Have you eaten your daily dose of vegetables? This is a question my mom would frequently ask. Growing up with a mom who was not only a vegetarian but also what you would call a “health freak,” made me very conscious of what I was putting in my mouth.

Sitting down to the dinner table was always an adventure ending with the question, what in the world is that? Think about most American families, Monday MEAT! Tuesday MEAT! Wednesday MEAT! Thursday pasta, looks like we’re switching it up a little today!

When I was in fifth grade my student teacher brought in squid since we happened to be learning about creatures of the deep blue. I took one glance at the slimy grayish-blue blob plopped on a tray and decided that’s it, I am becoming a vegetarian. Now I know your first reaction is going to be, how stupid, squid is not meat, its fish. For me it wasn’t just about not eating meat it was the very fact of eating animals that were once living breathing things.

Some may say how can you possibly be healthier as a vegetarian, you don’t eat meat so there goes your protein! There are right ways and wrong ways to be a vegetarian. In order to maintain your health you need to make sure you are getting enough protein and iron in your diet. On average women need about 45 grams per day and men about 55 grams per day of protein. By eating a well balanced diet it is likely you are taking in protein from items you didn’t even know had protein in them. Experiment with a variety of soy, lentils, chickpeas, nuts and seeds. They all have a plentiful amount of protein that is mandatory for your daily diet. Vegetarians have one of the healthiest diets possible.

Would you eat a human being? I think not, and most of us would never think about eating our dog or even our pet fish. Really it is all the same, meat is meat no matter where it comes from. I do not believe in killing animals just for the sake of eating them, grab a carrot it’s much healthier for you anyways. Sure animals can die of natural causes just like anything in life. Then and only then, I believe eating meat is okay, other wise stick to tofu or veggie patties. You will even feel better I guarantee it, “You are what you eat.”