So I went out to dinner with some friends on Thursday, and chose to use that as one of my "sinner" days (you can check out my "Saint/Sinner" tactic HERE). I couldn't resist the smell of burgers in the air (I love me some burgers), so I ordered a "mushroom burger" with fries. It had beef, swiss cheese, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, and raw red onions. It was so good but because I've become a little bit more aware of what I eat and how I eat, I realized I was more about the cheese, onions, and mushrooms than I was about the actual meat. And now that I think about it, I've always picked off "excess" meat off of my sandwiches; I'm just not a big meat eater. You know when you get a sandwich from a deli, they'll put 5 layers of meat and 1 layer of cheese? Well I hate that and I would always tell them to put a little meat and more of other things. Or when you eat a Philly Cheesesteak it has loads of steak and a trickle of onions, etc...I prefer all the other stuff over the actual meat.
So right as I was about to take another bite of my burger I realized, this meal would actually taste the same even if I removed the beef. Why? Beacuse for me I like the taste of the char and juice of the meat on the bun, then enhanced by the flavors of the other grilled elements (onions, mushrooms, cheese). I removed the remaining bit of patty (I had already eaten 75% of it) and yea I can deal with a burger (hold the patty) from now on. This is great because even though it's not fully vegan/vegetarian, I can atleast have a meatless option when I go out with friends, instead of getting stuck with ordering a salad.
Also just to let you know, about an hour after I ate the burger my stomach took a turn for the worst. I haven't had meat in 6 days prior to having the burger and I paid for that dearly. I think it was a combination of the meat and the grease, and the french fries. It was too much for me all at once. I had some tea that evening to soothe my stomach and thankfully was able to make it to work the next day.
I think this is a great way to start towards a vegan/vegetarian diet if you're used to eating meat. You can start by first eating less meat, then eventually remove meat all together. So, lesson learned, and now I am glad I have another tactic to use while I navigate towards a healthier me.
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