...some of the time.
Let me start this by saying I don't care what you eat. If you want to eat nothing but tofu, kale and cashew cheese, go for it. If you're a carnivore, enjoy your bacon and devour those slabs of meat, whether you slice it up nicely or just use your hands. I get it, there's very powerful reasons behind why people eat what they eat, some justified, most not. People take what they eat and, often by default, what other people eat, way too seriously. Subsequently, there's a lot of discussion regarding diet and nutrition but when passionate people debate it usually becomes an argument and no one wins. Or, as the saying goes: when elephants fight it's the grass that loses.
So, I don't care what other people eat. I care about what I eat and that's about it. I control me, I know what I like, I know what makes me feel good and I have an open mind to change. So what other people eat doesn't matter to me, nor should it matter to you. If you're interested in learning more about what others eat, by all means, inquire and explore with an open mind and humility. But when things turn judgmental and close minded is when I, and you, check out. If someone wants to convince me to eat their way, let them ring someone else's doorbell and save them with their doctrines and enlightenment. Even though I will actually listen to those people and take their pamphlets. 😬
That being said, if you're interested in how I treat my eating and think about nutrition, please read on...
Vegan-ness<<<<<<<<
e omnivores. This isn't debated by many. We are not herbivores. We are not carnivores. We eat just about everything, when it's available, and often cycle between plant heavy and animal heavy. We can be either of these poles, particularly short term, but long term shifts into either all plant or all meat-ism don't go well for most people.
What surprises me most is that people have such a hard time with the above concept and few seemingly common sense concepts related to that.
If humans are omnivorous by nature most people will feel best as omnivores, so it shouldn't be shocking that most people should eat like omnivores. Then there's a small percentage of people that will thrive on all/mostly plants and some on the meat extreme, with the amount getting less and less the further from omnivory you get. Think of a standard bell curve.
ld be a simple concept. Most people are going to be in the middle. Even if you believe humans should be eating more plants, there's still a curve...
t should be the primary food source? Then flop that curve to the other side. Regardless, if you're a believer in one side or another it should still be ok, and heaven forbid normal, if people are in the other tail end. It doesn't make you wrong and them right to acknowledge the existence and accept the other side of the curve. It makes everyone right. Is that so bad? Particularly in today's age, where everyone has to be accepted?? 😏
What's bad is arguing that everyone belongs in your end of the curve. That's just unreasonable, nonsensical and frankly uneducated. I don't have time to waste on polar bears. Anyone who spends their time arguing the extremes needs to either mix in a steak or a sweet potato.
So where do I land?
Somewhere here...
Which is why...
I think we need to go vegan sometimes. Give yourself a break from meat and protein. Have a salad, some vegetable soup, a baked potato, etc. and that's it. We don't have to add chicken to every salad. Let your body just digest plant matter sometimes. It's good for us to not have meat 3-5 times a day every day.
Here's the thing- don't be a vegan all day everyday. That's not normal. That's not what omnivores do. They eat plants and animals when they're available, which naturally happens in phases, not every meal of every day.
So be vegan once a day. Or for a day. Or once a week. Whatever. Just give yourself a break from meat and protein every once in a while.
Carnivore-ness I believe in balance, rhythm and tides. So, yes, we should go meatless sometimes. But we should balance that out with some carnivory. Have some meals with just meat. Just eat a steak, some meatballs or some eggs and let your body deal with just the meat. Vegetation takes digestive work and doesn't always jive with ideal meat breakdown, particularly the more fibrous vegetables you're consuming. So, just like we should give ourselves some all plant meals, give ourselves a meal a day or a day a week with just some meat. Doesn't even have to be that much. Just go meat-an sometimes. It's also good for us to not eat plants 3-5 meals a day every day.
Omnivore-ness Everyone can eat wherever on the nutrition curve they want. We're all ringing the same bell. As stated before, I don't care what standard deviation people fall in. Most people land within the large part of the bell and find a good balance between plants and animals. All I'm suggesting is that we don't eat the same way every meal of every day of every week of every season of every year. If you're on one side of the bell too long maybe think about moving a bit every once in a while. Shift on the curve.
The Bell-ivore So be a vegan every once in a while. And be a carnivore every once in a while. Spend some time being more vegetarian based and then some time not as much. Then throw in some fasting. Mix it up.
They're all good. Every way of eating has something to offer. We don't have to be stuck in one part of the bell forever.
Let's be a swinging bell and rock back and forth. Music happens when the bell moves back and forth, not when it stays still. There's beauty in both sides, the middle and the journey between. So get yourself to the tower and start making music with your meals.
Thanks for reading, have a great day!
P.S. Fasting-ness If we are really looking to keep some good balance I like skipping meals every once in a while. Give your body a break from digestion, period. That's the other bell curve, eating on one side, not eating on the other. We should ring that bell too.