I was a vegetarian for half of my 20s. At that time, to me being a vegetarian simply meant you were on a diet, and I was never not on a diet. Being a vegetarian was especially convenient when sitting in a restaurant with a bunch of people, where I would be under peer pressure to participate in eating activities. Because if pressed by some overly curious person (OCP), we could then have the following conversation–
OCP: You only ordered a salad? Are you on a diet?
Me: Uhh…no. I’m a vegetarian actually.
OCP: Oh, didn’t realize that. Why did you become a vegetarian?
Me (looking dignified and saintly compassionate): To save the animals from being eaten, you bastard!
At least that was how the conversation would play out in my head.
Obviously it wasn’t the best reason to become a vegetarian. But I contest that mine wasn’t the worst, either. On this week’s BananaOnFire, I talk about several legitimate-sounding reasons for vegetarianism that are in fact dubious, including
- Health.
- Karma (as in “eat now, be eaten later”).
- Animal cruelty.
- The planet earth.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s a terrific idea to not eat meat, for some people. Similarly, it’s a terrific idea to go low carb, gluten-free, raw, alkaline, and ___insert your favorite hip food trend___… for some people. How do you know if you are one of them? Keep an open mind, be willing to experiment, and always, always… LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.
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