War & Vegetarianism.

Hunting is, after all, a form of war; at least I would think so if I were an animal .- Judith Koll Healey

As I laid in bed, beginning to doze off under my snug and toasty comforters surrounded by my eclectic variety of smooth and soft pillows I read the statement up above, and immediately became attentive. Okay, this quote really has nothing to do with the book- nor does it actually have any relevance other than the fact that I immediately thought to myself... Yeah! Good point historical fiction novel!

When I answer the ever popular question of... "why in the world do you not eat meat... are you insane?" I like to give the person who is scowling at me a big ol' smile and say... "well why do you eat meat?" I then go into a short and well performed informative speech on how I am absolutely not a crazy PETA protester( however amusing they may be), but I do think gnawing on flesh and fat is absolutely disgusting. The person then makes a grimace at me completely put off by my word choices of gnawing & flesh and I think to myself... yeah that grimace is how I feel when I see you taking a chunk out of animal carcass!

Now, I am a firm believer in every man for himself, as long as it isn't having a negative affect on those around you. So, if you eat meat, I am not going to start yelling at you nor debating the fact that meat gives protein and iron and it's part of the circle of life and blah, blah, blah... But, I will just say now, I run every day and work out and lead a very active life... and I do it all without meat! And, no I am not wonder woman, well maybe I am but that's beside the point, tons and tons of people lead incredibly active and healthy lives without eating meat! That's pretty exciting- it can be done!

The trick is, to go into vegetarianism full heartily and just jump in. I was on and off for a while before I actually got the hang of it, so just do it already!

Here are my tips and tricks for those of you out there who want to stop waging war on animals...

1. Take an iron tablet- no questions asked...just do it. Lack of iron in your blood can cause serious problems so yeah, take an iron supplement!

2. Calcium is extremely important, and the more of it you have... the more your body absorbs iron! Eating things like spinach( yum), broccoli (yummiest), and even sun flower seeds will give you more calcium in your diet! Fantastica!

3. Don't live off of protein powder and protein bars... while they do play a huge part in my diet... you also need more natural forms of protein... tofu, soy milk, soy beans (edamame), and if you eat eggs those are a great source of protein as well, soy cheese/ real cheese ( depending on the kind of veg head you are), beans, & peanut butter/ soynut butter! Just make sure you get some natural protein!

4. Take vitamins... again do it! This is not only because you are a vegetarian, but because vitamins are an amazing thing my friends and will keep you healthy and happy. : )

These are just some basic tips... but they are ones that I have learned from experience are extremely important.

Just remember... the animal you are eating does in fact come from a family of animals... and they do in fact have a nerve system so they feel pain. Now, I know all of you are going to hate me for this statement, but think about your pet... be it dog or cat or chinchilla or who knows what... imagine it playing with you, imagine the bad mood you can tell it's in, or when it's sick and lays on the floor just waiting for you to rub it's stomach...now imagine killing it and eating it. That's what eating meat is. It does not matter what animal it is... you are killing a living, breathing, feeling animal.

Vegetarianism doesn't just give you a clean consciousness of knowing that you aren't killing your dog, but it's healthy! Stop eating fat and flesh, and join me in a lifestyle of health and a clear mind!