Since each new year starts with most of the world making resolutions, which if you’ve read my previous post you know I don’t do, I “challenged” myself to #54 on my 101 in 1001 Day Zero Project and ate vegetarian for a week. I am surprised at how easy it was, but non the less it was something I had never done before and I like trying new things.

I’m already a healthy eater in general, but I do eat moving creatures especially chicken, fish, shrimp, pork and turkey on a fairly normal basis. I have many friends that live a vegetarian lifestyle and say how good it makes them feel and I’ve watched a few movies in the past (Food Inc. for instance) and more recently because of the Top 50 Documentaries To See Before You Die show that have talked about the food system and the fact that we don’t “need” to eat animals to live a healthy lifestyle. Forks Over Knives is one movie in particular that I just watched that brings some interesting facts to the table and therefore I would suggest adding it to your queue if for nothing more than hearing from an opposite point of view than what you may be used to hearing or where taught growing up.

To be clear though, for me this is only a challenge. I do not plan on becoming a vegetarian for multiple reasons. First it’s difficult to eat out at many places that do not cater to vegetarians. Even the places that do will usually only have a few items to choose from it seems like that would become somewhat boring or repetitive to be forced to choose from the two apps or one entree that most places offer. It’s also difficult on the person(s) who might be eating with you since a non-vegetarian can eat pretty much anywhere especially in a pinch. Cooking dinner can also be challenging since meat isn’t an option. Just because it’s more difficult isn’t a great reason to not go vegetarian or try to cut down on your intake of meat, but for me it’s part of the reason why I would never go fully vegetarian.

Another reason is that fact that I just had a physical and blood work done and the body is happy which tells me what I’m currently doing is working just fine. I also don’t take any medications, nor do I smoke and I exercise regularly so other than just not enjoying meat, having specific health issues that would be caused by meat or having meat allergies my diet and lifestyle don’t require the change.

One thing that I am going to try and do though is participate in Meatless Monday for 2012. Meatless Monday is a global movement to not eat meat on Monday. It’s better for your health and the planet to reduce your overall footprint.

I just returned from the grocery store and here is what I bought to help accomplish the goal. A lot of these things I would buy anyways, but I got a few more things so I can experiment or cook some recipes I’ve found on Gojee.com.

Grocery List

Vanilla Almond Milk
V8 Fusion
Organic Strawberry Preserves
Organic Black Beans
Organic Grape Tomatoes
Organic Yogurt
Organic Crackers
Organic Cereal
Organic Brown Rice & Green Bean Lentils
Black Eye Peas
Lentils
Bananas
Apples
Limes
Green Beans
Sweet Potatoes
Avocado
Shallots
Tofu
Granola Bars
Quinoa
Chickpeas
Corn
Brown Rice
Asparagus
Cauliflower
Arugula
Paprika
Roasted Red Peppers
Spinach Ravioli
Sour Cream
Natural Syrup

What I Ate

Note: I only drink water throughout the day unless otherwise specified.

Day 1

Breakfast: Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese, V8 Strawberry Banana
Snack: Cottage Cheese & Grapes
Lunch: PB&J on 100% Whole Wheat
Snack: Blueberry Granola Bar
Dinner: Roasted Corn with Lime, Parmesan and Chili and Butternut Squash Soup

Day 2

Breakfast: Organic Cinnamon Raisin Granola Cereal with Vanilla Almond Milk and a Banana
Lunch: Arugula with Apple, Feta, Avocado, Peanuts and Balsamic and a sliver of Pumpkin Bread
Snack: 15 TLC Asiago Crackers, 10 Almonds
Dinner: Tofu Marinated in a Chili Glaze, Organic Brown Rice and Green Lentils, Red Pepper Strips, Golden Raisins and Honey (Pictured Above)

Day 3

Breakfast: Whole Grain Oatmeal with Vanilla Yogurt, Cinnamon Sugar and Banana
Lunch: Last nights dinner (tasted even better) and 15 TLC Asiago Crackers
Snack: 1/2 Cup Granola
Dinner: Potato Gnocchi with Grape Tomatoes and Feta in a Pesto Sauce

Day 4

Breakfast: Blueberry Crumble Bread Toasted with Grape Jelly an Over Easy Egg on top
Lunch: Black Bean Burger with avocado, Monterey jack cheese, corn relish and spicy pepper mayonnaise
Dinner: Pumpkin Coconut Chickpea Curry

Day 5

Breakfast: Organic Cinnamon Raisin Granola Cereal with Vanilla Almond Milk
Snack: Yogurt
Lunch: PBJ & Banana on 100% Whole Wheat, Pack of Crackers
Dinner: Fried Butternut Squash Potato Gnocchi with Apple Gouda Dipping Sauce

Day 6

Breakfast: Organic Cinnamon Raisin Granola Cereal with Vanilla Almond Milk
Lunch: Grilled Cheese, Banana
Dinner: Pumpkin Coconut Chickpea Curry Leftovers

Day 7

Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: White Pizza with Pesto Sauce
Dinner: Vegetarian Nachos

 Conclusion

Here’s my take away from this little experiment. If you are a healthy eater already it’s likely you are close to being a vegetarian. I for instance noticed that I don’t really eat meat but a few times a week, but I also noticed that after only having tofu, rice, beans, pasta, vegetables and salads there were times I was wanting a bit more substance. I could have kept going for at least another week if not more, but as I stated earlier my mind would have gotten tired of eating that same similar rotation. When you throw meat into the equation it opens up so many more possibilities. For the average American eating less meat is probably a good thing so if you are looking for a new challenge why not try Meatless Monday’s?

Join my challenge on Schemer.