Vegetarian
Comments(3)
I have been a vegetarian for most of my life.
I was raised eating meat; my parents were hard-core carnivores. I made the change when I left home and was able to make up my own mind about my life.
I made the decision to rebel against my upbringing because I had come to the realization I did not need to exploit animals to survive. It just seemed wrong. As I progressed, and learned more about vegetarianism, I found it was a much healthier lifestyle. I was hooked.
When I say I have been a vegetarian most of my life, it has been over 38 years since I have tasted a steak, a piece of chicken or a pork chop. During Thanksgiving, my immediate family knows to make a variety of side dishes without meat (I do bring my fair share), and my sister, who always cooks the turkey, makes some dressing in a casserole dish just for me.
My first husband quit eating meat the same time I did. He returned to his carnivorous ways soon after our divorce.
I remarried 11 years later to a non-vegetarian who learned to put up with my desires. One of my requests was that if he wanted to cook meat in my house, he needed to bring his own pots and pans. He decided to be a vegetarian at home and a carnivore when we go out to eat.
I had two sons soon after I quit eating meat. Both were raised as vegetarians. They remained so until they were able to go places and hang with their friends—without me to discourage any carnivorous behavior.
The first time youngest son Mike ate a pizza with pepperoni, he confided to me that although he loved the taste, he spent some time in the bathroom. His system was not used to meat.
Tom never told me how he started eating the flesh of other animals or what happened when he did.
The two boys now both eat meat, but Mike and his family do go meatless often.
My sister, who raised her son and daughter to eat meat, now has two children who are vegetarians. The two of us laugh at the fact that I raised vegetarians who now eat meat and she raised carnivores who now don’t.
Have you ever thought of being a vegetarian? Have you ever tried it? Tell me your story.
While I am not a vegetarian and have no desire to become one, I do eat a lot of vegetables (much more than anyone else I know that is a “carnivore”). We belong to the Harmony Valley Farm CSA and I enjoy cooking with the vegetables we receive from them bi-weekly.
Last night’s jerk chicken was served alongside carrots, green and yellow beans sauteed in olive oil and shallots as well as an arugula salad with fresh balsamic dressing. It was a great meal and while we are out of beans, I still have plenty carrots and other goodies to whip up some excellent meals this week.
While I will never go completely meat free (and believe me, I know the perils of this lifestyle in 2008 and all the dangers that we face with large farming operations) I have limited our meat intake and replaced it, much to my wife’s general dismay, with even more vegetables.
After writing all that I am pretty hungry. Only an hour and five minutes until I get some of last night’s leftovers — yum!
Do you have suggestions for high protein, high potassium vegetables a person could eat? Or what vegetables will provide higher numbers of the vitamins and minerals essential to our well-being?
Dear Colleen,
Here is what I have found for foods high in potassium:
All meats, poultry and fish are high in potassium,apricots (fresh more so than canned), avocado, banana, cantaloupe, honeydew, kiwi, lima beans, milk, oranges and orange juice, potatoes (can be reduced to moderate by soaking peeled, sliced potatoes overnight before cooking), prunes, spinach, tomatoes, vegetable juice and winter squash.
High protein foods include meats of all sorts and legumes (beans, lentils, dried peas).
I have found that all natural foods provide essential nutrients for humans to be healthy. I go by the rule that everything in moderation. So don’t eat lots and lots of one thing, but consume a variety of foods to get a balanced diet.
The food pyramid is a great place to start learning what is essential for a healthy body.
As a vegetarian, I have learned that to get the all-important amino acids that make up a complete protein, one must eat a combination of grains and beans. So, peanut butter and bread, beans and tortillas, rice and lentils are just three ways that can be done. Use your imagination when creating meals.
Good luck,
Tina