Trying to Transition

There's nothing to make you re-think what food you consume than getting sick on something you've eaten. And yep, I'm speaking from experience ... recent experience! Although the past 24 hours have been less than pleasant, I will admit that I've had time to consider my diet and the possible toxic foods within it. As a result, I have begun exploring the possibility of making the transition to a vegetarian diet.

Being vegetarian isn't a new lifestyle for me. I've always been an animal activist, and in college, I couldn't stand the thought and the hipocrasy of eating animals. Well, this was all well and good until I started having fainting spells and finally discovered that I was insanely iron deficient. I wasn't surprised. I mean, I was the vegetarian who happily consumed McDonald's French fries, donuts, cookies ... everything except anything of any nutritional value. But I was young and foolish. My only concern was that I wasn't consuming animal flesh.

Here I am more than two decades later contemplating making this dramatic dietary change once again. This time though, I am a bit wiser and lots more knowledgeable. I have begun reading books on how to transition into a vegetarian diet. I am looking for alternative sources of protein and foods to eat. Vegetarianism is not the novelty it was when I was in college, so I don't think I'm going to resort to dinners of French fries and cakes. Truth be told, I can't. I am gluten intolerant and can no longer eat many of my old "vegetarian" staples. This is actually a blessing more than a curse though. I won't be tempted to resort to these nutrient-empty foods.

I started the transition tonight with a bean dish that was well-received by every member of my family. My husband has always wanted to be vegetarian, so he was especially appreciative of my meal selection. Overall, I'm optimistic and excited about the change. That said, my daughter and I both agreed that we would eat fish once a week, but for the rest of the week - meatless. In the meantime though, I'm going to clean out the freezer and keep researching recipes. Feel free to share any cookbook suggestions and/or favorite recipe sites for vegetarian meals.