How do you eat a salad mindfully?

I wish I could give advise regarding how to get over cravings for meat, but it's not something I have any experience with. I grew up in Wyoming where we raise cattle, pigs, chickens, rabbits, etc. for food consumption - and where at least 90% of the population (including my parents) goes hunting for deer, elk, moose and other game animals every fall. I have no illusions about where my food comes from and have no intention of becoming vegetarian. This is for a couple reasons:

1) I don't view eating meat or not eating meat as a moral choice. I think that's because I grew up with the reality of meat consumption all around me and was never under the illusion that it meat was manufactured and delivered to the grocery store in little plastic packages without any animals actually being involved.

2) I like meat. Pretty basic, but it's the truth.

3) I've never in my life known a healthy vegetarian. Again, this is my own experience, but every vegetarian I've ever known in my own life has had a constant struggle getting enough protein, getting enough of the right amino acids, having low energy, having low sex drive, and generally have existed in a "sickly" state. Having been on SparkPeople, I know that this is likely because they weren't eating properly.

4) Being vegetarian is a lot more complicated than just not eating meat. And, frankly, I struggle with enough food issues already. I don't need to add being vegetarian / flexitarian / pescitarian to the list.

I really do applaud people who are able to maintain this lifestyle in a healtful way. I know from being on SP that there ARE people who can and who do every day. I just know it's not for me.

Thanks everyone for your help!

Our family has been practicing vegetarians since last November...well, the day after Thanksgiving (LOL). The problem is that we have trying to slowly move towards being 100% vegetarians...

We are having a problem with cutting out meat 100%. We first started adding more and more vegetables...that was the easy part. More squashes, salads, etc. We initially started out with "Depression Eating" (The Great Depression). During the depression people ate vegetables 5 days a wek and meat only on the weekends. That really worked out...until we rreached a point where we were REALLY missing meat!

How do we work through that feeling of feeling meat depraved??

Blessings,
Al

Pounds lost: 17.0

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Al said -
Same thing with other food: if you are chomping down on a delisicious hamburger...MINDFULLY thank the cow who gave up its life...

This is the reason I became a vegetarian.

Pounds lost: 2.0

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Sounds as if you two are making things difficult in eating mindful. All it takes for you to be eating "mindfully" is to appreciate the foods that is before you. Think of the greens (in the case of a salad) and thank the salad for being on your plate.

Same thing with other food: if you are chomping down on a delisicious hamburger...MINDFULLY thank the cow who gave up its life...

Mindful eating is more of a meditation...you don't have to be thinking of the food coinstantly until it is consumed. Some countries they do...but NOT all countries. Think of where that bit of food on your plate was raised and by whom.Who picked the fruit? The vegetable? Who grew the food??

Blessings,
Al

Pounds lost: 17.0

0 13.25 26.5 39.75

53

I had a chicken souvlaki salad for dinner and I was thinking the same thing. I'd look at how the dressing glistened on the lettuce. The different colors of all the greens, Listened to the crunch of the pepper,s but before the bite was finished my mind was wandering. Before I got another forkful it wandered again. Sometimes I'd take several bites before I realized it.

I think that it's the whole process of bringing our minds back, when we realize that we left that is helpful. We will never be perfect at it. It's the discipline of "the trying" that is what's important.

Pounds lost: 23.8

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I have such trouble when I try to eat a salad. It takes so long to chew those vegetables. My mind starts to wonder and I start thinking of all I still have to do.
I'm tempted to give salads up, but they are my main source of vegetables.

Any suggestions