It’s the day before my birthday and I’m feeling nostalgic. Not sad, my heart is overflowing. I am taking time out while the husband is away to think of everything that brought me to this beautiful place in my life.
Would you believe that my birthday, October 1st, is World Vegetarian Day? It was founded in 1977 to promote the joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism. It brings awareness to the ethical, environmental, health, and humanitarian benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle. Now, that’s interesting…. You can read more about it here: World Vegetarian Day
I started this path to compassion, health and preserving our planet as a vegetarian, then progressed to removing all animal foods from my diet (vegan) then evolved to a more healthful way of eating – a whole food plant-based diet, which means eating more fresh vegetables & fruits, less vegan processed foods and limiting or avoiding oil.
Sounds dreadful, huh?
I used to think so too when I considered going vegan in the past, but you know what? It’s not gonna be as hard as you think. If you are like I was, a bit squeamish about meat, grossed out by some of it’s slimy by-products, and uncomfortable when you pass the slaughter trucks on the highway, you might be a meat-eating vegetarian.
Now, you might be wondering what the heck I am talking about. What I’m saying is that most of us love animals. And many of us care for our pets as we would a family member. The average pet parent spends more than two thousand dollars a year, according to new research, totaling over $20,000 if a pet lives to be 10 years old. Some owners believe their pets have vastly improved their lives, 75 percent feel happier after adopting a pet, and 68 percent believe the animal gives them comfort. Some of us regularly cry to our pets and half have even shared a secret no one else knows about. Having a pet can lead to better health and many dog owners credit their improved exercise habits to their pets.
So, you love animals, kitty videos, The Dodo stories, get enraged when you hear about animal abuses and adore your pet. Maybe, you’re one of those rescue angels that uses spare dimes you don’t have, or time that is non-existent, to fund or do the heart-breaking work to save those precious lives that others have tossed away. Your heart is as big as the ocean……. yet you participate in speciesism. You operate from a paradigm that some species are worthier, are owed more, while others don’t deserve the same rights.
You love one and eat the other.
Pointing this out is not meant to be a judgement. It’s a point of view that I wish I had adopted earlier in life. Because from the age of 8, I felt really conflicted about eating meat. Yet, everyone was doing it, and I was told I had to finish my plate, and it was the “normal” thing to do. But after almost half a century of being an omnivore, on January 1, 2012, after watching a movie in which I felt the impact so deeply and irreversibly, it flipped a switch in my brain. I was done. Just like that, it was over. I stopped eating meat and never looked back. Because I loved animals, had such a sensitivity to any suffering, was deeply involved in animal rescue and I had to answer the question, why go to great lengths to save certain species, yet pay someone else to torture and slaughter others? Why live as a meat eating vegetarian when I could free myself of this inner conflict and not contribute to something I would never personally voluntarily do: hurt an animal. And the way I eat now not only improves health and fights chronic disease, it makes me very happy.
Are you a meat-eating vegetarian? Reach out! Because I’m celebrating my birthday, I’m offering you a get started session for FREE. Promise you, choosing something different will bring you to a much more delicious place in your life.
I am passionate about helping others reach their best physical and emotional body. Are you ready for a supportive, interactive approach in taking charge of your life and health? Are you ready to rewrite your story? If the answer is a resounding YES! Contact me HERE