five year old can understand, I am a plant eater.

I have hesitated to write a blog post about this fun new fact for several reasons. First of all, I really don't care much for labels. They tend to polarize. (Don't even get me started on the fact that at this point in my life I am neither Republican nor Democrat!) Also, I have not wanted to write some Veggie Manifesto that is going to make everyone think I will snub them for eternity because their favorite pastime includes kicking back with a plate of barbecue. So, here is a list of things that my being vegetarian does NOT mean.

~ I do not judge you if you eat meat. Seriously. Wes and the boys still eat meat on a very regular basis. (There is no way that I would attempt to get Noah to go veggie as he is already picky enough - I could not imagine taking that whole food group away from him.) However, we eat many dinners that are completely vegetarian and I am so thankful to my husband for being willing to try new things and for telling me how good my new recipes are.

~ I have not dreaded my hair and joined a radical group of animal rights's activists. (Not that there is anything wrong with those things.... I just haven't done that.) I think that there are always some cliches surrounding labels, and all I mean to say is that I am still me. I like animals okay, but I don't think they are man's equal or anything. And let's face it, I love shoes and purses way too much to ever shun leather or anything like that. ("Let's not get craaazzy here!")

~ I am not wasting away to nothing, and lacking in protein and iron or any other nutrient you would like to throw out at me. I have done a lot of reading and I make sure to include a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and, for now, cheese and a little dairy in my diet. I would also like to be clear that I do NOT eat this way to "lose weight" or "stay skinny". It's not about that at all.

Basically, I just feel better eating this way. I have never really craved meat anyway. (In fact I was a "vegetarian" for a while in high school but I am pretty sure I did it mainly as a convenient way to piss of my grandmother when she tried to serve me her overcooked salmon.) I feel like my body works very well when fueled by a plant based diet.

Now, if you want to hear the other reasons I went "veg", then read on. If not, skip to the end as I don't want to ruin your next meal for you!

I have read a ton of books since the beginning of the year. The ones that were kind of pivotal in my decision were: Diet For a New America by John Robbins and The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. Also, the documentaries Food Inc., Food Matters, and Knives Over Forks made a huge impact on me. After absorbing all the information from these sources, two things became clear. First, the health benefits of a plant based diet are extremely worth it. (And the health problems that arise from too much meat in the standard American diet are obvious - heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and yes even cancer.) The good news here is that even if you include meat in your diet, everyone can benefit from the extra vitamins and minerals that come from adding more veggies to your diet. The second thing that really affected my decision was that I decided that I am not okay with the environmental, political, and health impacts of the factory farming system. I will tell you here that I am not saying that eating meat is morally wrong. God created the earth and all that is on it for man to use and subdue, but I will say that when I buy meat for the "carnivores" in my family I try my best to buy locally grown, grass-fed, non-antibiotic filled meat so as to hopefully avoid animals that have made their way through the horrible system of factory farming. I won't go into too many details (you can read those books for yourself if you want details!) but I think the American public as a whole could stand to be more educated about what we are buying in our supermarkets and where it is coming from. There are many corporations and industries that benefit greatly from our general ignorance about how are food gets to our table.

There's a lot more I could say but I will stop here. The bottom line is this. I made a choice for me - that's all. I have my reasons and if you are tucking into a juicy burger as you read this,  then you have your reasons. And that's fine! You have to do what works for you and I will do what works for me.

And when we play dinosaurs with Noah, just know that the joke is on me. Because I will never get to be the ferocious T-Rex. He knows I am a "plant eater" so I will be forever resigned to my role as brontosaurus.