Day 39 Or... A Fad?

Is vegetarianism just a fad?

For me, maybe it is. I'll have to wait and see. I am really enjoying this new "lifestyle" but tomorrow is the last day of the Go Veg Project. At this point I plan to eat many, many more meatless meals after the project is over, choosing primarily vegetarian meals. But, I don't know if I'll ever return to full-time, non-stop vegetarianism. Then again, I can't emphasize enough how much I've enjoyed this new diet.

I've recently read several estimates that claim that there are more than 12 million people in the United States who consider themselves vegetarian. I very much understand why so many choose this diet: for health reasons, ethics reasons, etc.

For moment, consider how a widespread vegetarian diet could combat world hunger. Over a billion people could be fed with the food eaten by U.S. livestock. For example, 80% of U.S. corn and 95% of U.S. oats are eaten by livestock. If more people made a serious attempt to cut down on meat, those grains could be used to feed people. Instead, an astonishing amount of grain is used to feed animals that are, in turn, slaughtered only to feed people. So, maybe one vegetarian could really be making the world a better place. It's a little idealistic sure, but it's worth thinking about.

However, it does seem clear to me that vegetarianism, while growing in popularity, is in no way a fad. It's just a good choice to make, if you're crazy enough to try it.

- What did I eat on Day 39?

Breakfast. A banana. The kiddo's favorite fruit.

Lunch. In between my classes, I had a peanut butter and honey sandwich with Doritos.

Dinner. For dinner we tried Amy's Kitchen brand burritos and enchiladas. According to their website, their company is "deeply committed to producing and selling great tasting vegetarian food." While I really appreciate their commitment level and their meatless focus, the food was just okay.

I also made new recipe #19: Newman's Own Bandito Broccoli. It looked great, smelled great, and tasted just plain strange. Oh well. It was worth a shot.

39 days down. One to go.