Vegetarian!

Besides working on the preserve and researching animals, I have also been exploring vegetarian cooking with the guidance of my aunt. I also have been reading a book about vegetarianism that has been really enlightening. I'm going to discuss some of the things I learned from the book, called Vegetarian Beginner's Guide, and some things I've learned from my aunt. I hope you find it interesting!
When I stopped eating red meat, I was a little worried that I wouldn't be getting some nutrients or vitamins, especially iron. The book said that actually, vegetarians don't lack iron more than anyone else, as iron comes from leafy green vegetables. Protein, also, doesn't only come from meat. Anyone can get it from a variety of sources, like tofu, beans, tempeh (a food with similar uses to tofu), nuts, whole grains, and more.
It also said that being a vegetarian is actually healthier than eating a meat-filled diet. A vegetarian diet gives you all the nutrients you need, and is low in cholesterol and saturated fat.
Vegetarian diets aren't always good for you. If you survive off of macaroni and cheese and kool-aid, obviously that's no better than a meat-eating diet. But if you eat a variety of foods, then the nutrients you get will be well balanced. Even without looking at labels, my aunt told me that getting a variety of colors can show you that you have different minerals and vitamins.
And being a vegetarian doesn't mean eating lettuce and zucchini all the time. There are many different grains and fruits and leafy things to choose from, not to mention all of the imitation meat out there. Some can be gross, but if you find the right kinds, they can be good. For example, we had some vegetarian tacos with soy ground "beef." They tasted great! We also tried Tofurkey lunch meat, which was also really good. You just have to find the right brands.

People have many reasons for going vegetarian. Some people do it to protest the treatment of animals. Others do it for health, and still others for environmental reasons. Even though I'm not completely vegetarian, (yet) my reason for not eating red meat was the horrible ecological impacts of raising animals. I believe cows are the worst, because massive tracts of rainforest are cleared for space to raise these animals, and the amount of waste from the farms is enormous! They also graze and trample tons of land pretty much to death. The raising of other meat isn't good either. According to Vegetarian Beginner's Guide, two thirds of the agricultural land in the United States is used to feed animals raised for meat. Many animals are also treated cruelly and given horrible living conditions.I won't go into that here. You can see many sites about that online, or finds books on it.
Free-range meat is better, but the animals still use up a lot of feed and space. The transport of meat also burns a huge amount of fossil fuel. It's true that crop transport also uses a lot, but fossil fuel is needed to supply the animals with feed, bring them to the slaughterhouse, process the meat, refrigerate it, and ship it to the destined location. The combination of the water each animal drinks, and the amount required to grow the feed, adds up to a lot more than is used for just growing food.
A large section of the book is donated to health. many studies have been done that show that vegetarians are less at risk to contract cancer, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

If you'd like to learn more about vegetarianism, even if you don't want to be a vegetarian, you really should read the book. It's in a reader-friendly style, and isn't boring! (Some informative books can be)
Also a warning to my parents: This end of this trip will bring me and my newly vegetarianed mind back home. And I'm coming armed with cookbooks and knowledge. :)
(And another P.S.: There are a few new pictures on older posts if you want to see them!)