Body Revolution
I became a vegetarian in 2005. I just discovered, slowly (like I discover everything) that I felt better when I didn’t eat animal flesh. I must insert here that I still ate fish. I’m not sure how I decided that fish wasn’t animal flesh but I reasoned that since I didn’t feel poorly after eating it that it must be OK.
As the years progressed I became aware of the problems associated with farmed fish like the toxic conditions farmed fish must endure. So I only ate wild-caught once or twice a week. That till I learned that our oceans are 70% fished out. Now I was in a conundrum. I didn’t want to contribute to the extinction of any creature.
One afternoon I was hanging out at the lake near my house and a young boy was fishing for tilapia by throwing out a net. Over and over, as he pulled in his net, he would grab the fish and throw them onto the grass where I watched them suffocate. One fish was tossed only a few feet from where I walked. I swear he looked right at me. I looked away. I couldn’t watch his agonizing death. At that very moment, I decided to forego eating any animal flesh whatsoever and soon after I became vegan which is infinitely more difficult than just vegetarian.
I’m continually surprised at the responses of other people. EVERYONE, and I mean everyone, has an opinion. I do not try to persuade or evangelize anyone to my way of eating. It does have its difficulties and I’m still learning but it is a choice I’m very content with.
However, depending on who I am hanging out with or where I am, my resolve kind of dissolves pretty easily. I'm what one might call a "slippery" vegan. I'm not too terribly proud of this self-described moniker.
So for the past year, I've become less and less strict as far as being a vegan, which means I haven't been vegan at all. My excuse was, for a while at least, that as I walked across America, how was I going to maintain that lifestyle with people tossing pizzas and hotdogs in my general direction. Might as well "practice" eating the normal American diet, right?
Wow, the excuses I can dream up!
But now, my body is engaged in a nearly full-blown revolution against me. Because when I eat poorly, my body revolts. My sleeping habits are twisted, EVERYTHING, and I mean everything hurts. I have to eat Advil like M&M's just to move out of the bed. My digestive system and skin and...well, you get the picture, everything is just a mess. So I'm easing back again. I feel I HAVE to eat all the stuff in the fridge and I'm going to a retreat this weekend, don't want to rock that food-laden boat. BUT, and I mean it, when I return from that retreat it's back to juicing for me. At least for a while. A detox period anyway.
And while I don't particularly love the taste of all that freshly squeezed celery, beets, apples, carrots, lemons, parsley, kale, etc. I sure do feel MAGNIFICENT. The aches and pains vanish quickly, as well as all the other complaints. And talk about energy...WOW!!!
To help get me motivated, I've been watching the many documentaries on food and food production and on all the ways Americans are killing themselves with...well you know. Since I don't have a television, I signed up for Netflix which has a plethora of such informative films and I watch one every night on my computer. I'm kinda brainwashing myself. (Is that even possible?)
So here I go...I hope you will be cheering me on as I plunge in again. Besides, how can I get out on the road and walk again if I'm in such a terrible state.
WooHoo...it's all about choices.
As the years progressed I became aware of the problems associated with farmed fish like the toxic conditions farmed fish must endure. So I only ate wild-caught once or twice a week. That till I learned that our oceans are 70% fished out. Now I was in a conundrum. I didn’t want to contribute to the extinction of any creature.
One afternoon I was hanging out at the lake near my house and a young boy was fishing for tilapia by throwing out a net. Over and over, as he pulled in his net, he would grab the fish and throw them onto the grass where I watched them suffocate. One fish was tossed only a few feet from where I walked. I swear he looked right at me. I looked away. I couldn’t watch his agonizing death. At that very moment, I decided to forego eating any animal flesh whatsoever and soon after I became vegan which is infinitely more difficult than just vegetarian.
I’m continually surprised at the responses of other people. EVERYONE, and I mean everyone, has an opinion. I do not try to persuade or evangelize anyone to my way of eating. It does have its difficulties and I’m still learning but it is a choice I’m very content with.
However, depending on who I am hanging out with or where I am, my resolve kind of dissolves pretty easily. I'm what one might call a "slippery" vegan. I'm not too terribly proud of this self-described moniker.
So for the past year, I've become less and less strict as far as being a vegan, which means I haven't been vegan at all. My excuse was, for a while at least, that as I walked across America, how was I going to maintain that lifestyle with people tossing pizzas and hotdogs in my general direction. Might as well "practice" eating the normal American diet, right?
Wow, the excuses I can dream up!
But now, my body is engaged in a nearly full-blown revolution against me. Because when I eat poorly, my body revolts. My sleeping habits are twisted, EVERYTHING, and I mean everything hurts. I have to eat Advil like M&M's just to move out of the bed. My digestive system and skin and...well, you get the picture, everything is just a mess. So I'm easing back again. I feel I HAVE to eat all the stuff in the fridge and I'm going to a retreat this weekend, don't want to rock that food-laden boat. BUT, and I mean it, when I return from that retreat it's back to juicing for me. At least for a while. A detox period anyway.
And while I don't particularly love the taste of all that freshly squeezed celery, beets, apples, carrots, lemons, parsley, kale, etc. I sure do feel MAGNIFICENT. The aches and pains vanish quickly, as well as all the other complaints. And talk about energy...WOW!!!
To help get me motivated, I've been watching the many documentaries on food and food production and on all the ways Americans are killing themselves with...well you know. Since I don't have a television, I signed up for Netflix which has a plethora of such informative films and I watch one every night on my computer. I'm kinda brainwashing myself. (Is that even possible?)
So here I go...I hope you will be cheering me on as I plunge in again. Besides, how can I get out on the road and walk again if I'm in such a terrible state.
WooHoo...it's all about choices.
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