I have been thinking about my goal all day and why I suddenly don’t feel like I am able to achieve it. I think that part of the problem for me is that I don’t do well when things are forbidden as in “I am no longer eating beef.” Now, all I can think about is eating beef. Yet I went 2 months without eating it. I suspect it is not going to be as good as I think it is or maybe it will be better who knows.
I am going to change my strategy. I am going to strive to have 2 meat free days per week and then gradually increase as my body is more able to handle the vegetables and beans. Right now, although meat causes inflammation it does not wreak havoc in my intestinal tract. So, I think this is going to be a much slower process than I had originally thought.
I was inspired at the grocery store as there was fresh okra. I love okra! It is one of my all time favourite veggies. I am going to make a soup with barley, okra, tomatos, eggplant, zuchinni and lots of onion some time on the weekend. Sounds good to me!
July 4, 2008 at 12:47 am
So you brought some Okra-homa!
July 4, 2008 at 2:28 am
the soup sounds yummy
July 4, 2008 at 4:09 am
Hi Chris! Yay for going vegi at least a few days a week. Oli & I don’t eat much meat here at home. I might be able to dig up some recipes or at least ideas for you… I don’t eat beef at all & hate dealing with raw meat. Even eating it when it’s cooked makes me a little squeamish unless it’s boneless & skinless with no gristle or fatty chunks. Guess I’m not designed to be a carnivore…
My favourite vegi dish is probably black bean chili. We add carrots, red peppers, corn, black beans, onions, garlic, whatever vegies you want, really. It’s got a few little things in the sauce that make it really good: a bit of wine, a bit of honey & tomato paste, plus cumin. The most important part is the fresh cilantro. Not sure how that would be for you to digest, but I love it…
I find the secret to vegetarian food is the seasoning, usually. You have to experiment with herbs & spices. I also add a lot of cheese to nearly everything… can’t live without dairy. I tried going vegan & I lasted 2 months…
July 4, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Hi Chris! I’m a friend of Lydia’s. She told me about your efforts to go vegetarian, and asked if I would comment on your blog.
I went vegetarian about 12 years ago and haven’t looked back since. In the beginning it was a bit difficult, because the mind thinks it needs meat to be full, and it seems that your taste buds will never be satisfied without meat foods. So, I allowed myself to eat seafood for about 3 months before my mind and body didn’t want that anymore either.
One thing that saved me is a cook book from which I cooked constantly. It’s called Romancing The Stove by Samariah Ramsen. Here is a link: http://www.omniluxcommunications.com/romancing_the_stove.htm. In the early days I cooked from here a lot. I still use the cooking techniques I found here. I hope you decide to give it a try, It helps a lot to have tasty things to cook when you are starting to go vegetarian.
Also, congratulations on your efforts! Know that your mind and body will co-operate with what you want eventually.
July 4, 2008 at 4:13 pm
One thing you might also do when you are eating meat, any meat but in your case especially beef, is have only a small amount. The usual suggestion is no more than 100 g. I know that’s not much, but then you would get the taste and feel but not too much quantity.
Great that you found a favourite veggie! As you note, it’s hard to say “no,” but if you can find things to say “yes” to, that should help.
July 4, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Actually that is what ended up happening as I fed about 1/2 the beef to the dogs.