Why am I a vegetarian?

It all started 04/15/07, I decided I needed to learn to exercise self control in my life because it has never been a strength of mine. I committed to 30 days of a vegan diet, no alcohol and 10 min of exercise a day. The only thing I was partially successful with was the vegan diet.

During the 30 days I started researching online what it meant to be a vegan and reasons why people are vegetarians. Webster’s states:

Vegan: A strict vegetarian who consumes no animal food or dairy products; also : one who abstains from using animal products (as leather) .

Vegetarian:
consisting wholly of vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and sometimes eggs or dairy products.

During my 30 days I thought I was vegan, but then realized the veggie burgers I was eating contained eggs, in addition to eating hidden eggs, I ate honey and have a leather belt and wallet. Based on the definition of Vegan, I realized that is not what I was doing.

I am Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian ( funny huh :) ). The Ovo means I eat eggs and the Lacto is dairy. I don’t eat whole eggs anymore only “Egg Beaters” or “Better‘n Eggs” which is eggs whites in a carton. I eat real cheese sometimes but usually soy cheese and only soy milk, no more cow milk. Kind of complicated, but now it seems very normal to me.

I read more and found that there are many health benefits like lower cholesterol, less chance of getting cancer and a low fat diet. And found that I have a personal conviction for how we get the meat. I know that humans and animal are not equal. I know that there is a food chain. I know that biblically eating meat is not a sin. But the manner in which most meat that's eaten is acquired is unkind, and by abstaining from meat I feel it helps me to be more thoughtful. It takes a little more time to plan because I’ve had to learn new meals to prepare but I’m finding it exciting to try new things like avocado, asparagus, mushrooms and peas. I’ve found that I love Indian food. Potato Curry is the Bomb! Becoming a vegetarian is an adventure!

The biggest question I get is a genuine concern that I’m not eating enough protein. Most ethnic foods have an abundance of vegetarian meals. The idea of being vegetarian is pretty popular everywhere except the United States. Americans are under the assumption that the only way to get protein is to eat MEAT. This is not true! There are a lot of food that are high in protein for example Lentils, Black, Kidney and Pinto Beans, Veggie burgers and Dogs, Tofu, Almonds, Peanut Butter, Brown Rice, Whole Wheat Bread, Spinach and the list goes on.

Being a vegetarian is definitely something that our body can handle. When god created Adam and Eve they were created as vegetarians so maybe it is something that will bring me closer to God.

This is my personal choice, it’s my conviction, and it fits me! I know it’s not for everyone. I am not against people eating meat I’m just against me eating meat :)

Romans 14:6
He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God

The bottom line……Vegetarian or not do so unto the Lord.