Veg challenge

For the month of June my brother, parents, Kevin and I are not going to eat red meat and possibly any meat. We are all doing it for different reasons so I won't speak for them. I am doing it because of animal treatment. Not in a PETA kind of way but I just wanted to step back for a month and try to think about things. I do believe that God intended for us to eat meat and that we would have to kill an animal to get the meat. I also think that God intended for us to care for animals. If you've ever driven I-5 in California between the Bay Area and L.A. you've probably considered becoming a vegetarian. Knowing where your meat comes from and how that animal is treated isn't just about animal rights as much as it could be about your own health. The hormone/antibiotic-free labels are popping up more commonly now because it's something to be concerned about. These types of meats cost quite a bit more but if you cut the amount of meat that you consume per week you would be able to afford it and the benefits would definitely be worth it.

I don't plan on continuing past the month. I can't imagine a life without steak, Chick-fil-a or hot dogs at a BBQ. But, I am committed to being more aware of what I'm eating. Plus this gives me a good opportunity to get those 9-13 servings of fruits and vegetables that we're supposed to be getting per day.
Eating, drinking, breathing and just living are scary things these days. I don't want to spend a lot of time being worried about them but if there are easy changes I can make then why not? I also want to say that I'll still buy food that's not perfect because budgets are tight and choices are slim in this town. Relationships are always more important than anything else so it's more important for us to eat together than to be concerned about what we eat. Also, before anyone thinks I am 'greenier than thou', know that I drank a 44oz coke yesterday and dreamed of a bacon cheeseburger from Rick and Carolyn's. Right now my goal is like it was with recycling. I'm going halvsies.
On a side note, basically this is my ideal way of living. I know, nerdy-hippie.