Reflection Essay: The Journey Of Not Eating Meat

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I chose to stop eating meat this semester. I began the first week of school and have been vegetarian ever since. The last week I ate meat compared to now, I feel very proud of myself. When I began the journey of not eating meat I felt very light, and surprisingly had lots of energy. I realized I ate enough protein, with just beans, tofu, and vegetables. I read this article where it stated that the average american eats 80 grams of protein a day which is double the amount we need. Since I have eaten meat all of my life, I craved meat for quite a while, even now i still do. Also I turned to carbohydrates to fill me up, but I soon learned I didn’t need the amount of food I had been consuming over the years. I learned to control my portion sizes, …show more content…

We always eat; we eat when we are sad, happy, bored, at family outings, with friends, everyday, throughout the day. I don’t think people are aware of what we are consuming. How did this food come to my plate, what were the steps in getting it to my plate. In the mindfulness hershey kiss exercise we did in class, I became enlightened on the matter.. First the cocoa bean is hard to come by, but the process itself is even more tedious. This being said, I couldn’t even imagine the process of animal agriculture. Luckily, we had the opportunity to watch the movie, Food Inc. This documentary took us through how they raised and slaughtered animals, At this point I had been 3 months vegetarian and to tell you the truth, it was very hard to watch. But watching the inhumane acts that were being done to the animals was enough to keep me committed. Chickens should be able to see daylight in their lifetime, they shouldn’t be fed more than what they should just because we, humans, want bigger chicken breasts. Also the amount of drugs they inject in meat is so uncalled for. Cows should be grass fed, instead of being fed corn and other foods, that are …show more content…

I was surprised to find out mine was lower than the average American because of my decision to become vegetarian. Animal agriculture is a result to deforestation, global warming, pollution, ocean levels rising, and many more. It is the number one cause of CO2 emissions, higher than transportation and electricity. These facts and a few of my friends that are vegetarian and vegan are the reason why I decided to make a change with my eating habits. After learning how to properly sustain myself I began buying fresh ingredients from the Oxford Community Center, where I volunteer, and learned how to cook with meat alternatives, such as tofu, beans, and

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