Out of the Meat Locker, Part Deux

Well, I’ve been working through something for a little over a week and thought it was time to tell you guys.  I’ve been trying to figure out how to put it in words accurately for about a week now, so I’m just going to lay it out there.

As of last Saturday evening, I am no longer a vegetarian.  I always said that I would only do it as long as I felt led to, and suddenly, I no longer felt led to.  It started a couple of weeks ago…and I don’t know why particularly, but I was starting to feel pretty conflicted about it.  I tried to take a nap last Saturday and couldn’t…I was thinking about it too much.

I’ve taken worse care of my body in the last year than I have in my whole life.  I’ve gained twenty pounds, I’m lethargic, achy, and can’t get motivated to take any action or do anything.  While I don’t believe that God’s original intent was for us to eat meat, I also don’t think that I’m being a good steward of my body if I’m not taking care of myself for the sake of something that God expressly told us that we could now have.

We got Chinese food on Saturday night last week and I got some egg drop soup…my stomach had been bothering me all day, and it was almost like magic how it calmed down once the chicken broth hit it. 

I’ve been doing a lot of reading on different diets this week:  Weston A. Price, Primal Eating, South Beach, Mediterranean, Clean eating, etc.  I’m quickly coming to the conclusion that different bodies are suited for different eating styles.  Some people thrive on a vegetarian/vegan diet with lots of soy; others don’t do so well.  I’ve been reading a lot on soy and its effects on the body.  From what I’m reading, it’s definitely not good for me.  And, for the past year, I’ve been eating copious amounts of tofu, soymilk, veggie burgers, etc.  I’ve been shooting myself in the foot, making me feel terrible about myself but feeling to listless to do anything about it.

So, I took a critical look at myself, at whether or not I was making vegetarianism into an idol of sorts, making myself feel like I was a better Christian because of it while letting my body, my “temple,” fall apart.  I felt guilty about it at first, and I guess to some degree, I’m still working through that.  I’ve been thanking God for the animal who died to provide my food when I eat, and that seems to be helping some right now.  When we’re able to accurately examine our finances again, I want to start looking to buy pastured eggs and grass-fed chicken and beef.  At least that way, I know that they were allowed to live as they should have been allowed to live.

So, there you have it.  I’m looking forward to increased energy and motivation.  I’ve missed it.

What part of Shelli is this?