Why I became a vegetarian
“Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” -Genesis 1:29
Wow! I never knew that going vegetarian would be SUCH a huge deal to other people, LOL! First of all, isn’t it a PERSONAL decision? You would’ve thought I told people THEY shouldn’t eat meat anymore. I believe that God gives us all instructions for daily living, mine just happened to be for me to stop eating meat! Yep, that’s right… God TOLD me to go meatless! People tend to look at me crazy when I say “because God told me too!” But, that’s the honest truth.
Let me give you a little back story… I’ve always been pretty heavy (weight) until my last three years of high school, when the doctor placed me on a supplemental hormone to “help balance out my body and regulate my cycle.” I would have horrible cramps that I would have to take prescription pain pills for, and I would have seriously, irregular periods. PLUS, I was so overweight that I was borderline diabetic. I was unhealthy and had a hormonal imbalance + symptoms that = being told I had PCOS. (This isn’t a blog about PCOS so I’m going to link a really helpful link that explains more about it for now!)
Anywho, after being placed on that pill, I started losing weight…. CRAZY fast! I took that pill for a few months but then it started giving me CRAZY side effects, like irregular heartbeat, severe high blood pressure, nausea, blurred vision, I even randomly passed out and had to be rushed to the ER. At that point, I was really over taking it, and I decided to just stop. I ended up getting on the Depo-shot next, so that I wouldn’t have a period at all. I had horrible side effects, my heart would start RACING randomly, my left arm would go numb and my feet would too! To top it all of, I started gaining weight like overnight. I decided after one shot that I wouldn’t get anymore, but Depo takes a REALLY long time to clear out of your system. I would go to the doctor every few months and have a checkup, because it took an entire YEAR for my cycle to come back! Of course, he was reassuring that this was nothing unusual for this type of birth control/hormone; and I would stalk google to see if other women were going through this! Then my doctor gave me another type of birth control pill to take but I started having some of the same issues and I started looking up natural ways to to treat my issues.
I initially began eating a mainly paleo diet and I had great results! I started losing weight which is a huge help for people with hormonal imbalances, BUT I wasn’t consistent. Then, I went on a week of no meat diet! I couldn’t believe how GREAT I felt! I started to exclude pork and beef from my diet slowly. I stopped eating so much fried foods, limiting fast food & limiting processed foods. I would gently be convicted about how I ate because my body is a temple. I would go back and forth with the idea of going vegetarian, but I would use excuses like, “nobody supports me, its too expensive, my husband eats meat, I don’t have time to cook because I’m in nursing school…” Basically, I was lazy and unintentional! After I got married, graduated nursing school, got my first RN job, moved… all in 2014, I’d gained back the weight I’d lost plus about 20 pounds! I was really depressed as the new year (2015) rolled around. I started back eating clean and healthy as much as possible. I remember praying one day, asking God to help me become healthy and fit. He told me to stop eating meat… I was like…. Naw, bruh, are you sure? & he said “yes.” So, I told my husband that I was gonna go vegetarian and it lasted maybe a few weeks. BUT when I ate meat again, I actually got sick at first! That happened about four times in 2015! I would start eating a vegetarian diet and whenever I would eat meat again, I would get sick! Like, stomach cramps, nausea… I’m like…what is this??? So I would be gently reminded that I was technically being disobedient because I’d been convicted about what I ate!
Well, in July-August of 2015, I went on a Daniel’s fast and I was praying against all the symptoms of PCOS, my womb & my future children! (As young women, I feel it’s really important that we do this quite often because the enemy likes to attack our wombs because he can stop us from raising up the next generation of believers!) I immediately felt SO convicted, because here I was binding out sickness and speaking healing over myself; yet NOT doing what God told me to do. After fasting for that period of time, my body had detoxed and I had my first ever “natural” cycle. It’s like God was showing me what was on the other side of my obedience: healing.
See, sometimes we want to know the WHOLE plan, when God just wants us to be obedient to the first step.
I began doing intense research about different foods and the hormones they affect. I got serious about learning how foods are LOADED with additives and hormones. Now…I can’t say that I went vegetarian overnight, because even after KNOWING that its bigger than just not eating meat. I wasn’t truly crucifying my flesh! It was in November of 2015 that I really got serious about not eating meat. I ordered some food, God told me not to eat meat… I think he was leading me to fast and I didn’t… I thought I would wait until after the holiday(s) were over. Ya’ll I got so SICK! I thought I was going to have to go to the hospital! I didn’t eat anything for two days and then nothing other than saltines, ginger ale and popsicles for about four days!! After that, I was like… I’m DONE!!! I didn’t want to see a piece of meat. Lol.
It’s funny, I’m reminded of King Hezekiah in 2 Kings when he was sick & about to die. He turned away from everyone, prayed, and God heard his prayer. He’d already received his healing at that moment in the spiritual. Then figs were taken and placed on him and he was healed in the physical! Imagine how people looked at him crazy for using FIGS! It’s so amazing how God works through people, things and situations!
If you feel like God has been leading you to change how you eat, even if it is just to eat healthier and/or if you have ANY chronic illnesses… I suggest you seriously seek God and LISTEN to what he tells you! Please pray and seek God for your healing! I am always open to praying with you and for you!
Also, my groupme is open to those currently wanting to live a healthy life! We are all women that love GOD and we just want healthy temples! Questions, recipes, meal planning ideas, advice— Here’s the link to join: https://groupme.com/join_group/18179085/RHt4jW
(I am a licensed and registered nurse, however this blog is not, nor will it ever be recommending any medical advice for any other persons. Please seek God and talk to your doctor before taking anything new or stopping any medications!)
