I just finished Eating Animals. I’m not entirely sure how to feel. Jonathan Safran Foer doesn’t compel you to become a vegetarian as much as he urges the reader to consider what they’re actually eating before they eat it. I get that. I appreciate that.

Admittedly, I’m the worst of the worst. I’ll eat any two-bit meat product I see from a fast food joint. If not that, it’s something frozen. I don’t care. It tastes good, it’s cheap and it’s convenient for the nights where I don’t feel like cooking something at home. (When I say ‘the nights when I don’t feel like cooking, I mean ‘pretty much every night’.)

In my mid-twenties, I’ve noticed a change in my digestive system. I’m constantly getting ill from the foods I eat, both with immediate symptoms or flu-like viruses that occur every three to four months. More often than not, these are meat dishes. Maybe it’s stress, or maybe it’s the shit-covered, drug-pumped products I’m eating. After reading that book, I wouldn’t be surprised.

Listen. I’m not going to stop eating meat. I like the taste. I’ve tried alternative vegetarian and vegan meat products, and although they taste pretty good, I don’t think I could sustain an entire diet on them. It’s just not the right decision for me.

Here’s what I hope to do. It’s not in any way a guarantee. I’d like to make smarter choices at meal time, especially when I’m out. There are plenty meatless options in the city (noodle dishes, pizza, so on and so forth) that are completely acceptable and filling. When it comes to meat, I’d like to do some research on some of the farms in the book that allegedly practice more humane treatment and not package food that’s clearly unsafe for consumption. Maybe I can eat some of that.

The problem is that’s not entirely practical, and can get expensive very quickly. That’s something I cannot afford to do.

So, we’ll see. Maybe this book was the wake up call or the push in a healthier direction. I’d like to get sick less often. Honestly, convenience almost always wins over what’s ‘better’ for me. That’s sad, and that’s something the book argues over and over. I’m glad I read it, but when it comes to some concrete change, it will come much smaller than what I’d consider ideal.