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Monday, February 28, 2011

Vegan Still?

After writing my last entry I started thinking . . . so many people I know who are vegan or vegetarian add meat or cheese back into their diets after getting pregnant . . . people have asked me if I was/am tempted to eat meat or dairy again once I was pregnant and now that I'm breastfeeding, and the answer has always been a resounding no.

However, I wondered to myself if this would change if my diet was limited even further--specifically by needing to eliminate soy. Soy features LIKE meat a lot in my diet--making up a lot of protein and dairy-ish foods, so I think I would be pretty hurting without it. I'm still praying that this ends up not being an issue, but honestly I'm still certain that I would not eat dairy or meat.

More and more often now when I see meat I think "dead animal", "carcass", "cadaver"--it's funny because I have never been like this before. I was never a vegan "offended" by meat and I would often watch my Mom or my Step-Father-In-Law prepare and cook meat because I like cooking but obviously never cook meat. So I felt like it was interesting to me to watch how other people prepare this type of food . . . however, something changed recently.

I still wouldn't say I was OFFENDED by meat, but it definitely makes me sad to see, which it never has before. I think about how that animal was killed to sit on the table or wrapped up on the deli counter. It's like the normal distancing that people do is gone and a steak is a slice of cow--when I see the steak or chicken, I picture them slicing up a dead animal and I feel so sad for the cow or chicken.

Well what about dairy or eggs then? Well, dairy and eggs are also highly allergic to small babies so I don't know if I would even have the option to be "vegetarian", but again I just can't "stomach" it. The idea of eating milk that came out of a cow's nipples just weirds me out. And eggs? Chicken period. Sorry but it's true and that's what I think of when I see it.

So no, no, I don't think I would do it. People are vegan for many reasons and lots of vegans are tempted to eat dairy and eggs the way I am tempted to eat bread when I am being gluten-free. However, I am NOT tempted to eat meat, eggs, or dairy. It is gross to me. I don't care if other people do it! But I will not do it--even to the detriment of my health, to be honest, which might be counter-intuitive. But I guess to me it's almost like asking an omnivorous person if they would eat human flesh if they were starving.

Would I eat meat or eggs if I were STARVING? Well, probably. But in any other case, probably not.

10 comments:

mpence said...

I am choosing to give you a stylish bloger award. Check out the link for the rules!

http://candmpence.blogspot.com/2011/02/stylish-blogger-award.html

Marilyn said...

I would eat a human if I was starving! seriously! lol. me and jen and leah all just had a conversation about this lol. But yeah, I have been vegetarian since I guess around august of 2010, so only about 5 months, and in that relatively short amount of time, my feelings on meat have changed SO MUCH.

I was never disgusted by meat or anything. I didn't even become vegetarian because I didn't like meat - I did like meat once in a while. I mostly did it because the resounding environmental reasons became too much for my to deny/live with. However, now, when I do see meat or people eating meat, I am just like "wow, how did I used to eat it?".

Even with eggs...I really like eggs. BUT, once in a while, I will be eating a fried egg or something, and it just starts to repulse me to the point that I can't finish it. This is really only once in a while, but it makes me wonder if maybe I would stop eating straight up eggs someday.

justadrienne said...

Mare, I think I would eat an (already dead) human if I were starving, too.

Michelle, OMG thanks I've never gotten an award before!

Amy said...

LOL at chicken period!! It's so true. I have a hard time eating chicken because it looks more like muscle then eating a steak does. I know they are both muscle, but when the visual is too close it grosses me out. But still, don't think I could ever completely give up meat. Especially when it's the only thing I wouldn't throw up when pregnant with Jensen lol.

mpence said...

Then there are people like me - who want to raise my own meat, lol!

justadrienne said...

Michelle--I think that is actually the number one best "way" to be a meat eater. If you exclusively eat animals that you have raised, you are probably eating less meat overall, I bet you at least half your girls would decide to be vegetarian, and mostly, you would all know exactly where it was coming from, and you would be in touch with the fact that it was an animal, it was a life. I think the distancing that people do with meat is the most unhealthy thing. If you aren't willing to kill an animal, you shouldn't be eating meat, IMO.

mpence said...

My biggest problem with meat is all the hormones and antibiotics that are fed to commercially raised meat.

We are looking into purchasing part of our friend's pig. The girls all knew bacon, fed him, played with him, and knew he was being raised for meat...and that there will be a new pig in the spring! So they have already been exposed to the idea of eating an animal that they 'knew.'

I can actually only see one of my girls becoming a vegetarian at this point! The rest are definately omnivors! (The boy is a carnivor through and through though...I had a terrible time getting him to eat anything BUT meat!)

Unknown said...

i hear you. i was only as strict as you are in my early twenties--when i was vegan for a couple years (then i went to france and that all changed, LOL). but i'm super picky about food, even if i do eat dairy, and meat on occasion (like at family functions). i think it's from working at the coop. i get completely repulsed if i'm at some diner and i know none of the food is organic. i guess i've become somewhat of an organic snob. like i just feel like i'm eating poison. i can't go to a regular grocery store because 95% of what they sell on the shelf repulses me. i was getting a salad once at a salad bar somewhere, and i looked at all the ingredients in all the salad dressing. even the plain old oil and vinegar dressing had high fructose corn syrup! i was appalled. i don't even want to think about how many toxins and junk i have in my body.

justadrienne said...

Good point MC!

laurengould said...

I became vegetarian probably ten years ago, tho more strictly probably about 7 years ago. Since then I have only ever had cravings for chicken fingers, which I prefer to substitute. The thought of actually eating meat repulses me. It is hard for me to see people eating meat sometimes, but I realize that everyone must make their own choices about what to put in their body. The only thing I can do is to tell people why/how I am a vegetarian (when they ask!) and to lead by example. I think it is also cool to make dinner for omnivorous friends so they can see that eating vegetarian can be awesome.

For a while a few years ago, (2007-2008 time period) I had become really disgusted by eating eggs, as well. Lately I have been eating them pretty frequently (probably 2 per week). I have mixed feelings about this, because I realize that it is an unfertilized egg, and sort of meat-like, which grosses me out. But also, I enjoy them, and they make me very full and satisfied.

I have cut out much of the dairy in my diet in the past few years (I always drink non-dairy milks, vegan butter, etc. I really only eat cheese occasionally.

I sometimes want to be more strict, but it can be hard to plan meals that are according to a diet, especially on a weird or busy schedule.

I always try to buy organic. Again, it is hard when money is tight.

Above all, I know that TRYING is better that just consenting to put shit in your body. Even if I only eat 20% organic, at least that is better than nothing. Same with dairy and eggs. I may eat cheese once in a while, but I cut back in other ways, like not eating cow butter.

Okay. TMI!

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