|
|
Who says the Times cannot be useful? When I read the article "Vegan and
Vegetarian", something caught my attention. I have heard about vegetarianism
before -- through the discussions in the Times -- but I had never really pondered
it before.
The article gave useful information on this lifestyle, one that has become
increasingly popular as people learn more about the agricultural industry.
Personally, I have never enjoyed red meat, but I ate it nevertheless.
The article "Vegan and Vegetarian" made a challenge of carefully
changing your diet for one week. I took her up on that challenge, and cut down
on the meat products that I consumed. Eventually, I felt much better. I was
still getting protein from other food sources, but was eating much healthier
choices, such as fruits and vegetables.
With that week under my belt, I made the decision to become a vegetarian.
However, I would do this process very slowly, since it is not healthy to jump
right in ???- preparations have to be made.
I talked to some of my friends who were vegetarians, and many of them really
helped. Giggler01 gave me some information on the lifestyle and helped me to
distinguish which *type* of vegetarian that I am. You see, I will eat fish and
*occasionally* poultry products to help maintain my balance of protein and other
vitamins and minerals that come from consuming meat products. However, I will
give up on all other meat products, including steak, ham, roast beef, hamburgers,
etc.
It turns out that I am a pesco-pollo vegetarian. Many of you may well be unsure of
what that means. Basically, a pesco-pollo vegetarian is a "semi-vegetarian": this
term is sort of vague, because it could mean a number of things. I might mean
someone who eats meat sometimes, like at Thanksgiving. It might also describe
someone who doesn't eat a certain kind of meat -- say, beef -- but does eat another
kinds -- say, chicken or fish. A more specific term for this is pesco-vegetarian
(fish) or pollo-vegetarian (chicken). Combined, it would be pesco-pollo
vegetarian.
I really do not see myself as missing out on anything and my family has been
supportive of my choice. They understand that it is my body and my choice to
give up meat products, and that there are other sources where I can obtain the
protein that I need. Even if I go to a fast-food restaurant and cannot order a
hamburger, chances are I can order a veggie-burger and I can always have fries,
salads, or other foods.
So, why am I doing this? It is fundamentally for the general health reasons, and
I believe that I can discover new and healthier food choices in the process. Who
knows! I might even change my diet in the future... either becoming a strict
vegetarian or later realizing that vegetarianism is not for me.
Some Birds,
-TIKE
|
