Beat the Meat…A 30 Day Challenge of No Meat

Name: Matthew Purnell

Class Standing: Senior

Major: Double Major in Music & International Studies

What made you decide to change your eating habits?

·         I wanted to try a different diet. I also wanted to try something new, and see if I had the discipline to stick with it. I also wanted to cleanse my palate

What were your eating habits like at the beginning of this thirty day challenge?

·         I didn’t have bad eating habit, but I wanted to start eating more vegetables.  The first week I started it I only ate salads, and it really cleansed me out and I felt the difference.

How do you think it has changed?

·         It makes me be aware of what I’m eating. Everything I eat now needs to be fresh, I have to think about how long everything has been out. It also makes me think about Omega 3’s. I didn’t want to eat processed food. Also fish doesn’t make you feel bloated when you eat, and I want salads all the time.

Do you feel as though you have lost weight because of it?

·         I haven’t weighed myself. I didn’t do it before hand, and I don’t like it now.

Do you think you will continue to this way of eating after your thirty days are up?

·         I haven’t decided that. I may depending on how I still feel about meat.

Would you recommend this lifestyle change to anyone else?

·         I would recommend this change to anyone that wants to challenge themselves to see if they have a true affinity for meat. For example I only really miss chicken. Like I can go without beef and pork, but I didn’t think I would chicken this much. We only eat certain things because those are bought by her parents, so I already rarely ate beef and pork because my mother had stopped eating it

Did you find it hard to live this lifestyle while eating on campus?

·         Yes because options are limited. For example at the wrap station they only offer tuna, and at the salad station they only offer a tofu option for non-meat eaters. It would be great if they offered a seafood option as regular menu options.

What was the best meal you have had since your no meat challenge begin?

·         Fried Fish, rice with a cheese sauce, and string beans.

Did you come up with any new recipes during these thirty days?

·         Yes Salmon with a honey based glaze and cilantro based rice.

If so what is it?

·       The Ingredients are:  Lime juice, honey, sea salt, black pepper, tobacco, pinch of garlic powder and Italian herbs. All you have to do is mix them together.

Well thank you for letting me interview you.