Quasi-vegan?

I'm a die hard meat lover.

Well that was actually then--I am still surprised when I realized I've turned compeletely 360 and gave up red meat and poultry somewhat cold turkey.

Ok--somewhat because I still eat fish and some seafood.

And I wish I still had that copy of a Time or Newsweek article where they defined the different types of vegetarians. All I am sure of is that I am not a vegan.

What caused the turn around?

See, I've always oppossed a sans meat eating habit/lifestyle. I've laughed off the possibility of me ever turning down a meat entree. I always thought red meat is something the body needs. Of course it's also part of any American nutrition, in fact it's even in the food triangle. And last but not least, it's so flavorful and tasty.

I think my health had a lot to do with the change. Back home, I hardly ate meat as it was expensive. When I came to the US, I think my body went into shock and overdrive when all these became readily available and affordable. Weight gain was inevitable. Now beset with poor eating habits brought about by an unbalanced nutrition, came a slew of health problems. I hated it. Every year, I seem to be vulnerable to a surprise ailment.

What's next? I don't want to wait till I get the coveted heart problem nor the Big C which now seem to exist in my family.

So I am doing something about it.

A friend had given me a copy of a lecture done by a surgeon turned cardio and nutrition doctor. The film looks like it was made two or three decades ago but what struck me is the message that still holds true to today. He's already defined what was wrong with the American diet then, what else changed these days, the present, but the intake of an average American person. I agree with his facts, which I know is well founded by years of research and experience with his patients.

What struck me most is that our physiology does not require us to really eat meat. We can readily get the proper nutrition from plant based food. What grossed me out is the fact that the excess fat we carry in our body is not really our own fat but the fat of the animal we eat -- ewww! I can see why loosing the weight was hard to accomplish. What made it worthwhile is that the thought of any clogged arteries is most likely reversible if one takes a break from eating what's causing it to be clogged in the first place.

I am not sure if I can really give up eating fish besides I eat it in moderation. Nowhere in the Bible did I read we needed to eat a cow anyway. Good news of it is that I've started to loose weight and am feeling healthier and more energetic these days. And yes, it seems like a whif of a barbeque cooking doesn't make me crave, want nor long for it at all--isn't that strange?

Copyright 2004 Wandertrekker