For the past three years the thought of eating meat has repulsed me. Prior to turning to a plant-based diet I was suffering from digestive issues which seemed to be worse when I would consume meat. Following a dinner containing meat I would wake-up in the morning and feel as though it was still in my stomach completely undigested.
I learned long ago to truly listen to my body. Three years ago my body was telling me to forgo meat and shortly after that to forgo gluten (which will always be absent from my diet). I know that is what my body needed because it told me so. So often people choose to ignore what there body is telling them…symptoms are there for a reason.
This summer my children and I went to visit my sister and her family near Tahoe and then my parents in Santa Cruz. While in Santa Cruz we went on a berry picking trip about and hour away and ended-up at an old family favorite for lunch, Barbara’s Fish Trap. When it came time to order I WANTED the clam chowder, so I had it and I enjoyed it.
I slowly began eating eggs more often than usual (I have always kept them in my diet) because I craved them.
Meat followed a few weeks later. Yep. Meat.
Please keep in mind that I am not talking about just any meat or eggs, I am consuming pastured meat and eggs. Meat from animals raised as nature intended. I do not think we are meant to eat meat from factory farmed animals because THEY are eating diets they are not meant to eat and by virtue of that WE are not able to process their meat well, nor are they as nutritious as they should be.
My foray into a plant-based lifestyle was made because my body requested it of me at the time. Will I always eat meat from this point forward? I am not sure. For now it feels nourishing. My body will tell me what it needs as I move forward and I will listen.
Is this admission going to upset some Veggie Grettie followers? I am sure it will.
That being said, I am still Veggie Grettie. Vegetables are still the absolute basis of ALL of my meals. Am I eating a huge slab of steak at each meal? NO, never in fact. When I eat meat the portions are small and appropriate.
Do I love animals? Yes and I always will. I respect and thank the animals that have provided nourishment for my family.
Peace and health,
Gretchen