Hello friends!
Since becoming a vegetarian I have honestly never felt more at peace with myself and my life choice.
I have to be pretty careful not to become one of those preachy veggies, though, but I do find myself becoming more and more appalled at the thought of eating meat and the whole awful process. I have to stop myself from saying “how can you eat that?” to people. I can’t let myself become too bothered by it because I would find it difficult to get through life! When every street corner has a chicken takeaway and a butcher’s shop, not to mention the extensive meat section at the supermarket, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to understand how this is something that can be treated so casually.
My mum has been awesome and super supportive of my decision, she even makes me delicious vegetarian alternatives when she is cooking meat dishes, and she doesn’t mind me stocking up on stuff like kale, quinoa and soya milk. I also enjoyed a spicy veggie wrap on our recent family trip to McDonalds, and it was just delicious!
I don’t miss meat one notch, on the contrary, it really feels like the time was right because my body seems to have a physical aversion to it, now, which makes me believe in my decision more than ever. It feels so natural and easy to me, and I was a big fan of fruit and vegetables, anyway, so added bonus! I’m just annoyed that I didn’t become a vegetarian sooner, but maybe it just wasn’t meant to be, before now.
When we went to visit a farm, recently, I couldn’t have been more proud of myself for being a vegetarian. It throws a whole new light on it all, seeing the beautiful sheep, cows, pigs, and chickens, living and breathing before my eyes, and to be honest, I can’t even think about these creatures being killed for their meat. What gives us the right?
I listened to the story of a little boy called Elias in the USA on the This American Life podcast (episode #553: Stuck In The Middle) who stopped eating meat when he was about 3 or 4 years old, and would cry and get upset when his brother or anyone else ate meat. I thought how awesome it was that he knew what he wanted from such a young age.
The problem is though, that I would dearly LOVE to take the next step and become a vegan. It just seems like the natural thing to do, and if I’m so happy as a vegetarian, think how happy I would be as a vegan! So it’s something that I’m going to think about.
According to One Green Planet, a vegetarian saves about 400 animals a year, while another source said it was only 100. Well, I’m not sure how many it really comes to, but surely a vegan saves double that amount.
I will always be a campaigner for animal rights, and I will always be their voice when I can, but before I can change the world, I have to start with myself. And don’t we all?
Be the change.
Namaste,
Amanda x
Amanda's Treehouse 