Meat! (or not!)

So let's talk protein again, shall we?

How we process protein is a pretty individual experience and there's a whole spectrum of options, from vegan to full-on bloody steak carnivore. Where you land on that spectrum is something I'd recommend trying to let your body determine for itself.

"What in the heck do you mean by that, Sarah?" Good question! First of all, where on the spectrum do you feel drawn? Does the phrase "full-on bloody steak carnivore" make you feel barfy or does it just sound like a normal Monday night? Your own personal inclinations toward food are important and shouldn't be discounted, as they're often our own bodies steering us in the necessary directions. Children will often develop seemingly random aversions to foods that they're later determined to be allergic or sensitive to, for instance. And if you're one of the lucky ones who feel called to vegetarianism or veganism and attribute a whole host of fabulous improvements in your health and well-being to that diet change then that's awesome and you should absolutely keep on going with that.

However! It's also important to be mindful of how your body reacts to certain proteins, as well as how it acts in their absence. Personal example: I love the idea of being pescetarian. If it were up to just my taste buds and my brain I could happily spend the rest of my life getting all my protein from fish and quinoa and legumes and eggs. But even when I'm taking hardcore iron supplements I still pretty much require a good solid portion of red meat every two weeks or so - without it I get crabby and fatigued and I've gotten to the point where I can tell that that's what's going on, it's such a specific kind of fatigue and crabbiness.

Now, it's kind of my job to know myself and my body really really well, but I think you're totally up to this kind of self-study too! It just takes a little paying attention: does even free-range organic chicken make you feel a little weird and you've never been able to explain why? Do you go vegetarian every few months and spend the entire time inexplicably hungry even though you're eating everything in sight? Just a little careful attention paid to how you react to what's on your plate can open up a whole new world of information for you, so clue in, focus a little, and see what you can figure out!

I have absolutely no idea what's on tap for tomorrow. But maybe that's what makes it exciting? Anyway, I'll see you then. :)

- Sarah