Confessions of an Accidental Vegetarian

Well, technically I'm not a vegetarian .. I'm a "Pollo-Pescaterian" .. and no that has nothing to do with any sort of religious affiliation. Just means I don't eat any meat except seafood and, occasionally, chicken.

I never set out to become a vegetarian. I have no issues, be it political or emotional, about people consuming meat products. It just kind of happened, because of my dietary restrictions.

I'm also a big texture person. If something has a weird or fleshy texture .... BLECH!!! It makes me gag.

But now that I'm here and I have a title for my eating habits, I am enjoying researching all the possibilities in which this entails! I have mentioned in another post that I have many vegan and vegetarian friends. Some, like me, just decided to eat the way they wanted and don't have really any other motive.

I'm not a member of PETA and I won't send them to your door if you eat a steak! :) I haven't really had moose or caribou, which are big in Alaska. I'm not opposed to trying it either. I figure the less it's processed, the better it will be.

However, now that I'm actually listening and paying attention to what food does to my body, I have found myself with a new title with my eating. And it's interesting.

It has been over a month since I have been super strict about my dietary needs. And, though, only today have I seen the weight loss benefits from that, I started seeing other things within a week. I wasn't as bloated, my stomach wasn't hurting, my headaches had dwindled, my body felt better, my acne was clearing, my hair wasn't as brittle. One would think this way of eating would be a no brainer with all those positive things.

But, let's be honest, not being able to have yogurt, ice cream, a candy bar, a grilled cheese sandwich, and various other comfort foods that are yummy once in a while, just plain downright sucks sometimes. Especially when I really really really want something sweet and I have to settle for a banana! That's crap!

But, if I am feeling better, then it's an easy decision. There have been many moments in the past month that I have just thought to myself, "Oh one won't hurt." Not true.

I know that with one simple bite of cheddar cheese that I will wake up the next morning with the extension of the Rocky Mountains forming on my face. I know that with one slice of pizza I will feel and look nearly 14 months pregnant for a week. I also know that for one intangible split moment of satisfaction from a bite of a chocolate bar I will pay for it with a splitting headache.

I'm a vegetarian .. I mean Pollo-pescetarian by accident. But it is what it is. We all have to eat the ways our bodies are telling us to. God designed us all differently.