Well, that didn’t take long. A couple vegan Instagram posts, a Facebook post, maybe a tweet. Two messages in the last 24 hours.

Have you gone vegetarian?

The answer? Maybe? For now? I’m not sure… I will say right now, today, and for the last two weeks the only animal protein I’ve knowingly consumed has been one pasture raised egg.

Over the holidays I was looking at the Netflix and the Amazon for food and cooking related programs. Truth be told I’ve seen most of them. Moving away from the preparation or food porn programs I started seeking information about farming practices, food providence, and to some extent health. I’ve already seen Forks over Knives, A Place at the Table, Food Inc..

I came across the documentary Food Sources and learned a couple new things. One was the name of the Dr. T. Colin Campbell and subsequently the name of his landmark 2012 book The China Study.

I read the book.

Taken as a whole, the evidence seems clear to me.

  1. A “modern diet” based on animal protein is directly linked to heart disease, cancers, diabetes.
  2. Commercial meat operations including Poultry and Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) are horrific and inhumane.
  3. The amount of air pollution created by live stock exceeds that of combined global transportation, planes, trains and automobiles.
  4. I don’t need to eat meat.

    5. I also should mention, in the last few months for whatever reason, raw meat has been giving me the heebie jeebies. When grocery shopping and seeing the hunks of meat, I’ve felt queasy. That’s never happened before.

    So a couple weeks ago, I stopped eating meat, and frankly haven’t missed it. Vegetarian or even vegan cooking is not entirely unknown to me. Having tasty healthy meals is not an issue.

    Is this sustainable? (no pun intended) Again, I don’t know.

    This crisis of identity must seem strange. After all, I’ve shown you in these pages, how to make sausages, cure and smoke your own bacon. I built a cold smoker! I know the cheek meat on a spit cooked pig is the best part. For goodness sake I’ve finally mastered steaks with the reverse sear method. And now I decide to go meat free? Am I crazy?

    Speaking of meat, I have some what I would have normally considered gorgeous 20 oz bone-in ribeyes in the freezer.

    What do I do with them?

    Give them away? “Here is this poison I no longer want.”

    Save them for a special occasion? “I’m happy so let me poison myself!”

    Or, just not eat them. And don’t buy any more.

    Perhaps the answer is to only eat animals in very small amounts, wasting as little as possible from animals who have led as natural a life as possible, outside, safe, without terror inducing transport to the abattoir. Without being eviscerated whether they are conscious or not.

    Maybe the answer is to not eat meat at all?

    I will say this, in addition to eschewing meet, the Accountant and I have embraced dry January, forgoing our beloved tipple for a month. Which incidentally ends tomorrow. Oh, and I’ve also given up caffeine.

    How do I feel?

    First, in four weeks I have lost eight lbs without trying. In the first two weeks I lost two pounds, since going meat free its been six.

    Second, my sleep has improved. I fall asleep faster, wake fewer times and awake more refreshed.

    Third, my re-flux is almost gone.

    Part of my lifestyle goals is to be frugal. Lower health care costs by merely changing lifestyle choices? Who knew?

    What does this mean for the website? Nothing new really, I’ll keep trying to bring you delicious homemade meals. They just won’t be based on animal protein.

    Back to the original question, “Have you gone vegetarian?”

    I am today.