Anybody would become a vegetarian after watching a harmless stray dog get stripped of it’s skin (while alive) and cooked right there on the street. The sound of that dog screaming still haunts me to this day… and that was 12 years ago.

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On that day 12 years ago, I decided I would never eat meat again. How could I contribute to such monstrosity? Such cruelty? And for my own enjoyment? I didn’t even like meat that much!

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A good friend of mine, whom I met in school, was a vegetarian, so I figured I could do it, too. And I did, but my body definitely paid for it.

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Not eating meat was the easy part, even if the only vegetarian options typically came down to french fries or nothing (turns out living in poverty and being vegetarian isn’t the best combo). Getting decent nutrition was the hard part. I wasn’t eating veggies for every meal or drinking protein shakes (I tried, but boy are they gross); I was eating pizza and pasta and tofu fried rice… and french fries.

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While my mom did her absolute best to accommodate my dietary changes (bless her), my body needed more. Turns out being vegetarian doesn’t make you healthier, even if you have good intentions.

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Now that I’m older and wiser (and cooking at home more), I realized I was severely lacking nutritionally. My body was trying to tell me (fainting spells, skin discoloration, acne, increased infections), but I refused to listen. I won’t eat those poor animals!

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But… those animals have exactly what my body needs… protein, iron, vitamins… nutrition. What we all need to survive… turns out I was barely surviving, let alone thriving.

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But, funny enough, when I met my boyfriend several years ago, he started eating less meat while I started eating more meat. He got me to try fish (a lobster roll, which was 6/10), but that led me to eating fish more often… mainly salmon and tuna. I feel less guilty eating fish than I do other meats like chicken or beef. I feel like fish are meant to be eaten, that’s their whole role… bears eat fish, so I’ll try the bear diet. Berries and salmon, sure! Chicken and beef though,… still give me pause.

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I tend to eat meat two to three times a week now (mainly fish and turkey), but when I feel like I need something more substantial, like beef, it must be grass-fed, high-quality, and well-raised. When I got an astrology reading and understood the energetics of my body, I realized I do need meat. Some body types need more meat than others, and while I don’t need more meat than most, I do need meat regardless; I need that animal protein for my health, my skin, my immune system.

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Turns out, protein is a pretty big deal; we literally need it to survive, and I was severely lacking in protein… tofu can only do so much. Protein is derived from the Greek word meaning “of prime importance”; it is the living part of all animals and must continually be replaced. It’s 100% possible to be vegetarian, healthy, and get adequate amounts of protein, but that wasn’t my story. I was an unhealthy vegetarian who finally realized eating meat is okay; it all depends on the person (and the life of the animal). No one is morally terrible for eating meat.

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But maybe… maybe when you’re eating meat, thank the animal for its nutritiousness and deliciousness. Hopefully, it lived a good life.

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✧☽

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Song I feel jives well with this episode:

Thoughts by Another Human full playlist:

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