Sunday, March 30, 2014

It’s an Animal Love


I have always been an animal lover and ate meat very moderately throughout my younger life.  After watching a documentary about the hormones and the terrible conditions animals that are destined to kitchen tables live in, it wasn’t a hard to commit to a vegetarian lifestyle. 

Here is a brief preview of Food Inc., the documentary that made me make the transition.




The first couple months after committing were a little challenging because I loved grilling chicken, vegetables, and having BBQ’s.  I had to train my brain to be cognizant of saying no to meats.  It was very difficult at social events in the beginning, I felt the the pressures of my past favorite foods around me and everyone eating them.  Now my friends and family understand my lifestyle and always try to have vegetarian options available. 

I also had to learn a new way to cook.  Meals where I began to switch meat to alternatives, I often cooked two meals because I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. 

I ended up watching a few YouTube videos about vegetarian cooking and ended up learning a lot.  I continue to enjoy the Hilah Cooking Channel on YouTube….check it out!


Becoming a vegetarian was a huge milestone in my life.  I began by slowly eliminating red meats, then chicken, then finally seafood until I didn’t even think about putting meat on my plate.  It was then, when I realized becoming a vegetarian isn’t something that changes over night, it is a full body transformation. 

My commitment to my health and my love for animals helped me reach my goal.  I felt physically great and emotionally well.  After a couple of months I could officially call myself a full blown vegetarian, I couldn’t have felt better.  I wouldn’t change it for the world, I love being a vegetarian!



It wasn’t hard for me to feel compassion for animals and decide to become a vegetarian.  Once I devoted myself to the change and began learning how to suppress my cravings and find alternatives for some of my past favorite foods, it was a breeze.

I knew I wanted to become a vegetarian, not only for myself but for the love of animals. 

I want to leave you with a statistic; according to peta.org, “by switching to a vegetarian diet, you can save more than 100 animals a year from this misery.” 



Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Veggies: A Way of Life



Greetings cyberspace! I am very excited to share my crazy vegetarian life with you. I hope that through my experiences you can learn from my lifestyle change and incorporate some of my changes into your life.

Being a fairly new convert to vegetarianism, I am continuing to learn and grow into my new lifestyle.

It was difficult at first passing on some of my favorite comfort food, but the rewards I am feeling from the change are incredible.

I believe that I have found a new path and continue to love embracing a vegetarian lifestyle.

I believe that you are what you eat, so why wouldn’t you want to be something that comes from the earth.

Many people have the misconception that vegetarians eat like rabbits; only lettuce and carrots. That is not the case at all, we eat like kings.

 Vegetables like squash, eggplant, pumpkin, and mushrooms are some of my favorite meal starters and are so filling. I have been experimenting with new recipes for a while continuing to find delicious recipes my non-vegetarian family will enjoy.

I truly believe that everyone should try to incorporate a little bit of vegetarianism into their lives. My children are not vegetarians, but they prefer my eggplant lasagna over a burger any day.

If you have never tried a vegetarian meal or restaurant, I highly encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and immerse yourself into a whole new realm of food, you will be happy you did! I believe it is important to learn how food effects the body and take charge of the body we were given.

I hope to continue my journey with you through my blog and keep learning along the way.


Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie

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