Vegetarian Taryn

(Written October 3rd, 2010)

Since moving abroad I've met a lot of vegetarians , like Ashley, my vegetarian, animal activist BFF in Korea. Although it often put a damper on eating out for us carnivores, I always found her choice commendable, and I've said on multiple occasions that I'd like to be a vegetarian on principle, (mostly because it's better for the environment) but that meat is just too damn good.

I've also seen some horrifying ways that animals are treated before they are killed while living in Korea and Thailand, but it wasn't until I started reading Dr. Joel Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" on Ashley's recommendation that I got the nudge I needed to start.

I knew that being a vegetarian is healthier for you and that everyone should probably be eating more fruits and vegetables, but I didn't realize HOW bad animal products are for you over time. I'm not going to attempt to explain all the health benefits of an animal product-free diet here, but if you are interested in learning more, here's Dr. Fuhrman's website.

But Furhman's Eat to Live diet isn't just about cutting out animal products; processed foods that contain food additives and high levels of sodium and sugar are just as bad for you. As a physician, he says that a lot of the ailments he treats patients for are 100% avoidable. We (as in Americans) are killing ourselves with the food choices we make.

Preventing cancer, heart disease, type II diabetes, migraines (which I suffer from) was the motivation I needed. Weight loss is just a happy side effect :)

Basically, Fuhrman says that for optimal health, the bulk of your caloric intake should come from nutrient-dense foods, so green vegetables, fruits, and legumes should be at the bottom of the food pyramid. After that, whole grains in limited amounts, and then fat free dairy and poultry, and on the very top of the pyramid, fats, oils, sweets, cheese (he really hates cheese; it's very high in unsaturated fat, which is apparently the worst kind) and finally, processed foods & beef.



So, mainly for health reasons, I'm giving this vegetarianism and part-time veganism thing a try. I say 'part-time' veganism because I don't think I can entirely eliminate cheese from my diet. I spent 3 years of my childhood living in Wisconsin, after all :)

But I really think I could stand to cut refined carbohydrates, sugar and processed foods from my diet as much as possible. As someone who doesn't really cook, they are a big part of my diet, and they have almost no nutritional value.

I'll let you know how it goes.

October 31st update: I've been happily meat-free for 30 days now :)