What have I gotten myself into?

I am challenging myself for a year. Really challenging myself. I don't know if it's because I'm slightly masochistic or really passionate, but I'm doing it. I am giving up meat (I can still eat seafood though) for a year starting today June 1st. I have my reasons for doing this. Having thought through them all and contemplating this for awhile (well about a month or more), I think I can do it. My reasons are as follow (in order of importance/impact):

1) It will broaden my horizons in the realm of food. I like a lot of foods, but to be honest, I'm a pretty picky eater. Since my earlier years, my palate for different taste and textures has grown. However, I often find myself getting tired of eating the same type of stuff over and over (mostly something with chicken). By doing this I am going to be forced into trying new things, which brings me to my next point.

Color, color and some more color.

2) Bye Bye Comfort Zone. Hello I-really-don't-want-to-do-this Zone. Like I said above, I am going to be forced into trying new things...even when I really don't want to.


3) Saving the environment. The meat production industry uses a lot of water to process meat. This is water that could be used somewhere else. The rain forest is mostly being cut down so that cattle have more room to graze. The amount of corn that is used during meat production is ridiculous. Land that is farmed for corn could be used for something else.

If my biology class taught me correctly, cows aren't supposed to eat corn, right?

4) Treatment of animals. Don't get me wrong. I love a good hamburger, some chicken or bacon anytime. I really do, but honestly I want something to have a semi-happy life before I eat it. I mean what if we were being farmed to eat? You would probably want a kind of blissful exist before the slaughter.


So those are my reasons. You can like them or leave them. Either way, I have started this journey. Be prepared for an entry every now and then about this, because I'm sure that when I go through the massive cravings, well, you'll know.

Tonight I will not review my experience, but hopefully there will be one at the end of all this. Wish me luck and keep smelling the roses!

Clauds