The Vegetarian Experiment – The Happy Rock Goes Veggie In January

That’s right, the whole Happy Rock Garden is going vegetarian for the rest of January. I mentioned that I am not fond of resolutions, so here is an example of one way to spark change without resolutions. Experiment! I will track being vegetarian for the month and the associated costs. Updates when appropriate.

I got the idea from Steve Pavlina’s 30 day raw food experiment. Even though his experiment is quite off the beaten path, I am finding his raw food chronicles extremely interesting. Like most things in life there is a path that has gotten me to the point were I am willing to give up meat. I personally love meats of all kind, even Scrapple! I not even ‘doing it for the animals’.

Why am I doing it then? Here is why:

First and foremost I have seen the benefits of eating healthy. In the college cafeteria I must have had 2-3 plates of French Fries and multiple deserts each day. Since I met my wife, I have eaten more and more healthy with each passing year. With each passing year my energy level, mental clarity, and emotional states have seen equally positive results. We already eat vegetarian dinners 1-2 nights a week, so the change won’t be as extreme as you might think.

I have experience a body of evidence that has piqued my interest as to the positive health benefits as eating very healthy. Things like the potential for less colds, injuries, cancers, and weight along with positive benefits like more energy, vitality, sex drive, mental faculties, and a positive emotional disposition. Interesting science data like this chart that compares human anatomy to that of carnivore, omnivore, and herbivore that seems to support that humans are designed to be mostly if not all herbivores. Books like The China Study and Eat to Live are also very intriguing. We even have friends of ours who tried the Eat to Live diet for a while and reported feeling better than they ever had.

Lastly, why not? I am grateful to live in a country that affords me the ability to try out better ways of living. If I miss meat or don’t see the benefits, it is only a couple weeks. The process and the learning will be quite valuable.

We started on Monday the 7th, and so far I do feel really good despite not getting my normal amount of sleep. I haven’t experienced any detox symptoms, which can occur as your body adjusts and purges any unwanted materials.

I have quickly adjusted to eating, and I don’t feel hungry all day. In the past when I have eaten vegetarian meals, they just wouldn’t hold me over for long. I am probably eating less food(calorically) than before and my snacking has changed to fruit.

I will do my best to track the financial side of eating vegetarian, but I am not sure 3 weeks or so will provide enough data for accurate comparison. I suspect the cost won’t be too different, because quality meat is often quite expensive. I will also track my weight, which started at 200 pounds(my highest weight ever). I have lost 3 pounds in 4 days, but I suspect that might equalize in the next week. If people are interested in recipes, leave a comment and I will get the recipes from the Happy Rockette. I will say that having an awesome wife who enjoys cooking is a huge blessing and greatly appreciated. The meals have been extremely interesting and pleasurable, and the meal I ate for lunch yesterday at work was getting lots of attention just from the scrumptious smell.

If you have any questions of comments, feel free to ask away.