JUST MY THOUGHTS AND FINDS: Vegan, Vegetarian, Flexan, WHICH ONE?!

I’m very new to this whole eat healthy thing. I rebel from the idea of greens after being forced to eat straight lettuce for over a year (← it’s a kidney thing.) But I know the health benefits I would be gaining and just feeling better all around. I’ve choose to change. Why now? Well I found out from a facebook video that around 300 animals are slaughtered every second for this group to eat. Not saying that's completely accurate, could be more, could be less. But I find that disturbing because I love animals very much. All of them. So I’ve decided to stray away from what our culture tells us to eat. Now an idea is one thing but doing it is a whole nother thing. The process I have a feeling won’t be so nice.

My lovely fiance is a true carnivore. He loves red meat, poultry, seafood, well pretty much everything. So if I can get this down, that leaves us on two completely separate diets, cause I can’t force that man to do anything. Anyhow. I’ve been debating on what to become for a while now, there are so many different forms of vegan, vegetarians (the reason for the title).. It's definitely research time.

When I started researching about everything, I found that around 94% of the world population eats the typical american diet, rich in unhealthy fats, refined sugars, processed meats/foods and genetically modified meats/foods. The see it, like it, eat it group. No offense intended btw, I’ve been on that diet for 25 years now. I’m your typical american that walks in the grocery store and I get whatever my tummy desires, which normally includes bacon. Also, I really like fast food. Not so much for the flavor, but its super convenient when you have a day worth of errands to run. Back to the percentage, if 94% of the world population is on the omnivore diet (I know all humans are omnivores) that leaves just 6% on the world population in vegetarian and vegan. Most of that population of vegetarians do not eat any animal tissues but do eat products produced by animals, such as dairy and eggs. This group of vegetarians is called Lacto Ovo vegetarian, (‘lacto’ is latin for diary and ‘ovo’ for eggs). So for those of you thinking about becoming vegetarian but like cheese to much (like me) you are safe. You know you have an addiction to something when you panic at the idea of never having it again. You can be a Lacto vegetarian, you eat dairy, but not eggs, or you can be a Ovo vegetarian, you eat eggs, but no dairy.

COOL FACT: Some vegetarians do not buy leather, products with gelatin in it, or cheese with rennet, since these products are derived from the body of a dead animal.

Then there is the flexitarian diet. Which follows the rules of a vegetarian diet, but occasionally eats meat or fish. Normally a flexitarian takes this as the first conscious step towards a vegetarian or vegan diet. Then there’s the flexan diet, like flexitarians, flexans eat mainly plant-based, but consume animal products now and then. Normally with Flex diets, the person won’t buy animal products themselves but does eat it with other people or at a restaurant. I find this category of diet a little more relaxing to go into, because I have a lot of family who eat meat daily and don't plan on changing their diets, and like any other girl, I love my mama's cooking. Then the pescetarians diet do not eat meat but do eat fish. Crustaceans and shellfish such as shrimps and mussels. So said the motivation for pescetarians to skip meat but not fish varies from health to preference, or both. Then the pollotarian diet includes chicken and other poultry, but no other sources of meat and fish. There is a fruitarian, which like the name, eats just fruits and other foods that fell from a tree, such as nuts and seeds.

Then of course we have the vegan diet. For those reading who don’t know what it is exactly, or would like to know a little more, vegans do not eat any animal products. This means no meat, fish, dairy, eggs or honey. Sorta like some vegetarians, most vegans refrain from buying leather, but most vegans also won’t buy silk or wool. Vegans tend to refrain from going to events in which animals are used for entertainment purposes. Their are other forms of vegans also, “just vegans,” whole foods, plant-based vegan, raw vegan, raw til 4 vegan, gluten-free vegan, low carb, low fat vegan, starch solution vegan, and there are other categories for vegans also.

There's so many options of who you can choose to be in today's world that absolutely fascinate me. But it's terrifying at the same time to me, taking the step to a vega life is not an easy one when your so use to the convenience of society today.

Props to one of my friends for giving me this info, but she chooses to stay unnamed!

Thank you for taking your time to read my rambling nonsense for today! :)

btw i type all of this while baking bbq chicken.. its a terrible habit to beat..