It has been a while since I’ve posted a Monday blog about nutrition. It became obvious that despite my efforts to change my wicked ways, something was terribly wrong and I wasn’t making much progress in losing weight. My pain levels kept increasing and my exercise efforts decreased exponentially. So I laid down the gauntlet for a while. Well, I’m back to try something new and I hope it will encourage some of you to make one more change in your diet.
Eat more veggies, please.
Yes, for two months I’m embracing the lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet. That means milk (1%), eggs (Egg Beaters), fruits, and veggies. I’m doing this to see if it makes a difference in my cholesterol, because if you have been following my saga you know I can no longer tolerate the statin I was taking. And just as an update, I had another wonderful pain-free night!
That being said, I want you to know that future posts will not be about my conversion to a better life or animal rights or saving the planet. I’m not making a political statement or embracing a new culture or trying to impress people. Just trying to find a way to offset some of the defective genes I was given. I’m still a country woman and I see no reason for the world to stop producing and eating meat. I wish some of it was produced more humanely and safely, but that’s just a reality of food manufacturing. We need to make changes that will improve ALL of the food industry. Many of the recent recalls for tainted food have been veggies!
The actions and attitudes of many vegetarians seem purposely aimed at bewildering and belittling others. I don’t understand why eating plants has to be complicated or involve eating things I can neither identify nor cook without a guidebook. Why does “vegetarian” have to equate to a total shift in diet that includes seaweed and wheat grass? Why does being a vegetarian mean never again gracing the door of Olive Garden? And why in the world does it mean being constantly in someone’s face about your food choices? When someone offers me a soda I just say, “no thanks”. I don’t have to say, “I never drink those nasty things and you shouldn’t either and here’s why….”
And for those of you who are wondering—yes, I still cook meat for my husband. Why should he change his eating habits to accommodate my health problems? My grandmother ate meat every day of her life and lived to be over ninety. Everyone is different! Saturday he had a real beef cheeseburger and I had a Morning Star Grillers cheeseburger and we both had French fries. The lowly potato is still a vegetable in my book and a few cooked in olive oil won’t hurt me. I also like peanut butter, salads, spaghetti with mushrooms and olives, grilled cheese sandwiches, beans. A meatless diet doesn’t have to be weird.
So, I may not make any points with the diehard vegetarians, but I’ll muddle through this with whatever I can find at my local Wal-Mart. And I’ll be in the booth next to you at Taco Mayo eating my bean burrito in silence. You don’t have to join me if you don’t want to.
Wishing you to eat what you want and gain strength from it. Here's to living pain free for as long as possible.
Happy Monday
Posted by: Megan | March 07, 2011 at 08:16 AM
I think "weird" is a relative term.
Your post seems somewhat judgemental about vegetarians or those who might choose to shift their diets to try and become more healthy. Just because you can't buy it at Wal-Mart, doesn't make it weird. Good for you for making a change for the better, but shame on you for judging others when you have no idea what they are going through. Open your mind, you might be surprised what you learn. And oh, by the way, Taco Mayo sounds GROSS. But hey! To each his own, right? ;)
Posted by: Tawny Franks | March 07, 2011 at 06:30 PM