Coming Out! The Veg Closet

For almost 2 years I've been on this journey of becoming a full fledged vegetarian. I started out as a nutritarian following Dr. Fuhrman's plan. Occasional meat tasting at special events or around the holidays, it worked for me. I was never a steak kind of girl, although a beef stir fry was more to my liking.

In between those events I was a true blue nutritarian, following a mostly vegan diet. Beans, Greens, and Fruit filled my plate and it was great. I was feeling good, looking good and learning lots.

To make something new stick, I really have to keep it in the forefront. So I starting reading books, watching documentaries, scouring the web for blogs, YouTube videos, anything I could get access too.

The more I learned, the more our pantry started to change and meat cooking on my stove become less and less frequent, much to my carnivorous husband's dismay.

Soon I could say I was vegetarian, and now an aspiring vegan. But funny thing is .. I really didn't say it to anyone.

Being vegetarian is so polarizing, especially in the dairy state. Anyone that noticed me skirting the meat dishes, would naturally ask and then would come the slew of questions, the "concerned" arguments (mostly one sided), and yes some obnoxious comments and actions as some of those people felt they had to make up for my lack of meat consumption. Gross.

So it was easier to quietly be vegetarian. So as not to interrupt any one's menu or seem difficult, many meals have been very sparse, or plain unhealthy. I have picked meat out of dishes, just had a bread roll, a side dish, or something that was once a vegetable that is now drowning in butter and some combination of creams.

Honestly, when home I'm vegan, its just when out at restaurants or with friends, I end up resorting to something seemingly vegan/vegetarian to find it's buried in cheese or cream, has eggs or bacon. Vegan fare in my neck of the woods is virtually non-existent, though that is now slowing changing - thank you Lord!

But lately I've just been coming clean up front. Like this week when getting a dinner invitation from some new friends. It's not an inconvenience, it's just a fact. They can acknowledge it or choose to ignore it, a good gauge of whether they are friend worthy to begin with. Then sometimes, just sometimes, my eating habits aren't a victim of gawking or reactionary attacks.

This is me, this is who I am. Now let's move on.