By Morgan Blythe
“Why don’t you eat meat?” “Mmmm, we’ll see how long this lasts.” “Don’t you miss it?”
These, my friends, are some of the most common questions and comments that I have heard in the past 6 months of eating meat-free. I’m going to tell you why I made the personal choice of a transitioning into a meat-free diet.
First, almost a year ago, I cut out red meat from my diet. Yes, no more bacon, BBQ nachos or steaks. It was more difficult because I wasn’t accustomed to having any dietary restrictions, and I loved all of the aforementioned deliciousness. Regardless of how yummy, I was motivated to cut out red meat in order to better my health and better my daily living. In the end, I did feel better. Before I felt less sluggish and heavy. After a few months of going red meat free, I began to eat less and less meat, until I decided to go totally meat-free.
Meat became unappetizing to me as I began to delve into the vegetarian and vegan communities. I found others who were aspiring for the same lifestyle with so much knowledge and so much passion. I found myself unable to detach emotionally from the process of eating a living creature with a mother and father. Some living creatures are treated poorly for the gain and profit of those in the industry and for the enjoyment of greedy consumers. I was amazed that I had never thought where my meat came from and the implications of eating it. The livestock industry accounts for a crazy amount of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. The carbon footprint is huge, and the livestock industry is only growing. By reducing my meat consumption, I was doing something. However, small it seemed – to better the environment. The earth that I believe God has created for us and has given us responsibility of. Why treat it as if it is not creation as well? This world is beautiful. And I believe with conviction that it should be treated as such.
So if you chat with me and we somehow end up talking about my eating habits – I am so down to chat with you about why and how and how it is. But I wanted to give you a rather brief overview for why I decided this lifestyle.
I feel better. My body is lighter. I feel as if health is a consistent and constant choice. It has been a good season for me, and I am excited to continue on my meat-free journey. However, if you do decide to go meat-free, ensure that all of your dietary needs are being met. Your health and well being comes first!