"She's a Vegetarian Because She's Afraid of Meat"

As I write this blog post, I am watching one of my most favorite documentaries: Vegucated.

                                                                        Here’s the synopsis of the film:     

“Vegucated is a guerrilla-style documentary that follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks and learn what it's all about. They have no idea that so much more than steak is at stake and that the planet's fate may fall on their plates. Lured by tales of weight lost and health regained, they begin to uncover hidden sides of animal agriculture that make them wonder whether solutions offered in films like Food, Inc. go far enough. Before long, they find themselves risking everything to expose an industry they supported just weeks before. But can their convictions carry them through when times get tough? What about on family vacations fraught with skeptical step-dads, carnivorous cousins, and breakfast buffets? Part sociological experiment and part adventure comedy, Vegucated showcases the rapid and at times  comedic  evolution  of  three  people     who are trying their darnedest to change in a culture that seems dead set against it.”

So why am I writing about vegetarianism/veganism? A couple of reasons I suppose; I think that choosing to become a vegetarian was one of the best choices I have ever made. I love being a vegetarian! I have never felt so healthy, light, happy, and energetic before! Within just a few weeks of becoming a vegetarian (mostly vegan at first) my skin cleared up and was a lot brighter, and I had more energy. I even lost a little bit of weight as well - just by changing my diet!

Most recently, I was worried that my trip to Belize was going to be a struggle as far as finding enough vegetarian options for me to eat. Thankfully, it definitely wasn’t a struggle by any stretch of the imagination. There were so many healthy, plant-based meal choices almost everywhere we went! The title of this blog post was something funny a friend kept saying about me on our Belize trip, all in fun of course! It also plays off of the time my older brother jokingly threatened to slap me with a piece of ham when we were having lunch one time. It was pretty hilarious, I don't even remember what the circumstances were.

Now, I’m not blogging about this in efforts to shame meat eaters, or to tell anyone they are wrong for what they choose to eat or not eat. But I think it is very important for us all to take a look at the value we place on food, because food is such a staple of the American lifestyle. Especially meat.

Americans are one of the very few populations that eats a meat protein at almost every meal. Being a vegetarian in Belize was so much easier than being a vegetarian back home in the midwest. I think that most people get hung up about where vegetarians get their protein from, as if it were only derived from meat. There are many countries whose populations don’t eat as much meat, if any at all.

The China Study, one of the most respected studies done, surveyed thousands of families all over China, taking a look at what the family eats and takes note of any health issues. It has been proven through the China Study, other studies, and studies of studies that plant-based diets are healthiest. Families in the China study that ate a plant-based diet had little to no health issues, but when meat was introduced to the diet health issues appeared. The more meat in a diet, the more health issues appeared.

This was one of the main reasons behind

my choice of becoming a vegetarian.

Having good health is one of the most important values to me, which is kind of nerdy as a 21 year old college student! I love eating and cooking healthy food! And just to amp up the vegetarian nerd level here, I'll throw in the fact that Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (also known as Whole Paycheck in my family) are two of my most favorite grocery stores (followed by The Fresh Market in Towson, Md, and Mom's Organic Market in Timmonium, Md). Nerd level: pro status.

While I know that it would be impractical to ask every single person to change the way they eat and live their lives, I challenge you to try eating healthier. That doesn’t have to mean becoming a vegan straight out of the chute; try to cut down on the fast food, the pop, processed foods, etc. Make a change for the better! Try a vegetarian diet for a week and see how you feel. A goal that I have set for myself is to cut back on my intake of dairy products.

There are plenty of delicious alternatives to eating meat

and other animal-derived products, why not try it out?

What have you got to lose?

Anna

Oops, I'm in Belize!

Hey everyone!

I am writing to you all from Belize! I was lucky enough to come here on a study abroad trip through my university, and holy cow is it beautiful here!

We are coming to the end of our third day of the trip, we have experienced so much more than I could ever have hoped or imagined for! Here is a quick run down: 

Day 1/Sunday (AKA Selfie-Sunday):

     Hiked around the temples of Xunantunich (Shu-nan-too-neek) with our awesome guide Eric! After our tour we had lunch at a park, and proceeded to a second location where we went tubing down a river through caves! All if it was do much fun, and I love that we are exercising every day!

     We also got to do a little bit of shopping at some stands on our way back from Xunantunich where I bought a jersey hammock, and I can't wait to try it out! 

Day 2/Monday (AKA Frumpday):

     Monday was a very, VERY early day. We started breakfast at 5:45 a.m. so that we could get on the road as early as possible. We went through customs in Guatemala and headed towards Tikahl, for another long day of hiking (5 hours if you're curious), followed by lunch and then and hour and a half of amazing zip-lining fun!
     On our way back to the boarder we stopped at this little gift shop that had these amazingly adorable boots. So, of course, I bought a pair as did Piper, so now we have matching shoes and hammocks! 

Day 3/Tuesday (I...have no creative name for today...sorry guys):

     Today we got to to sleep in the most so far on the trip - breakfast was at 7:30! Not very many of us were impressed though, with all this hiking we have all been super exausted and have been craving more sleep. While the rides in the vans are usually pretty long, the roads here are so bumpy and filled with potholes, it's impossible to sleep during the drives.

     Today though, it was a little different. Of course, one of the vans had to break down half an hour before we got to our destination. None the less, Piper and I kept ourselves entertained by hiking further down the road where we found a horseback riding trail. Once the van was fixed we were off to Rio Frio Caves. We hiked for just over an hour and a half through the rainforest to this GIANT, awesome cave, with a pretty river flowing through it. Afterwards we drive a little bit to a beautiful waterfall where the group went cliff jumping and swimming. Oh. My. Gosh, was that fun!! I got so many awesome shots of everyone jumping, swimming and posing! I can't wait to upload them to my Mac and edit them!

That's all for tonight guys! Thanks for reading about my life, haha! 

:) Anna

Be Your Own Cheerleader.

Reading the Thought Catalog is one of my favorite things to do when I am bored, stressed, or simply avoiding homework. An article titled 3 Powerful Reminders For When You Feel Stuck In Life, and it got me thinking about the struggles I have had recently, but more so the thing that I typically struggle with most. What is that, you ask? Making a decision.

Every single day, throughout our lives we have to make decisions. The clothes we wear, what to eat, what to do... The last one is the one that gets to me the most. I can be incredibly indecisive, and if you know me, you know how frustrating it can be.

I like to think that I love being organized and planning things out, but when it comes time to make a decision, I sometimes freeze up. Also, don’t look at my room right now, it’s definitely not clean or organized...

When it came time to start applying to colleges, I froze up. I didn’t know where to begin, I didn’t know what I wanted to major in, let alone what profession I wanted to do after college.

I think there are a few different reasons as to why I freeze up and struggle with making a decision. The biggest reason being that I know that my decisions can greatly affect my life, and I don’t want to make the wrong choice.

Picking which college to go to was a big problem for me. I had lived a pretty small life so far - I lived in the country with hardly any neighbors, my graduating high school class was a mere 97, and I had always been incredibly close to my family. Don’t get me wrong - I knew I was going to college, I planned on it. But deciding which one just about gave me a straight up panic attack!

It’s crazy to think that one small choice can’t change your life,

and knowing how incredibly true that is is what scares me the most.

Case in point:

Had I not attended Rochester Community Technical College during high school for post secondary (PSEOP), I wouldn’t have taken an equine business practices class. Had I not taken that class, I would never have traveled to Texas in 2010 to compete in the American Miniature Horse Association’s World Show. There, I met a boy from the East coast whom I would fall in love with, and would then move over 1,000 miles from home to attend a university through an exchange program, and meet my best friend Livy. Four short years later the same boy would break my heart, making me become a strong, independent woman.

College worked out though. I ended up attending the one university that I applied to, and while I may not like the campus as much as I would like to, I have had plenty of amazing experiences:

I have a graphic design internship that I absolutely LOVE and I am a Resident Assistant, advising 28 freshman girls. I studied at a university on the East coast for a semester, loving every second of it. And this weekend I am leaving for a two week long study abroad experience in Belize!

The smallest details can change your life, and that can be terrifying. But it can also be exhilarating and exciting! I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything in the world! Our troubles, fears, hurt, hopes, excitement and dreams - that’s what makes us who we are.

To be able to push on and live life, those are the people I admire most. To realize what you want out of life and be willing to do anything for it, that’s what I want. Although it would be incredibly convenient for the 30 year old me to come visit me and tell me what my hopes and dreams truly are, I know that:

A.) Time travel is not a thing yet.

B.) It wouldn’t help me.

We have to learn our lessons on our own, and as much as that sucks, how else are we going to discover our true selves?

Life can hurt, and it can really suck at times,

but we need to be able to pick ourselves up and carry on.

Now, reading the Thought Catalog is one of my favorite things to do when I am bored, stressed, or simply avoiding homework. This article caught my eye, if you are ever feeling down or just stuck in life, read it! It has some great points that I think we all need to be reminded of every now and then.

Be your own cheerleader. Uniforms are optional.