My good friend Natalie and I started our vegetarian restaurant tour on Thursday this week. Stop one was an organic-vegan-raw-gluten free restaurant called Ecopolitan in Minneapolis.

Why a Vegetarian restaurant tour?

A few reasons. I have not liked meat much my whole life. But.. I have always eaten meat because of what we are told about it being good for our health and that as someone living with Type 1 diabetes, it is especially critical to keep our blood sugars balanced and keep us healthy. The extent of my meat protein consumption for many years has come from organic free-range chicken and turkey and very occasionally beef. I have always had to disconnect from the meat I was eating to actually be able to eat it (I really love animals a LOT!).

This past month, the last few times I ate meat, I experienced stomach aches and high blood sugars that were very resistant to insulin. Along with always feeling so vibrant and healthy when I eat a meal full of fresh yummy organic vegetables and fruits, I figured this was a great time to experiment with getting my protein from sources other than meat. I will still be eating organic eggs, cheese and butter and occasionally other dairy too—a vegetarian diet. This is different from vegan which does not consume any animal products including honey (which is something that I find works very well for me to bake with and keep my sugars balanced).