I gave myself a head start in this dietary change early last month when I made the decision to give up some meat to my neighbors and try to make what I could from the rest. What I didn’t expect was to have some meat still in the house. Right now, I just finished up a bowl of red beans and rice (probably my fave recipe I found) and within the next two weeks, I’ll be out of meat products.

I will miss the red beans and rice… unless I can find a great way to replicate the flavors as close as possible and just swap out the meat for an alternative. But honestly, my body is ready for it, more than I anticipated.

I’m actually getting to this strange point where when I eat meat, I just don’t feel all that great. I might be okay a while, but I think meat (or maybe when I get hungry and start eating it) kind of drains my energy. Maybe it’s the amount of time needed to digest it, or just too much exposure to cheap meat in fast food for years that’s told my body “enough is enough”. I feel like I have more energy on days when I really don’t eat meat at all, and that just seems weird.

I mean, meat and fish are the protein powerhouses on the food pyramid, even eggs and other animal products boast great numbers compared to other categories… supposedly. They’re the most obvious protein source, but I just can’t eat them like I used to.

Today, I made my last batch of regular recipe Red Beans and Rice. I might have a few canned soups with meat, and a dozen cans of sardines, so those will disappear soon (and if I get sick of them, the cat will get some lovely treats for a while). I liked sardines when I was a kid and grew to like them again when I got older (and other peoples’ judgment over my taste buds didn’t matter anymore), especially with some olive oil and fresh cracked pepper. When I wasn’t hungry but needed a huge dose of protein, that little tin was a great help.

But now I’m taking the time to understand food group combinations that will ensure I get the carbs-fat-protein ratio down properly. The good thing about a runner’s dietary needs is that it requires less protein than what’s typically recommended (because the digestion takes away energy from a distance run, from what I’ve learned). I always had a hard time getting those protein numbers up there, anyway, so this works for me.

I’ve grown to love more veggies, fruits,. and whole grains (always loved whole grains, so that one’s easy). I’m not partial to processed vegetarian or vegan food and don’t really want substitute “meat” that’s on the market. I wouldn’t mind whipping up some black bean burgers or something else where you can replicate the flavors (and get that protein) through soy or seitan, stuff like that. Finding recipes is going to be interesting.

I started the day off right getting rid of all the eggs in my fridge and whatever meat or cheese I hadn’t eaten yet. That was a good thing because I checked the carton and realized I bought those eggs 6 months ago and never used ’em. Definitely far from fresh at this point, and I was so not hungry or wanting to cook egg-heavy items that I forgot all about them. The same went for cheeses I had in the bin and other meats; they molded or began to smell, so I threw them out.

I was just not wanting any of those things when I got hungry, and when I tried to make myself eat them (because it’s not good to waste), I kept putting it off til they eventually went to waste anyway. I’m hoping not let that happen again.

My fridge was telling me I was definitely ready for this step. I hinted yesterday that I may make the pledge to get rid of added sugars in 30 days, but I figure one mountain at a time. I can do what I did with vegetarianism and start whittling down the numbers until I get to the point where I can start and start well.

I had a short shift at work tonight, and was able to order a house salad for my meal. I brought my own dressing and some dried fruit to put on top of the house salad. That plate was pretty big and it told me I can fill myself up pretty well with it, provided I add some stuff to it each time. It’s gonna be some fun experimenting, that’s for sure. And I get paid tomorrow, so I’ll be working on my shopping list and the day after I get off work early enough to visit the store to shop for those new ingredients.

Tonight I got some watermelons on the way home. I’ll be making a bunch of smoothies with the bananas that desperately need to be used up and those melons can be a great base for a lot of smoothies in the next few weeks… and if I can find that watermelon rind pickles recipe I used last year, then I can have some bit of a sweet tooth (tasted more like a fall dessert item because of the more fall-typical spices to put in it) and it’s healthy as long as I don’t overdo it or drink the brine (hee hee).