Well, as some people know, I've become an almost vegetarian over the past month. I say almost because Matt's awesome family makes amazing dinners for us on Sunday, and I'd hate to be a burden, and I don't want to develop any nutrient deficiencies, so I am a vegetarian six days a week, and on the seventh day I rest :-). This was hard for about a week, given that my favorite foods were hot dogs and jerky before this, but it has not been too bad! I was a vegetarian for the my freshman and sophomore years of high school, and it feels good to be back. I haven't had the heart to throw away the pack of hot dogs in the meat drawer yet, but I have buried them under three different kinds of tofu. Matt is not staying away from meat as much as I am, but he is enjoying my cooking, and has been eating much much better and reaping the rewards of it.
Some of our reasoning behind this.
-Matt has a lot of trouble sleeping, and so we decided to kick all soda habits, and neither of us have had soda in over a month. We both experienced withdrawals, and that got us thinking about how many chemicals are in our body.
-Matt doesn't eat. It's not uncommon for me to come home at 4 and hear "I'm starving, I haven't ate a single thing today." When we talked about this, one of his reasons (besides just forgetting) was that he hates making things, and another one was that he doesn't want to just eat anything, he wants to make what he does eat do his body good.
-We watched Food Inc. It was very very interesting, and very very traumatic. There is a scene in a chicken factory where they open a drawer that turns out to be some sort of incubator, and most of the eggs have hatched and there are tons of little chicks just wandering around this tiny, dark drawer. Then they close that drawer. The chicks get sent off to a massively filthy, cramped, dark, awful coops, where they are raised for the next 70 days to be so fat they can hardly walk, and then they're killed. That was the moment that did it for me, and I was a re-devoted vegetarian after that.
-I've been working out a lot lately, and it sucks to put chemicals and yucky stuff in your body after working so hard to take care of it.
-We've reread the Word of Wisdom pretty closely, and both feel that there are some things that we could improve on. It talks about grains being the staff of life, so we've been working hard to incorporate more into our diet. It talks about eating meat only in the winter and times of famine, and the rest of the time eating fruits and vegetables and other good things.
I'm going to get onto a soapbox for just a minute. We were given the Word of Wisdom to protect our bodies from harmful addictions and substances. We don't need to look very far to see how bad alcohol and drugs are. But coming in close behind that in danger is the obesity epidemic. There is such a lack of mainstream nutrition that 1 in 4 children born nowadays will develop diabetes in their lifetime if there is not a drastic change. All the junky food is cheaper than the nutritious stuff because people have opted to buy it, corporations can afford good lobbyists, and the government subsidizes mass produced, chemically enhanced garbage that they hardly even have to label anymore because no one takes the time to care about what they're putting in their bodies!!! We eat three meals a day, and everything that we eat becomes our body and blood, so we literally are what we eat. Things might taste really good in our mouth, but what does it do for us after that, when it has the most impact? Another point; We lived the Mosaic law before Jesus came to the earth and performed the Atonement. That law is what the Jews still follow today, and they make all of their meat Kosher, which means it is treated way better, more respectfully, killed more humanely, the animals are blessed, etc. After Jesus' life, we were given higher laws to live. I would think that Heavenly Father never meant for any of his creations to be treated the way that animals who are commercially raised are being treated. I'm not any type of church historian, but I couldn't find any evidence of advice that we'd been pardoned from obeying those parts of it. If the pioneers were told to obey food restrictions when food was so scarce, it should be every bit as important now when food is in abundance.
So, now that I've preached all of that, I'm here to tell you that healthy food can be just as yummy, and Matt and I both feel so much better, more energetic, and just less yucky after we eat. Also, not buying meat is pretty easy on the ol' grocery bill. I will be sharing some of the better recipes we've tried with you in the very near future!
5 comments:
I agree. It's pathetic how most people eat. Just take time to think about what you eat and focus on the major food groups, eat lean protein, fruits, vegetables, and grains. Not that hard. It really does make you feel so much better and gives you more natural energy. We have been eating a LOT less meat lately. I don't think I could eat tofu, it just looks so gross! Haha.But I have tweaked a lot of recipes and have taken out the meat and I love it. I'm excited to see some recipes you've been trying out. That's awesome you guys quit pop, I bet that makes a huge difference alone. Good job! Oh and about junky food being cheaper I heard someone say once that you spend a little more on healthy food now or you spend it on doctor bills later. So true!
Waytogo, Matt and B. I am proud of what you are doing and thinking about what you eat and eating better and trying to get closer to the spirit of the Word of Wisdom. (the letter too for that matter) I'm sure you think of me as a Neanderthall, set in my ways, old red meateater, codger type...but I am slowly coming around to trying to improve my diet and habits. So, thank you for your example and I only ask that you do not lecture me too often about what I eat.
I agree with pretty much all you said except for the part that Kosher meat is killed more humanely. I have seen Rabbi's come on our killing floor and kill Kosher. The young bull is shackeled alive by his hind legs and hoisted up kicking while the Rabbi takes out his silver sword and dagger and cuts it's neck and catches the blood in a bucket. It is not a pretty sight. Of course, there are not many pretty sights at a slaughter house. Other than that bit of trivia, I support you and Matt in all you do including your change of diet. I'll think of you when I am having a medium rare sirloin steak occasionaly.
Thanks Pops. I find it funny that we both give each other tons of crap about eating habits. You like to scoff when I eat rice crackers and almond butter, and I like to make fun of your zingers and symphony bars. It's been in good fun. Mostly...
I was worried about Bronwyn posting this. I think it is a touchy subject sometimes. Almost like religion or politics. You can look snobby superior real quick. But, I also think it's good to do our small part to raise awareness about something you believe is wrong with the world. I'm very proud of B and her dedication and the hard work she put in to all of our food. I have sat down many times, feeling VERY blessed to have her.
tofu dogs are yummy. I buy them when I go to health food stores (which is not as often these days as it used to be) I buy the tofu corn dogs. I got spurned in RS about my comments on the wow lesson a few weeks ago by my visiting teaching partner! I think you guys know I have many of the same views on the subject- although I am very very passionate on the bovine growth hormone subject (I didn't see it mentioned in your post). I also am not as committed about going vegetarian as you guys. I am going to keep eating it sparingly. I would like to make a few changes and incorporate a few more natural foods into my diet (and my family's) though according to your example.
I don't think it's necessarily "healthier" to cut out meat completely. It's not necessary. Meat has so much nutritional value and while I think we all could cut back on it, I don't think it's very healthy to cut it completely out. Most people that are vegetarians are not getting enough protein which is so essential especially if you are working out, which you mentioned you are. If you aren't getting enough protein for you body to use while exercising your body will start breaking down your muscle and then store it as fat. Not a good thing. Every nutrition class Marcus has taken have all advised to not cut meat completely out but eat to eat lean meats sparingly which is what the WOW also says. I'm not saying you guys are wrong or anything, just saying my opinion on the matter. Bottom line, make sure you are getting enough protein! I personally believe that God gave us animals to eat and take care of with righteous dominion. And while we really can't control how they are raised, killed,etc. (I wish we did though) I think we have the right to reap the benefits from the essential nutrients they provide our bodies. Anyway, I'll shut up now. :)
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