www.whyville.net Apr 11, 2003 Weekly Issue



TIKE
Times Writer

I've Given Up on Meat, Man!

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Who says the Times cannot be useful? When I read the article "Vegan and Vegetarian", something caught my attention. I have heard about vegetarianism before -- through the discussions in the Times -- but I had never really pondered it before.

The article gave useful information on this lifestyle, one that has become increasingly popular as people learn more about the agricultural industry. Personally, I have never enjoyed red meat, but I ate it nevertheless.

The article "Vegan and Vegetarian" made a challenge of carefully changing your diet for one week. I took her up on that challenge, and cut down on the meat products that I consumed. Eventually, I felt much better. I was still getting protein from other food sources, but was eating much healthier choices, such as fruits and vegetables.

With that week under my belt, I made the decision to become a vegetarian. However, I would do this process very slowly, since it is not healthy to jump right in ???- preparations have to be made.

I talked to some of my friends who were vegetarians, and many of them really helped. Giggler01 gave me some information on the lifestyle and helped me to distinguish which *type* of vegetarian that I am. You see, I will eat fish and *occasionally* poultry products to help maintain my balance of protein and other vitamins and minerals that come from consuming meat products. However, I will give up on all other meat products, including steak, ham, roast beef, hamburgers, etc.

It turns out that I am a pesco-pollo vegetarian. Many of you may well be unsure of what that means. Basically, a pesco-pollo vegetarian is a "semi-vegetarian": this term is sort of vague, because it could mean a number of things. I might mean someone who eats meat sometimes, like at Thanksgiving. It might also describe someone who doesn't eat a certain kind of meat -- say, beef -- but does eat another kinds -- say, chicken or fish. A more specific term for this is pesco-vegetarian (fish) or pollo-vegetarian (chicken). Combined, it would be pesco-pollo vegetarian.

I really do not see myself as missing out on anything and my family has been supportive of my choice. They understand that it is my body and my choice to give up meat products, and that there are other sources where I can obtain the protein that I need. Even if I go to a fast-food restaurant and cannot order a hamburger, chances are I can order a veggie-burger and I can always have fries, salads, or other foods.

So, why am I doing this? It is fundamentally for the general health reasons, and I believe that I can discover new and healthier food choices in the process. Who knows! I might even change my diet in the future... either becoming a strict vegetarian or later realizing that vegetarianism is not for me.

Some Birds,

-TIKE

 

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