Don't you just love pork? Especially when you get a big mouthful of chewy, greasy fat tissue? Or how about those charming little arteries you find so often in chicken? And don't forget the sticky, stringy connective tissue thoroughly woven through beef or the slimy skin present on seafood, not to mention the rubber-like cartilage present in all meats. Don't even get me started on the crunchy bits in hamburgers.
My mother makes a wonderful meat entree, don't get me wrong, but apparently I have a knack for picking out the most disgusting piece of meat possible when I chow down. Sure, plenty of other foods are reprehensibly gross - like onions, butter and nacho sauce - but the little "surprises" I find so often in meat are just a few of the reasons I made the decision to become a vegetarian.
According to the Vegetarian Resource Group's Web site, approximately 6 percent of Americans self-identified as vegetarians in a 2003 survey.
The classifications of such people include lacto-ovo vegetarians, who eat dairy and egg products; ovo-vegetarians, who eat no meat or dairy but do eat egg products; and lacto-vegetarians, who eat no meat or eggs but do eat dairy products.
Of these individuals, many are vegans, which means they do not consume meat, eggs or dairy products, and often no honey as well. Vegans also usually avoid using silk, wool and leather products, since they are derived from animals.
I admit that I initially thought of vegetarians as radical extensions of the Birkenstocks-and-doobies crowd, but as with anything, the more understanding I gained about the subject, the more I let go of my inaccurate stereotypes.
Vegetarianism is a choice, and I don't profess to try to push it on others, but I have come to view it as an excellent idea and very healthy dietary lifestyle.
It's been a long process, but I've been able to cut out beef, pork and poultry. The final frontier is my personal favorite, seafood. It's not easy, but if I - the girl with less willpower than a gambling addict - can do it, anyone can.
By the way, isn't it interesting that before the slaughter, animals are called pigs, cows and chickens, whereas after they're killed, they become pork, beef and poultry? That filet mignon is still a cow, plain and simple.
Many people questioned how I was going to get enough protein as a vegetarian. The protein that many think would be missing can be found in foods like hummus, soy products, beans, grains and many vegetables. In fact, it's what's missing from vegetarian diets that makes them healthier: mainly the saturated fats and cholesterol from animal products, which are the main culprits behind heart disease, obesity and other illnesses.
Another issue that is important to consider is that of getting enough variety in one's daily diet. Even if you choose to eat meat, a wide range of food types is required for the body to ingest a healthy amount of necessary nutrients.
Chips and a hot dog for lunch, followed by chips and a burger for dinner aren't healthy - even if they're veggie burgers and "good dogs." Toss in a fruit salad once in a while, eh?
Write to Marie at
mmzatezalo@bsu.edu
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