First post

I'm creating this blog to document my foray into vegetarianism. To give you a little background about myself, I am a college senior set to graduate in May- yikes! Additionally, I am practically a carnivore. While I don't eat beef, I eat everything else. Chicken, BACON, pork, lamb, ham, turkey- you name it, I eat it. However, for the next month, I will not consume any meat. There's a couple of reasons I've chosen to do this:

1. I've watched my roommate be a vegetarian for two years, which sparked my interest in it
2. After learning about how animals are treated in many large farms, this ethical issue has made me consider it
3. Health benefits- when done correctly, I've heard people claim to have higher energy levels and better overall well being

The only caveat to this is that I will continue to take fish oil pills. While that's technically not eating meat, it's still an animal product. Tomorrow, or I guess later today now that it's midnight, I will post what I prepared and ate during the day. I'm replacing protein using the following items:

- eggs
- low sodium cottage cheese- I hate the taste of salt
- protein powder supplement- whey/rice/hemp protein powder. Most likely whey
- soy- this will be done in limited quantities, as I have heard mixed things about the effects of soy in large quantities
- lentils (although I've read that lentils contain trypsin inhibitors, which would reduce the uptake of protein)
- peanuts- in moderation because of the high fat content

I've been looking at some recipes from Brendan Brazier's Thrive books. Although Brendan is a vegan, his recipes are still very good, especially since he is an athlete. Additionally, I've done my own research on recipes.

As you may have noticed by the blog title, I am an avid Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner. After having done no gi grappling for a few years, I started training BJJ regularly in January 2010, and have fallen in love with it. Once the vegetarian experiment is over, I'll discuss a little more about my martial arts background. However, of special note is that I will be competing in the Pan American Jiu Jitsu Championships in California at the end of March. I will be competing as a white belt.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for my experiences on my first day of vegetarianism!