To Be Or Not To Be...

Vegan??? Yes, you read that right, vegan. To those of you who know me well you are probably thinking "what has happened to JoLee? Has she moved to California and become a granola loving, member of PETA, Hollywood girl?" No she hasn't. She is still a hunter and a fisherman and completely the same person! What has happened is that she read a book - Skinny Bitch (please excuse the french). I had no idea what this book was about. I knew it was about making life changes to get yourself healthy and, as the title implies, Skinny. But, never did I think that what I was about to read was really going to make me stop, think and re-evaluate the food industry as I know it.

I read the book in one sitting - a flight delay and a plane change due to mechanical issues allowed for this. It is a quick read and honestly from the first few pages of the book I was hooked. To my surprise, the book wasn't about some new fad diet, i.e., eating nothing but cabbage, eliminating carbs, etc. Not the case. Instead, the book provides medical facts and years of research (most of which has never been seen by consumers) as to why meat and dairy products do not belong in the human body. And further amplifies the "lies" told to consumers by exposing the incestuous relationship between government agencies and the food industry. For example, did you know that the USDA was created to help farmers and that many high-ranking staff members at the USDA are affiliated with the farm and dairy industry? Read the book, you will understand why this is a huge conflict of interest.

I am not one to push my thoughts and opinions on those around me, I don't ever want to be that person. And, I am not saying I agree 100% with everything they say in this book, but I am going to say, that as a person who two days ago would have been proud to wear Jessica Simpson's shirt that read, "real girls eat meat," this book has changed my views. As a result, I am going to try to be a vegetarian for a week and just see how I feel. Depending on how I feel I might make another push to start eliminating other things from my diet. Needless to say, I never want to turn into a granola loving, member of PETA, Hollywood girl, but I do want to be healthy and treat my body like the temple that it is. Plus I need to be as healthy as I can be, I have many more things I want to do and try during my Life As A Wife.