The experiment continues...

I did an experiment on myself a couple of months ago: I stopped eating meat. Yes, I still enjoyed my dairy and eggs, and I didn’t freak out when something was made with chicken stock, but I really wanted to see what would happen to me both physically and mentally when faced with a life sans animal flesh.

At first it was very difficult. Our family diet had become quite meat-centric, and it was very boring at the fast-food counter. I used the 6-week period called Lent in the Catholic faith tradition as my parameters, so I could keep up with my experiment easier. Here’s what happened:

- I lost weight. Well, not really that much, but my stomach wasn’t as bloated trying to keep up with the difficult digestive process that meat requires.
- I cooked more at home. After all, most vegetarian options at restaurants are limited to very cheesy offerings, and that gets boring.
- I found that I was able to be more open energetically. Meat was “dumbing down” my otherwise sensitive energy antennae.

Now that I’ve been partaking of burgers and brats again, I have noticed a couple more interesting tidbits:
- The bloat is back. In fact, I look like I’ve gained an entire size in my pants, though the scale still says the same number.
- I’ve found it more challenging to stay on top of my emotions. Hormones from the meat? Could be, or it could be the karmic load from taking the life of an unblessed animal.
- Energetically, I’ve found myself to be “dirtier”. There’s just more junk that seems to come my way, and it seems to be tougher to clear it out.

So, I’m going to take a page from my Feng Shui practice, and de-clutter my diet. Sure, the occasional chicken sandwich may still cross the road into my stomach, but I’m going to reset my default to wholesome, locally grown produce. And cheesecake. Can’t forget the cheesecake!