Month Without Meat: Rules

I'm at home, which is probably a good way to start a project like this. I think typing out the guidelines I have in mind is a good idea. I'm doing this primarily because I can't stand the idea of animals being slaughtered. I know that eating meat contributes to that and that an animal (that I believe could feel fear) was killed sometime shortly before I buy its meat at the grocery store or restaurant. It makes me extremely unhappy and queasy. I grew up eating like an omnivore and I like eating steak just fine. But I can't have it in good conscience at this point. Everyone else in the world is free to make their own decisions, and I don't want to give anyone grief about their choice. This is mine.

This is also purely a test. I want to see if going without meat is painful or very difficult. I want to see if I can do something deliberately different for a whole month. I'd love to eat less meat. It's hard to imagine never eating it again, but maybe that's what this month will be the start of.

As I've mentioned this meatless month project to friends who are vegetarians to varying degrees-- there's a lot of alliteration going on; meatless month, varying vegetarians-- several have told me that there are immediate and long term health benefits, in particular from not eating beef. I haven't had the heart to look for that information since I was so scared by what I read about slaughterhouses, but I'm inclined to believe these people.

So, my rules for Meatless Month:
1) No meat. No beef, no pork, no poultry, no fish, no crab rangoon. Not even Krab rangoon, since that's made of fish.

2) I will only eat the cage free ones from the grocery store, and I will try to find a local provider of free range eggs. Having raised and kept chickens with my mom, I feel okay making the call that to me, eggs are not meat.

3) Milk, creams, cheeses, honey, and butter are okay. These might not be the healthiest choices, but I see them as products of animal life at human hands, not death (like gelatin).

4) Even if I start craving meat on day 2, I am not going to "celebrate" with a hamburger at the end of it all.

5) If Josh and I split a pizza and he gets pepperoni on his half, no big deal. He's said that he'd like to make us a vegetarian meal while I'm up there this weekend, though. Even asked his mom for recipe ideas! :} I love him. I'm making (and eating) tofu for the first time.

6) With my next paycheck I will get sissy gummy vitamins (since I know I will not take capsule ones) and dose appropriately.

7) Meatless month starts today, September 14. It ends Thursday October 14.