I have spent several years thinking that I was living incongruously. I am an avid animal lover, activist, educator and sometime rescuer. I would use denial tactics; rationalization, justification, same as everyone else, to justify my continued eating of animals. The cognitive dissonance was getting to me. Then, one March day I ate a Five Guys hamburger for lunch. This was a rare choice, as I considered the Five Guys hamburger the ultimate hamburger and saved it for a special treat. Most days I ate salad or soup and salad for lunch. That night I happened to get the flu. I spent the entire evening re experiencing that hamburger in the very worst way. It was a really bad flu and I could not keep anything down, outside of toast, for at least three days.
In my weakened state I had a brilliant idea! I thought, I haven't been able to eat for several days, why not make the leap to vegetarianism? It would be easy, just don't eat meat again from this point. I had done the same thing with coffee a couple of years earlier. Once I recovered from the flu I thought about what I knew about change. As a former smoker, and having spent 12 years as mental health counselor who dealt primarily with addictions, and the last five years as a probation officer, I know a thing or two about preparing to make a change, making a change and maintaining that change (stages of change). Cold turkey, for lack of a better term, rarely works. This was a change I wanted to maintain long term so I knew I had to stage it, plan it and make the changes in a way that was going to help me commit every step along the way. Including finding support in making and maintaining my change. All this was going to take time.
I decided to start somewhat small, I would not eat meat from the point of my recovery on, I did not immediately stop eating fish. I wanted to have options while I figured out how I was going to maintain this change long term, and find my support. I set a goal date of 90 days to stop eating fish, after my annual coastal vacation. I kept this goal and have stuck to it. I gave up milk immediately, this wasn't difficult, I find I like almond milk better in my cereal. Giving up all dairy has thus far eluded me. I have been going out of my way to find dairy that is 'cruelty free' and cheese that uses non-animal enzymes but, thus far, giving up sour cream, butter and cheese has been quite a challenge. I have significantly cut down on all of the above. I haven't set a date yet to give up dairy, but I am working that way; the cognitive dissonance, once again is becoming unbearable, and my defenses are useless.
My family and friends, with a very minor exception, have been quite supportive. My devoted husband has happily eaten every vegetarian meal I have prepared at home. There will always be those people who don't understand or who don't want to understand. Most of my support has come in the way of online resources and books. To name a few: Vegetarian Times magazine, Forks Over Knives (book and DVD), Happy Herbivore (online blog and several cookbooks), on Facebook; Rip Esselstyn and Engine 2 Team, Why Veg, Our Hen House and Vegucated. All of the aforementioned I find to be helpful resources that are not what I consider to be 'over the top' with scare tactics and judgments, which seem to be the common tactics of some of the other groups and resources I have found.
With the growing season coming to an end, our own garden as well as the CSA shares will stop producing soon. I suspect winter in Ohio will be challenging as I will have to find other resources for fresh food. Food Inc ruined me for the grocery store!
More recipes soon!
Thanks!
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