I may have done more harm to my body by becoming a vegetarian than I would have guessed.
It has been three months since I stopped taking B-Vitamin supplements, and my tingles are almost gone. As I enter the second half of my life, I should try to understand what I put into my body.
I chose to be vegetarian for three core reasons.
- Eating meat is unsustainable.
- Eating meat has adverse health effects.
- Eating meat is unnecessarily harmful to other species.
I stand by these pillars today.
Because humans have acted in a certain way doesn’t mean we can’t change. Other animals can’t make food choices as we can. I don’t try to take a holier-than-thou stand on these subjects because I’m always a Spicy Chicken sandwich away from eating meat again.
But eating meat should be viewed similarly to alcohol. We don’t need these items in our lives and should consume them sparingly, if at all.
I assume my audience is Americans with the income to decide on their food choices. If you are hungry and need food, you will eat whatever is provided, but most vegetarians are not vegetarians by choice. Meat is expensive in most countries, as it should be.
The United States spends $38 Billion on subsidizing meat and dairy. At the same time, only millions are spent on fruits and vegetables. Americans want their animal products and do not understand what eating cheap meat is doing to the rest of the world. People are aware of the effects of coal plants but are okay with the massive animal agriculture producing more greenhouse gases than all transportation.
I’m happy to have faux-meat products when I want a treat occasionally. Maybe I will eat a Jimmy John’s Gargantuan someday. But gone are my days of preaching about bacon goodness from the mountain tops.
Eat less meat.