Something I realized recently is while I told you all I was doing this experiment, how I’m going about it, and how I’m feeling with it I never really delved into the whole why aspect. Since that’s kind of important I thought I would share with you guys a few of my thoughts on the matter.

In my original post a couple weeks ago I talked a lot about how I wanted to live healthier.  First off I want to say that I don’t think you need to give up meat to be healthy, I do however think eating whole foods is the way to go. I love this post on the Paleo vs Vegetarian debate, I totally agree with the author when he says that whole
foods are the most important part of this puzzle.

Let me outline for you the basic path that lead me to try this whole thing out.

I have been on a bodybuilder type diet before, one consisting of lots of lean meat, and whole foods, however I did not particularly enjoy this type of diet. While I was able to slim down and gain considerable muscle, I still felt sluggish after eating, and my stomach became
extremely fussy, something I hope no one has to deal with, ever. I’m not saying this will happen to you, I’m just saying this is what happened to me. We all know veggies are good for us. Why not make them the focus of our diets? This kind of seems like a duh thing but it’s part of the thought process so I felt the need to mention it.

A friend of mine had huge success altering his diet based on his blood type, loosing considerable weight and gaining energy. When I looked
into this idea I found that my blood type according to this diet should be meat free, based on fruits, veggies, beans, legumes, and whole grains.

Large scale farming is disastrous for our environment, and hard on the animals. I don’t like the concept of caged or tortured animals. I don’t like that these large scale operations make it hard for small time locals
to stay afloat. I don’t like the idea of importing food that can easily be
grown locally from other countries (some things I get, like tea coming from China, but most vegetables, and beef can be grown here just fine).

I read this article and I loved the concept, however I don’t think I’m ready to go full on vegan. I don’t think I could ever give up honey, and cheese is awesome.

I come from a hunting family where meat is a huge part of our lives, and there are certain things, venison, fishing, rabbit, just to name a few that I’m not sure I even want to give up. I also feel better about these meat sources since the environmental costs are much lower, and the animals are essentially free range.

Making the switch to more sustainable means, such as local, humane farms is definitely one option to keep meat in my diet, but does that
really solve the health issues? Besides it’s typically more expensive, and we are scrounging to save our pennies right now. The logical answer was to simply reduce my consumption of meat, but I already serve a weekly vegetarian meal, and I’m not sure how Chuck would feel about making the switch to 3 or 4 nights a week, since he doesn’t have the same outlook on the whole matter that I do. I took a look at my diet in an attempt to see where I could cut, and that pesky article I mentioned above popped back into my head. The idea works perfectly since it doesn’t disrupt anyone else’s habits. Both breakfast and lunch are on my own anyway. I also thought about cutting dairy, but decided it was best to start small.

Chuck’s immediate response to this whole thing was, so you can still eat meat with dinner right? When I said yes he immediately said ok, but it’s going to be hard for you. Luckily the only time it has been hard is the weekends. When I really want a breakfast sandwich with sausage, and then we are at a barbecue with burgers all around, but I have managed just fine. I also give myself some gracious space for holiday and big get togethers, because this diet is flexible. If I eat meat at both lunch and dinner one day I can very easily be a complete vegetarian the next day, it balances out in the end.

It’s been two weeks, and I’m feeling good. So I’m going to continue this thing for another couple weeks and see how it goes.Tell me what you think; is this stupid, or a great idea? Could you cut back to only eating meat and dairy once a day or less?

This is something I have thought about on and off for years now, like years and years. Then inevitably the scent of bacon wafts past and I exclaim to myself that I am an idiot for such thought and I am on my merry meat-ful way, until the next time my mind wanders in that direction.

There are so many reasons to become a vegetarian, even Einstein thought this was a great idea when he said “Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”

The evidence is overwhelming when it comes to the benefits of a plant based diet, but even our mostly plant eating ancient ancestors partook
in some meat eating. Not that I am saying we should adopt all of their habits, I’m just saying that I personally feel there are benefits to both sides of the argument here.Am I confusing you yet? I’ll try to break down whats going on in my head.

What I am thinking is:
We are in age of excess, and so we eat more of everything, especially the things that were hard to get for our ancestors, because we have been taught to prize them, specifically meat & animal products.

My belief: An optimal diet is best grounded in whole, unprocessed foods, with a vegetable base that is prepared with love.

What this means:
That vegetables should come first, meat and starches second and third, if at all; that our food is meant to be enjoyed, all of it, in every step of its journey.

That’s it. That’s all I’m trying to say here folks. I don’t want to criminalize any food (or food group) here, because it’s all just dandy in moderation.

These thoughts have lead me to try out a new thing or idea if you will. It’s a bit of an experiment and I’m excited to see where it goes. With everyone I know trying out a million different food fads, and dealing with an unending list of allergies I think taking a step back to the old fashioned way of eating is necessary. I’m not saying it’s all chicken pot pie, and pot roast. I’m thinking back before that when meat was more of a side dish, or a once in a while kind of thing for so many who couldn’t afford otherwise.

I’m going to be a part time vegetarian.

For those of you thinking what in the hell does that mean?; it means that I’m only going to eat meat once a day or less. I’m sure a lot of
you are thinking I’m crazy for giving it up and conversely a lot of you are thinking that’s still a lot of meat. However this is a pretty big step for me, someone who comes from a bacon, hash, sausage, turkey sandwich, and roast meat background. I, like most Americans eat meat in almost every meal which adds up to 3x daily. That is a lot of meat, a lot more than is necessary to survive, and we aren’t even talking about the portion sizes of any of these. That is a whole other discussion.

Mark Bittman gives a pretty good defense of a part time diet and has a number of published works relating to his Vegan Before 6:00  diet. I chose not to go vegan because honey and cheese are hard for me to give up. That’s not to say it wont be a discussion in the future.

I want to point out that a big part of this idea is that portion control is in effect. Luckily most vegetables have larger portion sizes so I’m thinking I will be able to handle that just fine.