Here I am, friends. I'm trying again.

[bertha katzenengel]

Except for a 5 oz filet & a crab cake at my favorite restaurant the other day, and sausage in a McEvil sandwich last week, I have been trying to go meat-free again, since about the middle of the month. I saw an episode of "CSI" that involved a chicken "processing" plant and I was eating the very bird on the bone at the time. That was it.

I wonder how long it'll be this time.

I'm told it's harder to quit meat than it is to quit smoking. I don't believe it, but it is tough.

For our Xmas dinner tonight, Mrs. V. found some pomegranate turkey breast at Whole Foods the other night, while I picked up some "Veat" in the shape of a half-chicken. (Why do they try to put this stuff into the shape of dead animals? :eyes:) I'll make some smashed potatoes and try my hand at squash. And maybe some Brussels sprouts.

Anyway, wish me luck.

[LeftyMom]

1. Good luck!

I thought it was kind of neat how they wove real footage into that storyline.

[bertha katzenengel]

2. I didn't watch the real footage - Mrs. V. told me to look away

during the scenes where they were abusing the birds. :cry: I can't look at that shit.

:hi:

[yewberry]

3. Hope it gets easier.

What do you think was hardest for you?

It's a really big change for many. People (or maybe society?) make it easier & more convenient to eat meat, so that is a pain. And if you're accustomed to food tasting/smelling/feeling a particular way, it's a major adjustment.

Is there something that you can pin down that can be changed to make it easier on yourself?

Best of luck!

[bertha katzenengel]

4. hardest thing is finding alternatives

if I can just stop thinking about meat - I'm so used to having it with almost every meal - and just think about veggies, I'll be better off.

I think. ???

I guess that's what I can pin down. Widen my vision of veggie-dom.

Sigh.

[Critters2]

6. There are lots of good fake meats out there. My SDA friends introduced me

to fake meats, and I eat them often. If you're used to building a meal around meat, these make the transition easier.

[yewberry]

9. That sounds like a tall order, Bertha!

When you say "finding alternatives," do you mean finding things other than meat to eat, or do you mean finding meat analogs that will satisfy you? I think they're two very different things.

I'm not a big fan of analogs (aside from Yves "balogna")--they're often too meat-like for my taste. You probably find the opposite is true for you (but as I said, I'm easy to fool on this one).

I guess widening your vision is a good idea, if you mean trying to incorporate a greater variety of different kinds of food. Do you have a favorite style of food that has lots of veg dishes? We eat plenty of Mexican, Indian, Thai, Middle Eastern foods--do you have some of these styles of food in your arsenal?

I really hope you're able to find a way to feel good. You seem pretty unhappy. I'm sorry.

Best to you--

[Critters2]

5. I have no trouble avoiding meat, because it all looks like dead animals to me

A parishioner is a resident at a sheltered workshop/home for the developmentally delayed. He invited me to their Christmas Dinner last week. The meal was fried chicken, ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, baked apples, with pumpkin pie for dessert. I ate the side dishes but passed on the meat and gravy. I so rarely eat where they're serving chicken on the bone that I'd forgotten what it looks like. So here I am, sitting at a table full of plates with chicken parts, and it was all I could do not to get sick. I mean, these people had dead bodies on their plates, and didn't think twice about putting it in their mouths. Ick!!

I think you have to be veg*n for a while before you reach my level of disgust, but I have no trouble staying away from meat. I find it disturbing to have an animal's body on a plate.

[CrispyQ]

7. Perseverance is noble.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Glad you're back. Good luck!

[peacebuzzard]

8. Hello Bertha. Your is a monumental decision.

Most of us here had to face that decision at some point. (I do not think any one here had veggie parents...if so, let us know.....)

but it is a decision that each of us must weigh at one point.....

and factor in all the critical points of the discussion...

To begin with, is the taste and craving to satisfy hunger on an immediate basis (or not.)

Good luck on your journey.... and report in often, please.

[NMMNG]

10. Best wishes

I've been tempted lately myself (and always by the unhealthiest stuff like breaded deep fried clam strips, ham and bacon). However I just keep reminding myself of the living creatures that had to die for those foods and grab something else.


You can do it!

[govegan]

11. All the very best luck, and much joy in your SUCCESS!!!!

Here is some help, humbly submitted with enthusiastic encouragement.

"An Inconvenient Truth: We Are Eating Our Planet to Death
Choosing a Plant-food Based Diet Is a Moral Issue"

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2006nl/dec/truth.htm

Is Change Realistic?

Al Gore wants us to switch to more efficient forms of transportation, not to give up our cars overnight. An enthusiastic campaign to reduce our dependency on livestock would not have as a primary goal making everyone become vegan (eliminating all animal foods); but more realistically, to cut the consumption of meat and dairy products—say, in half in 8 years. That could mean something as simple as asking people following the Western diet to consume on average two to three times more mashed potatoes (or other starchy vegetables) daily, instead of their usual animal-based foods—I believe this is not too much to request in order to save the earth!

Al Gore Does Not Discuss the Role of Food Animals

Not once during the 96 minute presentation, An Inconvenient Truth, did Al Gore mention animal foods as a cause of global warming or suggest any form of management of livestock as a solution. This oversight would be similar to not mentioning cigarette smoking in a discussion of lung cancer. With all due respect to Al Gore, I must speculate as to why he ignored this essential connection. Ignorance could not have been the reason. Catastrophic damage to our environment from livestock, especially cattle, has been recognized for decades. Nor do I believe his exclusion of this topic was for political correctness. His documentary is filled with unrestrained challenges to almost every segment of business and society. Al Gore is a brave and honest man, but he has human frailties, too.

**********

And your body will thank you. No disease exists or has ever been found in humans that is caused by lack or absence of animal products.