So! As I mentioned last time, I have become quite the addict to healthy food blogs, which went as far a to tempt me to purchase the book Skinny Bitch last weekend. It definitely was not was I was expecting.
Far from the generic and typical advice I expected to read, this book actually was very informative and well-referenced. The flaky title definitely tricked me. Within a few pages I was intrigued to learn all about how bad certain things were that I ingest on an almost daily basis. First they discuss sugar and aspartame and how both are bad (i.e. don't drink don't soda or diest soda). A bit later they discuss meat and dairy, which were the chapters that hit home for me.
I have been thinking for a while now of trying to go veg (just meatless for now) and I think this book pushed me to finally do it. They basically give many reasons and excellent resources which explain the many benefits of a veg diet, including 1. health 2. cruelty to animals in the agri/ dairy business in the US (at least) 3. enviroment 4. feeding the hungry. I won't give the long-winded version. Let's just say their book (and the other veg resources, such as goveg.com were very convincing). Alas I have started a thirty day trial of a meat-free diet. I'm on day 5.
I'm not going to say its easy (although I am still eating some dairy, so it isn't as hard as going vegan yet (although one day I might)), but as a person who has never really felt an overwhelming need to eat meat (and has purely eaten it out of convenience), it hasn't been extrmely hard. But I'm only on Day 5 and Thanksgiving is next week. A Turkey I can't eat staring me in the face has never happened to me before.
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I hope if there's anyone out there who actually reads this, you don't think it's flaky of me to discuss my personal health or eating habits in a blog mostly dedicated to intenational/ UK/ US social and political issues because for me (as I've said before) the personal is political.
Health, feeding the hungry, cruelty to animals and the environment are all issues that should be front and center in every politically aware person's mind on the planet. So vegetarianism is definitely a relevent topic of discussion for this blog (my continuing education) I feel.
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Health care for one, may be changing in the US fairly soon, with Harry Reid (Senate Majority Leader) coming up with a new bill, which will insure many of the uninsured and will (supposedly) protect people from vulcherous insurance companies. The bill will soon be up for debate and a vote... which needs all democrats and two independents in Senate to get passed.... let's keep our fingers crossed, because at this point even an inch forward is still better than being stagnant or going backwards (as happened when Bush was in office).
Anyways that's it for today, I will update as to how the veg diet is going:)
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