I am tired of keeping quiet on this subject.  Many years ago, more than 30 years now, I noticed that I was exercising, eating well, drinking coffee, sodas and, as I worked out hard, could pretty much eat what ever I wanted to eat and still look ok.  Meaning my body weight and how my clothes fit stayed the same.  But, I did not feel well.  I had chronic indigestion, painful periods and felt exhausted all the time.  I was moody and reactive and believed that there must be a better way to feel and live.  I began to explore and read. I worked in a fitness club and my manager, Chafik, was insightful and had great resources. He frequently sent me to the health food store to solve common problems and it was through Chafik and the health food store owner that I learned about cleansing, fasting, enemas and the toxic effects of eating meat.

I read "Be Here, Be Now " by Ram Das at an early age and was profoundly moved by what he shared.  My life turned a corner and every decision that I made from that time forward was influenced by the philosophy and words of great wisdom encapsulated in this auto-biography.  Ram Das'  journey from unconscious druggie to awakened spiritual aspirant would prove to change my life in many ways, but first, I was introduced to the concept that I was eating meat that was full of adrenaline. I figured I had enough adrenaline to fill a football field, and had the conscious thought that maybe I would feel less angry if I ate less meat.

If anyone can relate to feeling angry out of proportion to the situation, that was me and over a period of several months this proved to help.  The less meat that I ate, the better I felt. This decision to eat less meat, led me to discover the benefits of a plant based diet and how that way of eating could effect the environment.  In the beginning my reasons were self-centred and over time, became more about the environment and the violence to the animals, fish and foul of our planet.

There are 4 main reasons to explore vegetarianism.  Our health: physical; mental; spiritual; and emotional health can be affected by the consumption of meat and meat products.  This is no longer conjecture.  The research is in and the results support leading life with less meat.  The second reason, animal cruelty, there is no good way to kill an animal.  All beings want to live.  Don't you?

The third reason would be the food supply issues.  We are decimating our rain forests for cattle production.  It takes 75lbs of corn and about 2,500 gallons of water to produce 1lb. of beef. This does not have sustainability.  Which leads to the 4th reason, which is the sustainability of our planet.

There are easy ways to get started. Try meatless Mondays or another day of the week. Have a chat with your family if you live with others and try to get everyone on board - makes it easier to make the commitment. Then for one day a week eat a plant based diet. Or commit to one meal a day being plant based. Try not to get overwhelmed - you don’t have to become a vegan or a vegetarian to make a lasting difference for you body, your community, your planet and all of the beings on it.