Hi, my name is Lexi and I grew up in the midwest city of Overland Park, Kansas. Kansas City is better known for their bbq, tailgates, and well, being the loudest stadium in America (Go Chiefs). Aside from being an absolutely underrated state, we kick-ass in the meat department. I'm talking steaks, ribs, pulled pork, bacon, the list would go on forever, but I'll stop there to prevent you from spontaneously jumping on the next flight to the homeland.

So you're probably wondering why the hell I would ever go vegetarian after being raised on BBQ sauce and baby back ribs. Well, I'd like to blame Netflix. Ugh, even saying it makes me hate myself. I fell into the trap of outrageous media propaganda and now here I am eating like a gosh damn rabbit. But in all honesty, it's been one of the better decisions I've made. Plot twist? Ok yes, I definitely still crave bacon and chicken. That doesn't just go away when you've been shoving those down your gullet your whole life.

Back to Netflix- so I did it while sitting in the KCI Airport... I watched the most controversial documentary of the summer "What The Health". Within the first 30 minutes I went through several different emotions of sad, scared, and 'this dude for sure needs his medical license revoked.' Not to say that the documentary didn't have some valid points, it definitely opened up my eyes to our poorly treated meat industry in America. Some parts, though, were rather... interesting. Beginning with the fact that they compared eating ONE egg to the equivalent of smoking 5 cigarettes. OH great, thanks, dude not only are you scaring the living shit out of America but now every IHOP is sure to go out of business after that false attack. I mean really, where the hell do they think we're getting our eggs from? Over here in California, most cartons of eggs are either free-range & antibiotic free or they won't be touched. Let me know how your avocado toast tastes without a sunny side egg on top... weirdo.

Anyways, the point of this article isn't to deconstruct every last inch of the documentary, but rather to give you a different, more gentle approach (one they could have easily taken) on going plant based. Sure, watching our chickens be injected with sodium isn't very sexy... or normal for that matter. But it's important that you're deciding to either go Vegetarian or Vegan because you want to. Not because some Freak-o-Zoid with a camera told you to.

DISCLAIMER: I am not here to judge anyone who doesn't want to be vegetarian, vegan, paleo, pescetarian whatever it may be. Like I said, it's your body- this is your choice. There are still amazing ways to eat meat & poultry without gross pesticides or freaky chemicals. Just sharing my personal story.

So yes, I caved and had to see what going plant-based was all about. Starting with the fact that I'm lactose intolerant therefore eating dairy isn't an option for me unless I want to spend my whole day in pain over a piece of string cheese. That made giving this whole plant-based diet thing a chance much easier. Since I was already on that almond milk hype, all I had to do was cut out meat. Easy enough right? Wrong. Moment of silence for the Vegans/Vegetarians of the world because this takes effort. Luckily vegan is super in right now so finding recipes saved me from reaching for the closest piece of chicken I could find. So there I was standing in my kitchen, hovered over the stove making vegan "meatballs". Luckily enough, I enjoy cooking but that took some getting used to.

Contrary to popular belief, the documentary states that eating sugar will NOT give you diabetes, but you better believe that juicy piece of meat will. Alrighty, buster, where did you even find these dudes? And by dudes, I'm referring to the specialists our lovely narrator brought in. Let's not give America the idea that eating candy over protein is the way to a nutritious diet. Goodness, aren't we already suffering enough? Yes, our meat industry needs some serious help, like Britney-circa-2008-smashing-car-windows help, but unlike the pop-star and her major comeback, it's going to take more than some talking to.

Hi, It's me, Lexi, again. The same girl from Overland Park, Kansas who grew up eating chicken wings and filet mignons for every meal. My whole world revolved around getting enough protein from animals in order to stay full and stay healthy. Well, I gave up deli meats for chickpea patties and 4-weeks later I feel like a different human. Going plant based has completely increased my endurance and energy not only through my day, but especially during my workouts. I used to ALWAYS feel bloated even after eating small meals or snacks but the bloated feeling has gone away almost completely. Don't get me wrong, there was no way in hell I was going to give up eggs but eating pasture-raised, free-range, antibiotic free chickies makes a difference. And fish? Y'all are crazy if you thought salmon and sushi were going anywhere out of my way. I eat fish from time to time because a girl can only eat so many vegetables before turning into one. Lastly, if you are even in the slightest bit interested in trying a plant-based lifestyle... GO FOR IT. It's not like you're signing an oath to never look in the same direction as a chicken again, but the benefits afterward might keep you hooked.