today is national 'vegetarian day'.
i think it's great that plant-based diets are finally getting enough recognition to have their own 'day' of the year, and with November 1st being national 'vegan day', that's two days for us 'wierdos' :)
being a vegan myself, i love to think about the possibility that events like this can encourage people, without taking a 'preachy' perspective.
i thought i'd share my own story on my travels to a veggie lifestyle...
it all started out back in 2004, when i took part in a grillout with some friends that were vegetarian. they had mean options, but i decided to eat what they did - which consisted of a veggie hot dog and grilled veggies. not only was my meal delicious, but i didn't feel as though i was missing something. from that point on, i began to think on how i never particularly enjoyed eating meat.
my german/mongolian upbringing basically taught that a meal wasn't a meal without a serving of meat, and i realized that i was really just going through the motions because it was there.
eating meat for me meant i would basically masque it in copious amounts of sauce/other food in order to find any kind of enjoyment.
this is all, of course, aside from the fact that i've always been super compassionate towards all living creatures. any time a program would outline slaughtered animals - or i'd even have to look at raw, bloody meat - i'd become very horrified and sad.
it was all a matter of me opening my eyes over a period of time, and putting into this what i wanted out of it.
red meat and pork were instantly out of the picture, then chicken, then fish.
i was vegetarian for a few years, with positively NO plans to veganize.
let's be honest... this girl had a love afair with cheese.
i used to swear up and down that i'd never give the stuff up, in fact.
it came to be, however, on september 13th of 2008, that this same girl started reading a book called skinny bitch.
skeptical at first, just under halfway through the book i found myself hugging my puppy and sobbing.
it was pretty much that easy. having a bond with my puppy the way i did was the last piece of the puzzle for me to go all the way.
since that day, i've been healthier and happier than ever!
i got to go off my blood pressure meds, my kidney function is as it should be [i have polycystic kidney disease], and i don't seem to really get sick anymore. my immune system loves me! **knock on wood!**
my hair shines [well... not now that i bleached it out...], my skin glows [but its still got some challenges].... well ok. i'm still not winning any beauty contests, but i feel pretty :)
and with that, it's time to end my story. [work is over in 4 minutes... whoops! working on the clock.]
have a lovely day, my beauties!
xo
L
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