Veggie Me

To veggie or not to veggie... that is the question of the week. In an attempt to save some money this week, a lot of my dinners are meat-free, and I find myself wondering if vegetarianism might be something I want to commit to again.

I think just about everybody these days knows what it is to be a vegetarian. It just means you do not eat meat. There are plenty of other delicious ways to get your protein and in some ways it is cheaper. However, I have been a vegetarian off and on for 8 years and I find it is not so cut and dry as "do I want to eat meat or not". I could go on and on with reasons to not eat meat and I can be pretty convincing too! I can use the human body to prove to you that our bodies are not designed to eat meat, or I can tell you about how much energy you will have, the health benefits and all of the diseases you will prevent by cutting out animals. But the truth is, if I am true to my body and my experiences, I don't know if being a vegetarian is really the cure-all that I once believed it was.

The main four things that I always hear as reasons to go veggie are 1. your skin will be clear, 2. you will be thinner, 3. you will have more energy and 4. it is better for the environment. Sounds good right? But here is what I found happened to my body when I cut meat out of my diet.

First of all, it is important to note that vegetarian or not, you must eat a good diet to see good results. Junk food is junk food regardless of whether or not it contains animal products, and you should always eat lots of fruits and veggies.

Your skin will be clear...
My skin was terrible when I did not eat meat. I cannot explain it, maybe it was just a period of time in my life, but I had to wear so much make up as a vegetarian, and now as a meat eater I literally wear as little make up as possible and my skin is amazing! Is it because I am older? Or am I getting some sort of skin clearing nutrient that I was lacking in my meat free diet?

You will be thinner...
I have always been somewhat thin, but I did not like how I looked when I was a vegetarian. I seemed to gain weight in all the wrong places (read: Buddha belly anyone?) and I felt like my body shape was strange. However, when I took it a step further and cut out all animal products as a vegan, I was thin and I had trouble putting weight on! So maybe the secret of a thin body is no animal products at all. But I do know, that now with meat in my diet it is easier for me to lose weight and easier for me to build lean muscle that looks much better on my body. I am thin both ways, but there is no doubt that I like my body better now.

You will have more energy...
yes this one was true. I felt cleaner in a way, like I was less heavy and I had a lot more energy. But it could be argued that it is because as a veggie you eat a lot more vegetables in place of meat and vegetables do give you more energy. But whatever the reason, I would always pop up first thing in the morning, go for a jog and be full of beans all day! I loved it and I do miss that extra energy.

It is better for the environment...
this is also true. Mass production of cows has really been terrible on our land and the air, plus not to mention horrible for the way the cows are being raised now. So sometimes the choice to not eat meat is solely a moral one. I believe it was Ghandi who said "you can know a country by how they treat their food". Unfortunately for us, we do not treat our food very well. (just watch Food Inc!)

So there it is... good reasons and bad reasons to not eat meat (for my body anyway). So what to do? Regardless of what I decide to do in the long run, for now there was no meat in my soup last night. And the price of the soup? Literally zilch! I already had all of the ingredients, and although I would add more flavors in the way of spices or herbs next time, it was filling and Beau and I ate it up with some yummy bread that cost me $2.50 from Wal Mart.

Soup that Cost me Zilch

3 small onions
6 small carrots
3 celery ribs
4 small potatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 head cabbage
filtered water
salt and pepper to taste
a pinch cayenne and paprika

dice all of the veggies to bite sized pieces. saute the onion first, then add the carrots and celery and saute for a little while. Then add the rest of the ingredients and fill the pot with water until the veggies are covered plus some. Salt well and serve with bread.


This one pot will feed us for days and even if I would have bought everything it is very very cheap. But like I said, a little flavoring will go a long way. I liked it with sour cream in it!