As odd as it might sound, a little over a month ago, I felt like God told me to fast meats for 21 days. As a card-carrying “meat and potatoes” man, it was a bit of stretch but I did it. I’ve been happily eating meats again for a couple of weeks now but I thought I’d share what I learned through the experience. Here’s what I discovered…
- I love meat but I can live without it. I was sort of shocked about how easy it was for me to just stop eating meat. The hardest part was figuring out what in the world to eat. All my favorite joints specialize in meat. Once I got into a routine though, I sort of forgot about it. Now, I will confess that, to my shock and horror, I actually accidentally ordered and consumed a pork sandwich at Rico’s one day because I just wasn’t thinking. I now refer to that as the world’s only vegetarian pork sandwich. That was, however, my only lapse in judgment.
- People actually go to Sweet Tomatoes. During my fast, I finally discovered a use for the Sweet Tomatoes restaurant. I guess that’s their marketing strategy. Judging from the folks that were there, they evidently serve vegetarians, women on diets, the elderly and the infirm. They are expensive but I will admit that they’ve got an amazing vegetarian black bean chili. (That’s something I never thought I’d say.)
- Without meat most food isn’t worth eating. My appetite went way down over the three weeks. My serving size also dropped pretty dramatically. I just didn’t care that much about food.
- Peanuts will power you up. I got really sick of peanuts by the end of my fast because that’s the only nut that I’ll really eat and I ate a lot of them! They sure helped me with my protein needs along the way.
- Meats are a drag. I don’t know if it’s the meat itself or the serving sizes I eat when I eat stuff with meat in it but I felt a lot better with meat out of my diet. In fact, when I started reintroducing meats back into my life I felt my energy levels drop pretty heavily. I persisted though because some things are important.
The bottom line is that I’m going to cut back on the amount of meat I eat. I will not be a vegetarian, however, because a life without chicken, beef and pork just isn’t worth living.
I gave up beef nearly 10 years ago on doctor’s orders. The Dr also asked me to stop pork. Because of Bacon that only lasted a couple of years. Living in Texas was hard without beef. :) thanks for sharing.
“I felt a lot better with meat out of my diet” – Crazy talk. Thats just the lack of meat talking.
I have had to cut back on the amount of protein in my diet as recommended by my doctor. It sure is an incentive when it is either that or more kidney stones! Isn’t it funny how the thought of pain will make you change a habit?