I don’t eat beef, and I haven’t for years. You wouldn’t think this would be difficult to explain but somehow it is. I guess because it isn’t as clean cut as being vegetarian, pescatarian or vegan. Now I will happily admit I am not a perfect non-beef eater, as a true Californian stereotype I do splurge and eat In-N-Out every once and awhile.

I have never been a huge meat-eater. I was a ridiculously picky eater as a child. I lived off of mac n cheese, other noodles and maybe a few pieces of chicken if my mom was lucky that day. When I was a slightly older kid my family decided to change the way we ate, we got healthier snacks (most of the time), ate more chicken and turkey, tried to increase the amount of fruit and vegetables we ate and eliminated fast food (except for In-N-Out, obviously). While we are not a vision of health, I do confidently say we make conscientious choices about where we buy our food and where our food comes from. We often buy our produce from a local farm and try to buy everything else locally as well. So my pickiness matched with a shift in eating habits definitely pushed me to eliminate beef from my diet there are still a few more reasons.

Primarily I don’t like the taste of beef. I know that’s weird especially as an American but it is by far the easiest answer to give. Secondly, my family has a less than stellar health history especially with heart disease and cutting out red meat is not only beneficial to heart health but also lowers cholesterol, can increase ability to lose weight due to a decrease in saturated fats and is also better for your digestive system. These things couples with many corporate farms treating cows, and other livestock, with severe disrespect and cruelty as well as the global cattle industry having a detrimental effect on greenhouse gas emissions makes not eating beef a relatively easy choice for me.

Surprisingly I get asked about my non-beef diet a lot; especially at burger places or steak houses where I generally order an alternative like a chicken sandwich, fish, or a salad. Through this article, I just wanted to explain my personal choices and reasons for making a specific dietary choice that isn’t as commonly talked about as veganism or vegetarianism. Finally, I want to say that my diet is not the perfect diet because I guarantee that it’s not and I do not at all want to say that my choice should be everyone’s choice.