Ugh...food trials again

I keep going back and forth with my diet. I want to be vegetarian, I don't, I want to be vegetarian, I can't do it, I want to be vegetarian, and I basically have been brought up on meat and it is hard to change habits.

Well, I watched a documentary called "Forks Over Knives." It was eye-opening and scary. Scary because really to get better health and maintain it, all I have to do is change my diet. People actually reversed their heart disease by choosing to eat a plant-based diet...flat out facts.

Hubby has asked me why I want to stop eating meat. My response was usually emotionally charged - "because I feel bad for the animal or the thought of eating an animal only because of my appetite makes me sick for myself." It never has been point blank, "for my health." The more I turn to wanting to eat less meat or cut it out completely the more I have difficulty ingesting it. I am used to it, though, because I was brought up on meat - the texture, taste, and dishes are familiar to me.

One thing that a doctor said in the documentary was that he had biases. He was a dairy farmer and bought into the marketing that milk is necessary and good for you. Then he changed his mind - when he was older, mind you. And now, the man is in his 70s, running hills, and seems to have more energy than I do...because of his commitment to choosing healthful foods. I want to be healthy and I want to have peace of mind...why do I let my appetite control me? I need to have more will power. I need to have better practices for my health.

I wish I had it in me to write an entire post on what I think about this documentary, but I don't. The kids are currently playing far too rough and will start crying soon. But, I want to leave with this - I need to change my habits. I have cancer and heart disease in my family, and being an older parent means I need to take good care of my health. I want to see my kids graduate from college, I want to see them get married and have kids if they so choose. I want to be a part of my children's adult lives. If making simple changes such as no more processed foods or meat can help me get there, by golly, I need to at least try.