#mostlyvegetarian

Feeling the need to write this out, to clear my head and kind of grasp my own beliefs on this. Food, in the basic sense, is energy we bring into our bodies so our bodies can function as necessary. Scientifically, our bodies require carbs, proteins and fats, along with minerals and vitamins in order to function properly. For many, especially in the fitness community, the kind of energy your body needs depends on the kind of exercise you do, the physique or physical changes you desire, and how your body adjusts to certain macro rations.

While I do believe in this as a baseline, when considering the kind of energy we bring into our lives and how it affects us, it makes sense (to me) that the kinds of foods we eat will affect our bodies as well. This of course, varies mostly from person to person. Generally speaking, it is important to eat many plants, some lean proteins and complex carbs. And for our “feel goods”, some tasty bits too.

For me personally, I’m beginning to wonder about how various foods have perhaps, different energies, and it is only when we are eating the right balance of energies do our bodies function at their peak. For example, with vegetables. Many talk about “eating the rainbow”. If we were to assume that various vegetables and their colors have varying energies, then to eat a balance of them helps us be more balanced as well, correct? Same would apply to where we get our carbs from, and our meat.

On the topic of meat, I’ve seen some who discuss the importance of knowing the kind of energies the animal may have had while alive, before bringing it into your body. If the animal say, suffered greatly during life and in death, you are bringing that negative energy into your body when you eat it’s flesh. I know this is why some people go vegan, because they believe the pain and suffering of the animals we raise for slaughter then carry over to us when we consume them.

I find this a tricky thing to balance. On one hand, I know we humans evolved to eat meat as a protein source, but on the other, do we need to raise so many animals for slaughter, in the conditions in which we raise them? Many who live off the land seem to understand that a balance must be had. You kill only what you need, and you make the most of it. The animal does not die in vain. I think this is why hunting for our meats appeals to me. The animal has had a chance to live freely, open and uncaged, and if hunted properly, has a quick, humane death. And in (hopefully) most cases, the hunters make the most of the body; little goes to waste, and there is an appreciation for the sacrifice of the animal in order to sustain the life of the hunter.

In contemplating the role of my food in my overall wellbeing and existance, I’m begun to move from a meat-every-meal kind of diet, to a more plant enriched one. Not only to lessen the amount of killed animals I’m consuming, but to ensure that I am eating enough vegetation my body requires.