HW 11 - Final Food Project 1

For my final project for the food unit, i decided to try being a vegetarian. From watching Food Inc, and Fast Food Nation i have realized that just by eating meat, i am supporting an industry that is almost comparable to South American Slavery. The workers are put in dangerous positions, doing jobs that no one else will, for next to nothing, every day they risk life and limb to put food on their table. Especially watching the combination of the two movies, i first thought i would fast, but then i realized that i wont get anything out of that, so i decided to try and just be a vegetarian and see what happens if i try not to eat meat for as long as possible.

Day 1: So at the end of my first day of being vegetarian, i feel pretty good, i ate fruit and bread for lunch and had a peach after school for a snack, then i had tofu pad Thai for the Thai restaurant down the block from my house, then i had my last peach for dessert. I kind of wanted some chicken or something in the Pad Thai, but i feel rather good not having any.

Day 2: Today was another strong day, i still haven't had any meat even though my brother and dad had grilled chicken, i went out and got myself frozen veggie burgers. They are surprisingly dry, even though i had rice and beans on the side, it still didn't help, it wasn't the same thing as having a normal burger. At this point, meat still seems appetizing, but i don't really want it as much as i used too.

Day 3: Alright, so today was the deciding day, i wasn't vegetarian today, but the interesting thing is that up until dinner i was, and when my mom told me we were having sausage for dinner, i didn't want it. It didn't seem appetizing to me and i didn't want to eat it, and when i did it didn't taste as good as it used to.

Day 4: Another day of vegetarian, and i actually look at meat and i am strangely repulsed, i no longer think of eating meat when i am hungry, and i am actually feeling a lot more relaxed then i normally am. I know it has only been 4 days and one of them i actually ate meat, but the thing is that i don't feel the same way i used to. I don't feel as dependant on meat anymore, today me and Conor went to a Taco Bell and when i went in, i didn't want anything they had there, looking at the big shiny sign, with all the food that looks better then it normally would, i felt my hunger leave me. I no longer wanted to eat there, and instead of that i had a slice of pizza.

So after my brief experiment, I went in with strong doubts that i would be able to make it, and now all i can think of, is what can i eat that doesn't have meat in it. I want certain foods, like Sesame Chicken, but i want it for its texture, not its taste. I don't think i would eat the chicken if it were put in front of me right now. So after only 4 days, i no longer want to eat meat, i feel more relaxed and laid back, and i don't eat nearly as much as i used to. I used to always be hungry, but not so much anymore. The real question is why? It has only been four days and i already feel different then i used to and i feel like i no longer need to eat meat. Is this just a phase or something more. I feel like this actually uncovered more questions then it answered because i no longer know how i feel about the way i eat. I want to be healthy, but i don't know why. I no longer drink soda, i stopped eating white bread, and now meat. For soda it took me almost 8 months for me to not want it anymore, even though i still do sometimes, but meat, only 4 days. I haven't had a craving for any sort of meat in that time, and when i was actually eating it, i didn't want it. My next question is why? What happens if i keep being a vegetarian?