Vegetarian: From Picky Eating to Perfect Health

I haven't always been a vegetarian but I was always a picky eater. My mother says I was never much of a meat eater even at the age of three I picked the chicken out of my chicken noodle soup and I'd give it to the dog.

When I became an adult I was cautious of the meat I bought and ate. I wouldn't buy anything with visible veins, fat or blood and I over cooked everything. People would say it was the texture of meat that turned me off but what they didn't know was that I am an animal lover at heart. I feel as though humans were not meant to kill and eat flesh. The more often I ate meat the more I pictured those innocent animals being slaughtered.

Over the course of several years I slowly cut out meats one at a time until I was maybe eating it once or twice a month and I was still picky.

I have been a vegetarian now for six years now. For me, although I ate meat sparingly, turning into a vegetarian literally did happen overnight. I bit into a pizza that I didn't know had chicken on it and I wanted to vomit. I hadn't had chicken in over twenty years! I threw that pizza away and II haven't had any meat since that night.

Years ago a famous actress was on a talk show and she was asked how she stayed so healthy looking. She too, didn't eat meat. She said she listened to what her body told her. I believed what she said had merit and after some serious thought I began to live my life listening to my body. To this day, I believe that your body has the ability to tell you what it needs for nourishment. It tells you this in the form of cravings. We all have them but we don't all really dig deep down inside ourselves and listen. My body tells me every day what it is lacking. I crave meat, sure, but its not meat that my body is telling me that I need, it's the protein. I can satisfy that craving with another form of protein such as nuts, salmon, beans and even cheese. I know when my body lacks in vitamins and minerals. I go on a salad kick for about a week then I've had enough and move onto the next craving. And yes, as we all do, I crave sweets. I have learned that it is not that slice of cake that I need, it's the glucose and the sucrose, the sugars.we are lacking. I find a cup of tea or a small bowl of yogurt will take care of that.

Soups are still my favorite and are a big part of my life today. I can meet my nutritional needs and satisfy my cravings of protein with fish or clam chowder or get my vegetable cravings taken care of with a vegetarian vegetable or my new favorite, butternut squash bisque.

Last I would like to share that my yearly physicals find me the picture of health. In the last six years my cholesterol and blood work are spot on. I am incredibly healthy and I believe that it's all because I am a vegetarian. I am living proof that humans do not need meat in their diets to live and be healthy and I'm proud of it.