What Being a Vegetarian Means to Me

As I was mentally composing this blog in my head while I was in the shower, I realized it sounded kind of like a standardized test essay portion. So I've decided to just go with it and title it appropriately! My mom watched the Forks Over Knives trailer I posted a few days ago and decided to start cutting meat out of her diet! Yeah Mom! As I listened to her talk about her diet, I realized that being a "vegetarian" means different things to different people. And I'm talking beyond the some eat eggs, some eat fish thing. I'm a solid vegetarian...I actually just passed my 2 year anniversary (please, no gifts!) yet I'm not truly happy with my eating habits. Cutting meat out of my diet isn't really where I strive to be. I want to eat only whole foods. That means more grains, more beans, and fruits and veggies. For example, I told my mom that she should try to cut preservatives and dyes out of her diet (we were discussing the Jillian Michaels book I've mentioned before (see the list to the left)) and she told me she wasn't eating that stuff. She had egg beaters for lunch... "eggs" that come in a carton and not a shell are not whole foods! While at the lake with my family, we were grilling out, hot dogs and burgers...American food...and my stepmom was thoughtful enough to get me some veggie (actually vegan) burgers. When I said they're weren't healthy, I heard a surprised, "They're not?". No, they're a fake meat with additives and thickeners. That's not a real food either! Being the vegetarian, as I'd like to define it, would mean eating whole grains (rice, quinoa, lentils, millet, oats--NOT General Mills whole grain cereal!), beans (at LEAST two cups a day), veggies (at least a cup of dark leafy greens a day) and fruits (being sure to "eat my rainbow!"). I'd like to limit the amount of dairy I consume to as little as possible. This is where I want to be. This is how I define being a "good" vegetarian. This is not where I am. I ate an entire carton of Ben and Jerry's this weekend (it was Pistachio Pistachio...can you blame me??) I had Papa John's not only for dinner last night, but also for lunch today. I DID have steamed broccoli, Greek Yogurt with organic raspberries, a 1/4 organic apple and a small glass of Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness juice too, so I'm not LIVING on junk...but clearly I'm not as close to my goal as I'd like to be. These last two days aren't my norm, I usually do have a cup a greens about 3 times a week and I DO eat fresh fruits and veggies at at least two meals a day. As I write this, I'm realizing how silly it all must sound. I'm the one who does all the menu planning in my house. I'm the one who does all the grocery shopping. If I WANT to eat like a "good" vegetarian, what's stopping me? Laziness, I guess. It's a lot more work to make a bowl of oatmeal or cream of millet for breakfast than it is to open a box of (albeit organic) cereal. I takes a lot longer to soak and cook beans than it does to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. So I guess it comes down to priorities...what's more important to me? My time, or my diet? Guess I'll answer that tomorrow at lunch.