introductions

Introductions

If you've stumbled across my blog, allow me to introduce myself.

My name is Tara.  I'm a 25-year-old vegetarian living and working in Manhattan.  And I really want to commit myself to everyday, healthy living.

I'm generally a healthy person.  I don't eat fast food, I drink plenty of water, and eat fruits and veggies.  But I want to be more deliberate about it, and more focused on it for the right reasons.  I don't need to "get skinny" - I'm a healthy, slender woman.  I want, instead, to constantly feel great: physically energized, mentally focused, and happy about the choices I make regarding food and exercise.

I became a pescatarian in April.  Nope, it's not a religion as my wonderful boyfriend first thought.  It's a fancy term for a "vegetarian who eats seafood" if you will.  The greatest inspiration for this change was a rainy weekend during which time I watched two documentaries: Food, Inc. and Forks Over Knives (both available on Netflix and iTunes).  While the ethical implications of eating meat were certainly moving, it was ultimately the health consequences that pushed the change for me.  This past weekend, I committed myself to going fully vegetarian to see how I feel.  I thought about going vegan (and sometimes, still do) but know that if I'm honest with myself, I do enjoy occasionally eating feta cheese or mint chip ice cream.  Animal-based foods are not a constant in my diet, but are a "once-in-a-while" food so long as they're humanely obtained.

So what is this purpose of this blog you may ask?  I suppose it will serve as a personal history of my health and wellness journey, as ridiculously hippie as that may sound.  I simply want to be able to look at what I'm eating each day, and share fantastic recipes and exercise tips with anyone who wants to read.  If you live in Manhattan, this may be especially helpful as I check out the top vegetarian restaurants and menu items in the city!

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you have a wonderfully healthy day.

- t