So...I Went Vegetarian

Sunday May 6, 2018 is when I decided to change my eating habits and go meatless! I've wanted to go vegetarian for the longest time, I've just never committed until now. I have tried being pescatarian in the past (i.e. eating no other meat except fish), but that only lasted for 3 months before I gave in and had some chicken wings lol. Back when I was living in Peterborough, this restaurant (Riley's) had a special every Tuesday where you could get a pound of wings for $3.90...I mean who could resist that?! I also attribute my relapse to the fact that I was still eating a form of meat so it didn't feel that serious when I went back to eating chicken and beef.

So, why did I decide to go vegetarian? Well, I've heard and read about a lot of studies that say that up until around 5 centuries ago, Africans were mainly vegan/vegetarian. I'm not surprised that this happened to be right around the time of colonization. M'Baku from Black Panther also referenced this fact in the movie by stating that all Wakandan's were vegetarians. From those same articles I read, they also say that Europeans were the ones to introduce the rest of the world to domesticating and consuming animals like cows and chickens which exacerbated the spread of various animal diseases. Of course, this was introduced for capital gain by the Europeans as they could sell meat for money. Not to mention that animal products are the only foods that contain cholesterol which, if consumed frequently, can cause blockages in your arteries leading to circulation problems, heart attacks, and other circulatory related illnesses. Keep in mind that I still eat eggs and cheese here and there, but I'd rather consume those than actual animal flesh which is another reason I went vegetarian. Recently, every time I was eating meat, I was actually getting grossed out knowing that I was eating a once living thing's flesh. That was the tipping point for me where I really wanted to commit to a meatless lifestyle and stop consuming a now dead animal. I am a believer in energies and felt like that animals negative/suffering energy was being consumed into me.

The biggest thing that people love to say regarding people who don't eat meat is, "where are you going to get your protein from?" Well, have you ever heard of populations with a protein deficiency unless it was due to malnutrition? I haven't. Plants have a lot of protein packed into them especially beans, nuts, and seeds. If plant-based eaters were really lacking protein, half of Hollywood and all the cultures that don't eat meat, would not exist today and all the vegans and vegetarians would be in hospitals right now. Some of the largest mammals on earth, like gorillas, elephants, and rhinos, are all plant eaters. Don't forget that humans are considered mammals too! If you are still skeptical about it, just YouTube vegan/vegetarian bodybuilders. They clearly are not lacking protein in their diets.

I decided to post this on the blog as another method of reinforcing my choice. If you are thinking about going more plant-based, you don't have to go full fledged into it like I did, you can start by making 1 or 2 meals out of your day meatless and go from there. What really helped me also was watching a lot of vegetarian meal prep videos and reading a bit about eating plant-based. I am definitely not negatively looking at, or judging anyone for eating meat because to each their own and it is not affecting my life. I'm just putting this out there to let you guys gain a bit more knowledge and to let you know that you can start eating plant-based at any point in your life. It doesn't have to be difficult! Love you guys <3