the accidental vegetarian

One year ago today, I accidentally became a vegetarian. Now, I consciously made the decision to not eat meat on Aug. 13, but Aug. 10, 2009, was my last day as an official omnivore.

I remember getting to the three month mark and wondering when it would get easier. I remember going to the grocery store and ordering cheese from the deli counter and having intense cravings for a turkey sandwich. I remember driving home from work completely starving for whatever reason and wondering if it would be worth it to throw it all away on a six-piece Chicken McNugget order from McDonald’s. 

But then I realized how good I felt. How I wasn’t waking up nauseated every day, and how my digestive system was working normally for what seemed like the first time in my entire life. I gained a few pounds (OK, 13) as I learned not to substitute pasta for the heaviness of meat I was used to, but I dusted off the Wii Fit and walked a few miles a night and got myself back on track. 

For the first time in my life, I paid attention to what I ate and where it came from. Cutting out meat not only forced me to eat healthier by default (not too many vegetarian options are available via fast food drive-throughs), but it made me more conscious of my diet in general. And once my eyes were opened to the importance of what kind of food I was putting in my body, I watched Food Inc. and realized that where that food came from was important as well. 

So we joined a CSA to ensure the bulk of the food that I ate was grown locally and naturally, and found ourselves in the middle of a culinary adventure that presented us with a mystery box of vegetables each week and we learned to cook things we never even knew existed before (I’m looking at you, kohlrabi). 

And here I am, a year later, and it all seems so natural. I still want to cry when I pass a truck of cows or pigs on the interstate, but not out of guilt anymore. And every once in a while, like last week when Ian reheated some barbecued ribs, I’ll wonder if I could just eat meat every once in a while. But then I remember how I have stopped taking both of the stomach medications I had previously taken for almost 12 years, and how much healthier and happier in general I feel, and I know I can’t go back. 

I also need to give props to three people here who have been tremendously supportive of my vegetarian endeavor:

• Ian, for being a meat-and-potatoes guy at heart but still cooking the bulk of my vegetarian meals. I don’t ask him to not eat meat, but he does eat more vegetarian than not at home now. He’s a naturally great cook and has come up with some really tasty ways to cook various vegetables—a feat considering some of the crazy things we’ve gotten in our CSA box.
• Lesley, for being what essentially feels like my Vegetarian Sponsor. She’s sent me recipes, given me pep talks (and a great cookbook!) and answered countless questions about vegetarian life. 
• Tracie, Ian’s dad’s wife, for accepting my new diet so enthusiastically when she cooks for us at family dinners and always being up for trying out a new recipe (her grilled portabella mushrooms became a fast favorite of mine).

And thanks to all the rest of you who have been supportive, as well as those of you who have made fun of me—both are equally encouraging that I am doing the right thing for myself. :)