Going vegetarian.

I am trying to become a vegetarian. That is not quite true. My wife is not on board, and since she makes many of the meals, I cannot go completely veg. Besides, we often eat at other peoples houses (her parents, mostly) that are carnivores. It would be rude to show up for dinner and say "oh, I don't eat meat any more, I'll just eat the salad, thanks."

Some say "but you need the protein!" They are correct, but we do not need the 16 oz beef patties or what not that we so often eat. Our ancestors ate very little meat, mostly as a special occasion. Meat was a supplement for most of our history, only becoming a huge portion of our diet after settling in cities. Yes, we have been in cities for a long time, but we were nomadic for much longer. Many cultures still think that meat should be limited. Most doctors would agree. According to the food pyramid someone of my age, height, weight, gender, and activity should eat about 7 ounces of meat and beans per day. This includes nuts, seeds, beans, peas and meat. So if I go out and eat a hamburger, there goes my entire meat for the day (I get the half pounders). I can get the protein from those other sources anyway.

I actually prefer nuts and beans anyway. I eat meat mostly because that is what I'm supposed to do. But I like to snack on nutty and seedy things like trail mix. I love a good salad and often put beans on them. I love burritos with beans. Black beans, pintos, red beans and rice, bean soup... yummy!

Many Native American tribes, including my tribe, the Muscogee (I'm not a member as I'm only 1/32nd, but I still consider it my tribe) refer to the three sisters. Corn, beans and squash not only grow well as companion plants, but they provide a well rounded protein, each providing a protein that complements the others. These sisters can be a staple of a very good diet.

Besides the health benefits of eating less meat, as of this writing, the USDA has 13 recalls, all related to meat products. This points to some of the many failures in our farming techniques. For instance, 40% of the pharmaceuticals manufactured goes to veterinary uses, mainly for the meat we eat. So we end up consuming the drugs these poor beasts have been pumped full of. I've also seen the horrid pictures of how they are treated. I do not think that the recalls, drugs, and poor treatment are a valid reason for avoiding meat, but they are a reason for avoiding most meats. Buying organic, humanely treated meat is alright, but that meat is often very expensive. Meat in general is expensive.

As I said, I don't feel that I can remove meat from my diet completely. My wife will continue to make foods with meat. So will my family. I will not turn it down. However, if I am preparing it, or purchasing it, I will choose the meatless variety. I started this new eating habit today. For breakfast I had more normal yogurt (not going vegan) and a bowl of cereal. For lunch, a veggie sandwich. For dinner, home made mac and cheese. I think I'd like a little more veg with the mac and cheese, so when I packed up some leftovers for lunch, I poured in some corn and broccoli.

I have also read that vegetarians live longer, need less sleep, and are generally healthier, with less chance of cancer. I'll try it for a couple months and see how it goes. Oh, and when I'm offered meat, I'll take a smaller helping (none if I can politely do so), and more veggies. I'll let you know how I feel as the time goes on.