Five years ago, if someone told me I would become a vegetarian, I wouldn’t have believed it. I loved meat my entire life and hot wings were my favorite. I use to think, “what do vegetarians eat anyway” and “why would anyone ever want to become one”? Until, I became one of them.
So what caused this drastic change in my life you might ask? Well, one of my favorite sayings is “ Knowledge brings change.” New knowledge is what brought on the change in my lifestyle. It all started when I was pregnant with my son, I envisioned this wonderful healthy life for my family but I had no idea how to start.
One evening, I was looking on Netflix and saw a documentary called “ Food, Inc.” That documentary changed my life completely. After watching it I thought, “No way…no one would intentionally put harmful chemicals in my food…. Would they”?
The documentary talked about the torture forced on animals in factory farm where your meat comes from. The animals live in unsanitary conditions, packed together with no access to outdoors, spending their lives in cages. They also inject them with hormones and antibiotics to make them grow faster which is unnatural. And after all of that, they become dinner on my plate. I thought NO WAY!! As I began to do more research I learned so much about the food industry and where our food comes from. I decided no one should have to die for me to enjoy a meal.
After all of this NEW knowledge, I decided that the best lifestyle change for my family would be removing meat from our diet. As excited as we were to try it out, on August 1, 2012 we completely stopped eating all animal flesh and never looked back. There are benefits to becoming a vegetarian such as reducing the risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, heart disease and much more.
Many people wonder if we eat salads every day? The answer is no, there are still so many options after removing meat. Our eating habits consist of beans, vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and seeds. One question many people think of when I tell them I don’t eat meat is where do I get my protein. There are many other sources of protein such as beans, lentils, quinoa, nuts, tofu, and vegetables.
Here I am five years later, very happy because that important decision opened up many other doors in my life. I am a Naturopathic Doctor striving to share healthy nutrition options with my future clients, family, and friends. Thanks to my new healthy lifestyle I am learning to make healthier food choices.
If you are interested in learning more about a vegetarian lifestyle or a great information about where your food is coming from before it gets to your plate, here are resources to get you started:
- Farmsanctary.com- this website is a great information about how what goes on in the meat industry.
- Documentaries that I recommend: Food Matters, Food Inc, and Forks over Knives
- http://www.vegetariantimes.com/, http://www.vrg.org/, – These are great website about vegetarian lifestyle.
Kamira Gayle
September 18, 2017Hi I love your post. I’ve been thinking about transitioning to being a vegatarian lately for the reasons you stated…health. I haven’t seen FOOD Inc. however I like documentaries. I’ll have to check this one out. I’d like to get my husband on board but he’s a big meat eater. 🙁
Thatlife
September 19, 2017Try watching the documentaries with your hubby. It helped me to get my hubby on board.
ciara
September 18, 2017Thanks for sharing this, its an interesting read
Thatlife
September 19, 2017Thanks! Educating myself on the food industry really changed my life.
Lucie
September 18, 2017It’s about five months since I stopped eating meat and became a vegetarian. And let me tell you this was my best decision I’ve ever made. 🙂 I’m so glad that so many people try to change their thinking and opinions on not eating meat. It makes me very happy. Anyways, thank you for sharing your thoughts. 🙂
Have a lovely day,
Lucie | http://www.thequietmind.eu
Thatlife
September 19, 2017Thanks! I completely agree it was also the best decision I made as well. Thanks for sharing!
Christina | From Under a Palm Tree
September 18, 2017I love this! The food industry is such a scary place when you look behind the curtain. It’s crazy when you see how much the government actually controls and the lies that we’re fed (pun intended). I became a vegetarian about 9 years ago and I won’t ever go back. I can’t even imagine eating meat again.
Another scary thing that no one tells you about the meat industry is how terrible it is for the environment. Factory farming consumes so many resources and is one of the leading causes of climate change!
Good for you for educating yourself and making a healthy and environmentally conscious decision :)!
Thatlife
September 19, 2017Absolutely! Educating myself was one of the best things I had ever done! It’s wonderful to hear from people on the same journey.
Rhonda Swan
September 18, 2017Thanks for this info. Lots to think. Way to be unstoppable!
Thatlife
September 19, 2017You’re welcome. Thanks! It ended up being the best decision for me!
Tamara
September 20, 2017I’ve been planning on transitioning to a plant-life diet for quite some time now. I’m currently a pescatarian, but after watching “What The Heath” on Netflix, I’ve been realllly convinced to transition. I just need to figure out my options for food and substitutes so that I’m well prepared.
You definitely gave me positive vibes that I’ll be fine haha 🙂
Jameelah
September 25, 2017I also what What the Health and it did bring up some great points. Keep an eye out on the site because I plan to talk about transitioning to plant-based diet!
Jamie
September 21, 2017I’m not sure if I can ever become a vegetarian. While I don’t eat a lot of meat, I do love some meats like chicken! However, I will admit that I can never think about the fact that my food once being alive and that it had to be killed so I could eat it. I think if I ever had to kill my own food for dinner, unless I would starve otherwise, I would probably quickly become a vegetarian.
Jameelah
September 25, 2017Thanks for sharing! You have to do what is best for you at the time!
Catherine
September 22, 2017Very informative and interesting read. Good for you for adopting a vegetarian lifestyle!
Jameelah
September 25, 2017Thanks! Glad it was helpful!
Sindhuja aka Suja Dinesh
September 22, 2017Love your post. It’s really informative but I am not sure whether I can leave my nonvegetarian diet completely. But who knows one day my knowledge would encourage me for a better transition. Thanks for sharing the reference articles.
Jameelah
September 25, 2017No problem! You definitely have to do what is best for you.
Isabelle
September 22, 2017Inspiring story! That’s a really useful list of resources you’ve put together. Definitely opening my eyes to things I didn’t realise before…
Jameelah
September 25, 2017Glad it was helpful!
Kaity | With Kids and Coffee
September 23, 2017Eating a vegetarian diet is so much easier than I think a lot of people realize. We aren’t full vegetarian in our family, but 3-4 of our family dinners a week are meat-free. Glad to hear that you found something that works well for you!
Jameelah
September 25, 2017I completely agree! It’s a great way to get more vegetables into the kiddo!