Day 7

"Killing is a big deal... We tend to hide from this fact, but let's open our minds to it for just a moment. That was a life. Not it's dead. And it's in your body. These animals experience lives tantamount to humans being strapped into straitjackets, locked in cells, abused by jailers, awaiting nothing but death. Their God-given instincts are repressed and their very beings denied. And by the end, they know what's coming. Don't kid yourself. They can smell the blood. They can sense the fear. They can hear the other animals moaning. Wouldn't you understand, in their position?" The Kind Diet

That's enough to break your heart right there. I can understand how we're not all going to give up meat, and that's ok. Like I mentioned in my last post, I am not even saying I will never eat meat again. But, we can all start learning about the horrendous treatment of these animals. Their filthy living conditions, the despicable ways they are killed, the lives they never have, the jail-like conditions they spend every living day in and the impact this way of life has on our environment.

We choose where we buy our meat from---do we go to a local farm where they raise the animals, feed them what they are supposed to eat (and digest) and let them have space to roam or do we buy from Tyson and Perdue? When we give our money to these money hungry giants that think it's ok to treat animals this way we are saying "it's ok." I am guilty of doing this, I don't know anyone that isn't. I've spent my whole adult life buying chicken, pork and beef from the grocery store and buying "what was on sale." I am now researching different companies and paying more for organic, grass-fed beef and organic chicken. The next step for me will be to find local farms where I can buy meat from to ensure the animals are in fact treated the way the labels claim.

We rescue puppies from puppy mills because they are abused and treated this way. Their living conditions aren't much different from the photos below. For some reason we don't stand up for the pigs, chickens and cows like we do for the puppies. Why is it ok for them to live like this? We can all do something, will you?

Their sad reality. Could you imagine living like this?

7 days with no meat! Wow, I can't believe it's been 7 days that I haven't had one bite of chicken, steak, or bacon. I was telling Andy last night that it's been much easier than I thought it would be. Quoting The Kind Diet and writing how I feel about the quoted topics has really helped me stay committed. The more I think about how disturbing some of this stuff is, the easier it is for me to skip the meat.

I had an apple with peanut butter and some granola for breakfast this morning. My regular appetite is back and I'm going to have to start trying out some of the new recipes I've been bookmarking.
I had leftovers from last night's dinner for lunch. It was nice having something already made when lunchtime arrived. I think I'll be making lots of extra at dinnertime so I have already made lunches!

I went to yoga and since Andy wasn't going to be home for dinner tonight I just had the rest of my soup from Saturday and a salad.

It's 11:30pm and I'm starving! I might have to something before I go to bed because I think I'm too hungry to go to sleep like this.

I have to say, I'm really proud of myself. There have been so many times when I've wanted to try out the "no meat" thing and I always made excuses. "So and so is coming over for dinner","we're going out to dinner","we have a wedding"...blah, blah, blah. There is never going to be a time when you can't find excuses. I am so glad I decided to attempt this challenge because I proved to myself that I can actually do it!! I realize 7 days isn't that long, but it's the first time since I've been eating solid foods that I've gone an entire week without any chicken, beef or pork. I knew giving up the beef and pork (I don't really eat pork, just bacon occasionally) wouldn't be too hard, but I never would have thought I'd be able to give up chicken. Not counting this last week, I would bet my life that you'd find chicken in my diet nearly everyday for the last 10 years. When I think of it that way, it's pretty gross.

Moving into Week #2 I'd like to start incorporating juicing. I bought a juicer a few months ago and haven't used it much. I've made orange juice and grapefruit juice a couple of times. I haven't made any "green" juices or juices with vegetables, period. I'm upping the challenge to myself--for week #2 I will be experimenting with juicing everyday. I plan on starting with Kris Carr's "Make Juice Not War Green Drink." I mean, she basically cured her own cancer so it's probably a good place to start.

"Make Juice Not Wat Green Drink" Kris Carr
-2 large cucumbers (peeled if not organic)
-big fistful of kale
-big fistful of sweet pea sprouts
-4 – 5 stalks celery
-1 – 2 big broccoli stems
-1 pear or green apple (optional)
-1 inch of ginger (or less)

What I Ate Today:
1 apple w/ 1 tsp peanut butter
1/3 cup granola w/hemp seed
iced tea
3/4 basmati rice with 1/2 cup stir-fried veggies & cashews
handful of Fritos (BAD, I know!)
salad w/mixed greens, walnuts, red pepper, carrots and onion
1 cup broccoli cheese soup
1/2 peanut butter & jelly sandwich

I did not weight myself today