Epiphany from a Veggie Burger

I am six months in to the Good Mother Diet, about half way through this experimental year (although less than two months into the blogging world).  I promised myself when I started gmd last June, not to form judgments or make any permanent decisions until the full year was up. Rather this is supposed to be a fun, exploration into the food world, one healthy meal at a time.  That is still my plan, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this road I’m travelling only goes in one direction.  I wasn’t planning to make New Year’s Resolutions, however, today’s lunch gave me pause and take a moment to reflect.  I certainly feel better about my decision to stop eating meat. That feels right to me.   I used to love a good ribeye steak or a double double at In and Out, so I’ve been surprised that I don’t miss meat at all. Perhaps it’s because I have been having so much fun trying new food combinations and maybe I’ll get bored when I’ve lost my enthusiasm for my new mandolin.

Now, back to my lunch.  I really like veggie burgers (cheddar cheese, no bun) and I often have them for lunch. Today, I tried a new brand that promises to taste like a regular hamburger.  Now generally I don’t like food that ‘pretends’ to be like something else.  I like my veggie burgers to taste like veggie burgers.  One bite into this burger and I knew they had not falsely advertised. In no way do I want to knock Morning Star.  It’s probably to their credit that they made a veggie burger that tastes so much like a hamburger.  Those of you who don’t like veggie burgers but like hamburgers might really like these.  What was surprising was my reaction to the taste of ‘beef’.  I would have thought I would be thrilled to ‘have my cake and eat it too’ so to speak but that was not the case.  My stomach and my brain revolted.  I ran back to the freezer to check the label on the box just to be sure – textured soy protein, the ultimate pretender.  I was very surprised at my response.  I once gave up canola oil, sole, kidney beans, wheat and a few other foods for a year to test out a food allergy theory and had no problems when I added them back in my diet. So why did my stomach lurch at this ‘textured soy protein’ pretending so well to be beef? Why can’t I get the taste of hamburger out of my mouth?  I always considered that if I chose to eat meat again when this year is done, I might feel bad or guilty but never really considered the mind/body connection.  Maybe this is a one time experience.  Who knows?

So what is my big epiphany? Good Mother Diet has changed me (and not just the five pounds I’ve lost).  It’s not just about having fun with food, although that is what gmd blog is mostly about.  If you want to know more about how Good Mother Diet came to be, click on the ‘About’ tab.  On some devices you have to click on ‘Menu’ for the tabs to pop up.  I’m just going to let the year play out and see what happens.  Happy New Year!