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[teacup_lotus]

 I've been a vegetarian since I was thirteen years old.  It started when I was in the eighth grade, inspecting chicken wings and sheep hearts in lab.  I went to lunch shortly after, took a bite of a turkey sandwich, gagged, and realized I couldn't eat anymore.  My mom wasn't thrilled (I was already underweight at the time), and continually

Comments

[teacup_lotus]

Most American sheep are treated very poorly when their wool is harvested. They are crammed in tight quarters; the people who shear them often aim for expediency rather than humane treatment--which means they often suffer from cuts that get painfully infected.

Silk involves taking a ton of silkworms and boiling them; the silk is then extracted from the dead bodies. I still am not going to buy wool or silk because I see them as unnecessary cruelties--boycotting them doesn't affect my health. Synthetic fabrics serve my purposes just fine; they tend to be cheaper, too.

Honey, though--I don't see that as harmful to bees.

[teacup_lotus]

I feel that I should back up my statements.

About sheep: Ingrid Newkirk's book Making Kind Choices describes raising and shearing sheep better than I did, on page 102 (you can see it on Google Books).

About silk: "...the cocoon is treated with hot air, steam, or boiling water. The silk is then unbound from the cocoon by softening the sericin and then delicately and carefully unwinding..." From http://www.texeresilk.com/cms-silk_making_how_to_make_silk.html#reeling_the_filament.

Not that you need to read these, but I hate to make claims without citation. I wish I could find more information through government and college websites, because I trust their data better, but no one really wants to talk about it.

[milk_maid]

Honey, even when Ada went vegetarian, she couldn't resist the bacon.

If you are going to bring some meat back into your diet, there are healthier options. Maybe start with some deep sea fish. Lean protein + omega 3s = good for Dju Dju.

[teacup_lotus]

LOL, I'd forgotten about Ada and the bacon. What is it that makes it so delicious?

I'm actually going for the red meat because of the high iron content. (My energy levels have shot through the fucking roof in the last few days alone.) I can't stand the taste of fish, for some reason.

For omega 3's, I'm going with fortified free-range eggs. I don't plan on eating lots of meat--I still won't buy it unless it's ethically produced, which greatly reduces my options anyway. If I start putting on an unhealthy amount of weight, I'll have to be more careful about how I eat, but right now I'm going to the gym every day, lifting weights and doing cardio, which I think is helping.

[milk_maid]

Excellent! It's good that you are only introducing a little meat into your diet. First, Americans eat too much meat in their diet anyway, so we should all be eating less. Second, your digestive track isn't accustomed to eating meat, so introducing a lot of it back into your diet could give you some intestinal difficulties. I'm super glad that your health is improving! Yay for Dju Dju!

[teacup_lotus]

<3

[gooshgoo]

I. FREAKING. LOVE. YOU.

SO. MUCH.

:-D

[teacup_lotus]

Love you, too, bb.

[thelican]

I've been there! Introducing animal proteins back into my life after 12 years as a vegetarian, two of them as a vegan, was tough at first for all sorts of reasons. But, seven years later, I do think it's been a good thing - and yeah, thank god cruelty-free animal protein is relatively easy to get these days.

I love your story about the bacon. You sound quite sane.

So, hey. I found you via wolodymyr, who is great, and you seem great, too. I'd especially love to hear about any adventures in teaching you have. (I veer back in forth between teaching lit and writing to high school and college students.)

Mind if I friend you?

[teacup_lotus]

Hi, there! Friend away--I'm really flattered that you asked.

I'm not teaching yet; right now I'm working in an oncology research lab. But once I start, I'd be happy to share experiences with you. I almost majored in English, but I decided to stick with the sciences. I'd be curious to hear about teaching high school lit.

Happy New Year!

[thelican]

Excellent!

Happy New Year to you, too!