Why I'm not a vegetarian anymore

Not too long ago I was a die-hard-never-going-back vegetarian. I am always researching health issues and, at the time, it seemed like the healthiest thing I could do for myself and for the environment. I was never a big meat eater anyways, so it wasn't a hard switch. My husband sweetly smiled at every new vegetarian concoction I made for dinner. I hadn't eaten meat for probably a year before I got pregnant with Ella. Then, before I knew I was pregnant, I had this crazy craving for ham. I NEEDED some ham. Never in my life had I ever craved meat. Now I know it was my body calling out for quality protein and fat. I indulged in the ham and went about as if nothing had happened. All the while filling my body with fake soy products, low fat cheeses, egg whites, the whole nine-yards. Then my body had finally had enough. When I was about 8 months pregnant I started having massive panic attacks. These attacks were so bad that Rhett couldn't go to work for almost a week. I was going absolutely nuts. I was in such a dark place. My mind was gone. I was so disassociated with my world and it was terribly scary. Then I remembered (inspiration?) some research I had come across not too long ago. Some guy named Weston A. Price and all that meat, fat, etc. diet. I decided I would mention something about it to my midwife to see what she thought. Turns out she was a hard-core veggie for years before she found out about the traditional foods diet. I also remembered that my friend Heather was getting meat from a farm in Swoope, VA named Polyface. It was supposed to be the best meat money could buy. I did more research and felt inspired that I needed to change my diet. It didn't take too long for my body to start feeling nourished and whole again. I remember when I first started eating meat again that I craved bacon so badly. My body was so starved for fat and protein. My brother also had the same problems I was having. He went vegetarian not long after I did and, guess what, started having panic attacks. He was so sick his entire freshman year of college. I think our brains were starving.

Now I'm not saying that I'm this mega meat eater. You don't need tons of meat. You just need high quality meat. Grass fed, local, organic, kindly treated, free roaming, happy animal meat. Just thinking about the meat you would pick up from a generic grocery store makes my stomach turn. I wouldn't touch wal-mart quality ground beef with a 10 foot pole anymore. That is the meat that destroys your health and the environment.