Viva, Vegan/Vegetarian

Meat and fish is good... But vegan/vegetarian diets are come a-calling, too.

Your City Promdi has never thought that this day will ever come, but it did.

I'm starting to research on vegan and vegetarian diets, and starting to look for places to get good food, too. I'm not actually turning to one, yet, but I am starting to see the merits of this kind of choice.

For one, the vegan/vegetarian diet really seems to be working great things for people's health. There are countless stories among Hollywood stars, like Natalie Portman, Lea Michele, and Anne Hathaway, who's kept their bodies fit because of these diets. Among the common, not-famous people, though, it seems like there is a growing number of individuals who experiences more health benefits with the vegan/vegetarian diets. I personally know someone who's sugar levels became normal after just 10 days of going vegan, and another whose arthritis seemed to vanish after going vegetarian.

Another reason I hear from people is that vegetarian is the ethical choice. PETA, for years, had been advocating against the "violence" being committed against animals for the enjoyment of carnivore humans. They have a good point, of course, since to sate the appetite of millions of meat-lovers, the lives of billions of animals have to be terminated. (The counter-argument in my mind is that this is the way of nature: predator versus prey.)

Next is the fact that going vegan/vegetarian, supporters say, is good for the environment. Plants only need the barest necessities in order to live and produce for us humans. Their environmental footprint (leafprint?) is very minimal. Give them a bit of soil, a bit of water, and lots of sun and air, and they can provide food indefinitely to people. Compare that to how much resources are needed to produce food from animals. I read somewhere that you need about 50 kilos of grains/food/water to produce a kilo of beef--that's a huge drain on Mother Earth.


Now, as I said, I'm mostly concerned about the health implications of my meat-heavy diet. I'm still young, but I don't want to abuse my body by feeding it with too much fat (lard!) from animals. Encouraged by my parents, I've gradually cut back on the meat and have started trying to eat veggies and fruits more.

The transition was hard at first. Salads and fruits just seem like such a bother (plus I thought then that they don't really taste good). Now, I think I'm close to achieving the portioning 50% fruits and veggies, 25% meat, and 25% carbohydrates.

Of course, this is nowhere close to being vegetarian or vegan. For now, I think the strictest diet I can do is probably that of a pescatarian (I loooove my seafood!). But having vegetarian recipes and trying out some food suggestions is giving me a very nice view of how delicious a vegetarian life can be. Who knows, one day, maybe I'll finally go all-the-way and say goodbye for good to meat.

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