It began in elementary school. The food pyramid (they don’t even have one now), the really old one was the colorful guide for us kids that showed how much of every food group we were supposed to eat every day. There was one, clearly labeled: Meats and Beans.
“Some people choose not to eat meat,” said the teacher. “That’s fine, but they need to make sure they get their protein.”
I wasn’t vegetarian then, but that was the beginning. It continued in my high school health class, where in addition to sex ed and discussing depression; we received a lecture that included nearly ten minutes of who-knows-what on how vegans need protein.
That continues through my life today to the extent that some people, when I first tell them I’m vegetarian want to tell me: “Make sure you’re getting all your protein.”
Really. If I told this person, “I need to loose weight, so I’m spending the next three weeks on the diet I read about on the back of a cereal box,” I doubt they’d tell me, “You can’t just eat the bars on the back of the cereal box, you need to eat your vegetables.”
If any men who are vegetarian could comment, I’m interested in knowing: do people give you the protein lecture, or is there insecurity about a woman controlling her own diet beyond the ‘look-good’ aspect? That might be a strange question, but whenever they tell me that, I instantly feel like I’m back in my 1st grade class where we went through everything from nutrition to medicine to stranger danger.
At the beginning of my blogging life, I wrote a post on what it’s like to be vegetarian. I touched on the protein thing, but I’d just like explain a few things that you may not know constantly caught up in the protein shake advertising campaign:
- There are other ways to get protein than just steak, such as nuts and beans. Not only is there no methane involved, you have a lower chance of getting cardiovascular disease.
- It is my business what I eat and not yours, thank-you very much. (There’s a difference between me, in a post on vegetarians and protein giving you hints and you’re third cousin saying, “Vegetarian? Where’s the protein?”)
- If you take a protein supplement because you’re vegan, save your money. You can easily get plenty without. If you aren’t vegan, throw your supplement away right now.
- It’s always fun to quote pagans on your blog. My most important advice is carved into the Temple at Delphi in Greece. “Everything in Moderation.” This includes the proteins, the fats, the carbs, the sugars. Shop at farmers’ markets to avoid eating too many pesticides or processed food. It’s also the only place I ever consider getting a hamburger from.
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