Free Choice Topic 2-26

Since Dr. Webb gave us free reign on the topics chosen for this week's blog post, I've decided to write about my recent endeavor with changing up my diet by completely cutting out red meat.

First of all, I'd like to say that I'm so glad I've made this decision. I'm doing this because 1) I'm so disturbed by the meat industry and the way the animals are treated, 2) I want to live a long, healthy life, 3) Going along with the previous point, I want to lose weight, and 4) My gut tells me this is the right thing to do - and there's no better time than now. My anti-red-meat adventure started on Monday, February 17th, and after a little more than a week, I'm still going strong. I know that isn't very long, but it hasn't been that much of a struggle so far, and I'm confident I will never go back to eating red meat.

I've mentioned before that I grew up eating red meat of all types, often. As I've gotten older, I've slowly started to decrease the amount of red meat I consume. About 2-3 years ago, I started replacing ground beef with ground turkey and I loved the change. I felt better about what I was eating and I actually enjoyed the flavor more - it had much less fat, and that made a difference in the taste. However, I still would eat a steak every once in a while if we went out to dinner or a hamburger at a family cookout. The beef wasn't nearly as much of a temptation as the pork though. I LOVE HAM. My ideal pizza? Ham and black olive. My ideal sub sandwich? Ham. My ideal holiday meal? Ham. Although I've never been one to eat a lot of bacon, I still love the flavor and smell. Sausage, brats, pork chops - some of my favorite foods. Prior to this lifestyle change, I ate a lot of pork, especially in the form of my beloved, salty ham. Giving this up is proving to be the most challenging. However, I know I can stick to my plan. *By the way, my goal is to eventually give up ALL meat, even ground turkey, especially after seeing this.

I get a little sad when I realize another food that I cannot eat any longer. For example, I make some of the BEST homemade meatballs to top spaghetti. I can't make those anymore because they contain beef and Italian sausage. One of my favorite summer meals is a grilled, spicy brat with sautéed onion and pepper. Can't have that anymore. I have to be honest, this makes me sad.

I think I feel sad mostly because of the emotional connection I've always made with food. My family loves my meatballs. It's one of my specialties. The fact that I can't make those anymore makes me feel like I'm disappointing those that enjoyed eating them. Burgers, hot dogs, and brats cooking up on a grill creates the smell of summer. Summer is a time to spend with family and friends, and these foods go hand in hand with the good times.

As I continue on this journey, making more changes along the way, I hope I'm able to find a way to cope with my temptations and cut those emotional ties. I can still enjoy a lot of other good foods, I may just have to be the person that brings them to the party or cookout. Veggie tray, anyone? Fruit kabob?