I realize that before my hiatus, I had taken on the VegPledge. I was able to do it successfully for the entire 60 days, but at the end I was very burnt out. It had been hard constantly planning dinners for myself around what the rest of my family was eating, when I already have a busy schedule with little down time. Since the VegPledge, I have been eating meat again. As always, it isn't everyday and it's always small in portion. At first, I felt bad about eating meat. I felt like I was letting myself down because I know that meat is hard on our environment and my body. The fact that I had started eating meat again contributed a lot to my hiatus because I knew that I had taken a step backwards. I have realized since then that although I would like to become a full vegetarian at some point, it will have to be on my own time, when I have my own apartment where I can choose what is in my refrigerator.
I have since decided that I can't let eating meat be a set back and stop me from remembering why I write this blog. I have realized that if you see everything you do as not enough, you will ultimately only be left feeling discouraged. I know now that I need to see all the steps I'm taking as progress and as a positive. If you don't let yourself win the small battles, you will give up the war.
I have decided to make a new pledge, though. The new pledge is, since I plan to continue eating meat, now I am only going to eat Grass-fed Beef. For any that don't know, this is apposed to corn-fed beef. I decided to do this after watching King Corn, a documentary about two men who move to Iowa in the hopes of growing one acre of corn. Once their corn is grown, they attempt to discover where their corn crop will go and what will be produced from it. What they learn is that much of the corn we produce is inedible, other then for cow feed and corn syrup, both of which contribute to our countries problems with obesity. After watching this documentary, I remembered how bad the beef we consume is; not only for our environment but for our bodies. Corn feed is bad for cow's stomachs and the meat their bodies produce is mostly saturated fat because of it. I have decided that I am pledging to only eat Grass-fed beef and I am going to stop drinking soda everyday. I'm going to cut way, way back.
I totally agree with you Cami! I’ve seen the documentary and it is a movie to watch. It is a somewhat low budget film but there is no price to the truth. From the agricultural industry, live stock industry, fast food restaurant, everyday grocery store to the food on our plate, if only our ancestors could see us now, they would not be proud. Just Imagine: The way of “farming” involves tons of pesticide, genetically modified corn to produce high yields at the cost of nutritional value, and to top it off being inedible unless processed. The way of the “meat-industry” using mass confinement of antibiotic injected cows who are fed foods we have modified that slowly kill. The “food” we eat and how corn plays a big ingredient for everything whether it’s the starch, high fructose corn syrup as sugar or even corn oil for frying. I’m sure if there was only a way to involve corn into fruits and vegetables it would be out there right now. But is this what we want? Sure, it’s only human to want cheap food but at what cost? Our lives? Our Earth? Think of all the problems we have caused ourselves: Diabetes, Obesity, f-ing corn in our Hair. Yet the saddest thing about all of this is how it just right there in front of us every day, in every bite we take, and every sip. This is not the American Dream I hoped for, what we have here is the American Nightmare.
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