>I am a holistic lifestyle enthusiast – obviously! I try to be as green as possible in the home (alas, air conditioning is my strongest summer vice), I try to use the healthiest possible products on my skin- the largest organ of the body, and I’m getting a degree in alternative medicine with the hope of one day helping people achieve the healthy life they’ve always wanted. However, my diet is horrendous! I am completely addicted to SUGAR, CAFFEINE, SUGAR, and … processed food in general (cough*sugar*cough).

While I try to eat as organically as possible, it’s not enough.

I have always known the day would come when I would become a vegetarian. It’s strange really … I don’t feel the kind of passion that a lot of vegetarians do- in fact, I often argue the point that a little meat/poultry, in moderation, isn’t all that bad for you. I can agree that Americans in general eat way too much meat, and have portion sizes that could feed a small village. I never wanted to be a vegetarian … but I knew that I would be. Weird huh?

Actually, I guess you could say Vegan – Other than meat/poultry I don’t eat a lot of animal based foods. I generally stay away from big dairy items, thanks to Ms. English, my 8th grade PE teacher and supervisor of the Love Earth Action club. I stopped drinking milk after she showed us videos about BGH and the fact that there is pus … yes, PUS in milk. Amongst other things. EWWW! I don’t like cheese, which is limiting but I’m ultimately grateful for my rebellious taste buds … cheese is not good for you at ALL. (I do love a cream cheese bagel though … yum!) I don’t eat eggs at all … they used to upset my stomach as a kid and the smell will actually nauseate me to this day. If I were to cut meat out of my diet completely I would not have a lot else to sacrifice- I don’t eat anything that swims, I don’t eat 99% of dairy items, and I avoid eggs. I would have to modify certain cooking methods- finding egg substitutes, not making cream/milk based sauces – but I’ll really just be cutting out meat. As for the meat I do eat, it’s 80% poultry, some beef, and no pork … or anything else.

The thing that worries me is that I’m not all that fond of vegetables!!!

So what led me to this conclusion? The thing that bothers me the most about meat (and I’ve been ignoring until now) is the amount of chemicals, pesticides and hormones meat is exposed to. There is also the trauma factor for the animals themselves- the terrible living conditions, the exposure to disease, and the fact that our government sits on it’s lazy ass and does nothing to change anything, since they are still getting paid. I do have an ethical concern for the animals. I’m not a “crazy animal lovers” by any means, but I hate to kill even a spider. Every living thing on this earth has energy, Qi … and animals can feel pain, and most have higher intelligence than we give them credit for. They feel terror, and that energy is actually in the food we eat.

There is also the fact that farms contribute to a very high percentage of environmental pollutants – in the air (hello, Global Warming??), and water – besides the fact that if we used all the grain we feed to animals we intend to slaughter we could feed most of the earths starving populations of humans. If I want to be committed in any way to changing the world, even a little bit, and educating people about making their lives better, and actually make my lifestyle more harmonious with the way nature intended, then it makes sense to not give financial support to an industry that is causing damage. And if not eating meat is part of that, it’s certainly a “sacrifice” I can live with. The strangest thing is my mental resistance … in the past and even now. I know that feeling – when I gave up soda for a year I had a little feeling of panic; it was my addiction rearing it’s ugly head. After a year I deemed it a worthy experiment and cracked open a can, confident that I had the willpower to control myself … and the fact is I don’t! I drink more soda now than I did before ON TOP of the coffee I became dependent on while I wasn’t drinking soda.

I want a clean body. I want a clear conscious. I want to be an inspiration to other people in my life, and teach by example. I want to be healthy for me and my future- diabetes and cancer are both prevalent in my family – and teach my kids a healthy lifestyle from the beginning.

So, I’m going veggie for 30 days. It’s kind of an experiment; I know I’ll be detoxing BIG time … and I’m also cutting out extra sugar, coffee, and soda (maybe in degrees, don’t want to kill myself from shock!!) in the hopes that eventually I’ll truly be all organic. I will keep you all posted!