Finishing a Chapter in My Life
On my 11th birthday, September 2nd, 2006, I made the decision to become a vegetarian. I slowly weaned myself off meat so as to avoid the effects of a quick drop in protein in my diet and on October 31st, became a full-blown vegetarian.While I kept cheese and eggs in my diet, I stopped eating fish, poultry, and red meat.
There were interruptions in the journey. During one period of time, I lost nearly twenty pounds and as an eighth grader who was 5'0 and 95 lbs, this was a serious problem. I resumed eating chicken and fish in order to get myself back up to a normal, healthy weight and then began looking at more healthy vegetarian and vegan recipes to sustain myself for the long haul.
While I was never a vegetarian mainly for the animal rights aspect (though I totally support the cause), I did enjoy the new, healthier lifestyle. I ate healthier, less fatty protein, added more dark green veggies (kale, spinach, arugula) into my diet, started eating more whole-grain pastas, and learned to cook primarily vegetarian meals. Beans and tofu became staples in my diet and dinner wasn't complete with a salad and ginger dressing.
However, recently I've been questioning my vegetarianism. While I have absolutely no desire to return to a life of red meat, I do find myself longing for once-favorite foods such as sushi, chicken, and a turkey-filled Thanksgiving. And the more and more I miss these foods, the more and more I wonder why I deprive myself of them?
So as I finish up my senior year in high school, I think it's time to start incorporating some of my old favorites into my new diet. I plan to eat vegetarian for most meals, but I no longer choose to deprive myself of the foods that I haves longed for during the past six years. I really loved being a full-on vegetarian, but I think that the vegetarian chapter in my life is closing, at least for now. Who knows what might change in college or beyond that? I might become a raving PETA activist!
But for now, I'm looking forward to my first non-vegetarian meal in almost four years: sushi.