Christmas is a season of peace, love and
harmony. It’s a time that brings
families and friends together to reconnect and find comfort and happiness being
together. It’s also about respect for
fellow man, appreciating and embracing one another’s differences.
Take some
time over the holiday season to reflect on the reasons for your choice to
become vegetarian, and enforce your commitment and dedication to the vegetarian
lifestyle. What reason, or reasons,
helped you decide that vegetarianism was the right choice for you?
Was it Economic? A meat-based diet can be
very expensive. Fresh produce bought in
season can be very affordable, and can be prepared (dried, canned, frozen) so
that it can be enjoyed later in the season.
Was it Ethical? Did you choose not to eat
meat because of the meat processing techniques are incredibly cruel to animals?
Do some research on the internet or the library, visit the PETA website, and
you’re very likely to find more credible reasoning that affirms your choice.
Was it Environmental? A vegetarian
lifestyle is more environmentally friendly – large ranching operations cause
topsoil erosion, coyotes and other natural predators are destroyed routinely to
protect herds of cows which are only slaughtered anyway later on, and
commercial fishing operations are damaging the ocean’s ecosystems.
Was it to Improve Your Health? Eating a
vegetarian diet has been shown to be a very healthy lifestyle, as it helps
fight heart disease, reduces cancer risks, lowers cholesterol, helps lower
blood sugar and reverse the effects of diabetes, lowers the obesity risk, and
reduces the risk of osteoporosis, as meat consumption has been shown to promote
bone loss.
And remember: just because it’s Christmas,
it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy many of the same wonderful holiday treats
you’ve become accustomed to, as long as they are prepared with your vegetarian
lifestyle in mind. Breads, cookies prepared with vegetable shortening, egg
substitutes,
whole grain flours and soymilks, numerous choices for vegetable
dishes and salads can all be enjoyed by both vegetarians and non-vegetarians
alike during the holiday!
So remember the reason for the season, reaffirm your
reasoning for your life choice, and be proud of it, and of yourself.
