Some parents raise their children to not eat meat, but this was not the case for me. I always enjoyed eating a big juicy hamburger that my mother made or a filet mignon steak that my dad grilled. However, as I got in my mid-twenties something inside of me changed. Eating meat did not feel right to me anymore. Biting into a piece of meat that had fat in it sent chills down my spine that was just too unbearable to handle. I was tired of spending 10 to 15 minutes cutting all of the fat off of a chicken breast just to be able to eat it. As a result, eating meat became gross to me. Living at home with two parents and a brother who all ate meat made it very hard for me to make the switch. I tried to be a vegetarian living with my parents and it only lasted for one day.
I am 27 years old now, I live on my own and about a year ago was when I decided to become a vegetarian and have been following a vegetarian diet ever since. Right before I decided to stop eating meat my boyfriend and I got into a horrible break-up. At that time I did not want to be alone so my girlfriend invited me to stay at her house. That night we had a long conversation about what meat does to the body. After our conversation she showed me a video called meet your meat. The video showed the cruelty to animals from them being pinned up in cages with diseases to the inhumanity of slaughtering them. Once the video was over I made a pledge to myself to never participate in the treatment of animal cruelty. I understand animal cruelty will still go on, but it is one less person who will contribute to the abuse.
Not only am I saving the animals, but I am also being gentle to my body. Some people disagree to the vegetarian lifestyle because they think it is not good for your health. According to the American Dietetic Association, “Vegetarian diets are often associated with a number of health advantages, including lower blood cholesterol levels, lower risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure levels, and lower risk of hypertension and type 2 diabetes.” Just because you are not getting your protein from an animal does not mean you cannot from another sources. Vegetarians can get their protein from beans, lentils, legumes, tofu, and other substitutes. Since I have been following the vegetarian diet I am less tired, I do not feel as bloated, and I feel good about what I put in my body.