Tuesday, September 6, 2011

The dilemma.

So I've been seriously contemplating going vegetarian.  I've talked a lot about vegetarianism and how D and I have done "No-Meat January" for the past two years.  Last year I finished reading The Ethics of What We Eat by Peter Singer and Jim Mason.  I was really impacted by the book and for a point didn't eat any meat unless I purchased it from Whole Foods.  For whatever reason, I was most impacted by the treatment of chickens and almost never order/purchase chicken.  D rags on me a bit about this because I did start giving back into eating bacon and sausage (not always purchased from Whole Foods).  Why?  Because pigs are so much smarter than chickens, so inhumane treatment towards them is tougher.  For a bit I have been thinking more about how I don't want to waiver between sometimes thinking about inhumane treatment of animals and sometimes not.  I really want to dedicate to going one way or the other.  I am definitely seriously considering going vegetarian, or pescatarian (only eating fish as a meat). 

Why pescatarian?  Well aside from the fact that I am obsessed with sushi, I am a runner (that's right, I'm claiming the title).  I really feel like I need that additional protein in my diet as a runner.  To be honest, I'm still pretty lazy and want to have fish as an option for grilling, eating out, etc.  I may want to phase out seafood eventually, but I figure a gradual phase out of other meats will suffice for now.

I need your help!  What books can you recommend on vegetarianism?  I'm trying to do my research and fully educate myself before I make the switch.  I want to have all the information.  I'm planning to re-read The Ethics of What We Eat.  Currently I'm browsing through:


I'm not loving this book so far.  The defense is basically that eating meat will kill you.  Cox provides lots of research and studies on how people that ate meat died at an earlier age.  Right now I am reading about the history of Mad Cow Disease.  It's semi-interesting, but mainly not convincing me.  I suppose I want to know more about the treatment of animals, which is why my moral cords are telling me it's not right.  I'm just not super worried about my health from eating meat.


I haven't started this one, but I think it might be more of what I am looking for.  I've got a lot more on my Amazon wishlist that I couldn't find at my library.  What books do you recommend?!  Cookbooks?  I've got the Vegetarian Bible Cookbook on my Amazon wishlist as well.  I need recipes that are easy and don't take lots of prep (because remember, I'm lazy!).  Send your recs my way!!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm looking forward to reading more about this on your blog!! I've flirted with the idea of going vegetarian b/c of the same reasons you listed. I might have to check out some of the books you mentioned.

Anonymous said...

I'm looking forward to reading more about this on your blog!! I've flirted with the idea of going vegetarian b/c of the same reasons you listed. I might have to check out some of the books you mentioned.

Claire Kiefer said...

I've been a vegetarian for like 16 years, and am happy to share ideas & recipes. I haven't read a lot of books on vegetarianism (though I did read Skinny Bitch), but the novel My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki (I think that's her name) is really good.

I don't think vegetarianism will be as hard as you think, especially with all the meat substitutes out there these days. I eat Quorn "chicken" all the time, as well as veggie burgers, Morningstar "sausage" patties, etc. I never even think about eating meat.

Good luck!!

Lacey in the City said...

I was really interested to read what you had to say on this one. About two years ago, I read Skinny Bitch. I really disliked the tone and the language of the book (yes, I do curse, but I don't like to read it every other word when I am in the mindset to learn something), however, the book offered a point of view in how animals are treated and with what they are treated (hormones, etc.) that completely soured my taste for meat for a while. I went the pescatarian route for the same reasons that you listed - I love sushi and I wanted protein - and I really enjoyed it. The mistake I made that knocked me off the wagon was that I wasn't taking iron supplements. When it came to be "that time of the month", I was weak and completely lethargic, and I also was craving red meat for practically the first time in my whole life (I was rarely a red meat eater ever).

I've considered doing this again, because I really still rarely order or buy meat (and if I do, although I am Catholic I will only buy kosher meat, because I know they are killed in a more humane way).

meghan said...

Yeah you're a runner!!

Just be careful and make sure you're getting enough protein. You seem to be doing lots of good research, so it doesn't seem like it will be an issue.

Christine said...

I too have been teetering for a while . I recently read Animals, Vegetables, and Miracles I was really focusing on eating locally. Which meant, I would only eat meat if it came from a local farm. So while out to eat it would limit my choices ( although I have a weakness for sushi and hibachi!) It may not be perfect, but ideally the quality of life for the animals is better.

Caitlin @ Candyfloss & Persie said...

I've always wanted to go vegetarian at least for a trial run. Problem is that I on the fence a) I'm obsessed with animals and b) I love eating meat... in fact, not eating meat usually heads me off into unhealthy eating habits (more processed food to make up for the lack of protein). SO I don't know but I know that one day I will try for sure. I love the idea of being a pescatarian. I wish you the best of luck with it! PS I like how your comments are called "sugar cubes", how cute!

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