I don't like meat. Never have. I was the kid at the kitchen table until 9 p.m. with a cold pork chop on my plate, steadfastly refusing to eat it. I spent a lot of nights like that. I joke that my mother is the one who turned me into a vegetarian -- by making me spend so many evenings eyeballing fat congealing on some piece of dead animal.

When I got old enough to choose my own meals, I never ate much meat, except for pepperoni, bologna and hot dogs (which, really..can any of those be considered real meat?). A few years after college, I went completely vegetarian.

I was a vegetarian for about 10 years and have a habit of referring to myself as such still -- even though I'm not anymore.

Why?

Well, nothing's changed about my feelings toward meat. I don't like it. I don't like the taste of it. I don't like the smell of it. I despise touching it. If I get so much as a tiny piece of gristle or a chewy piece of meat, I'm done altogether.

But, as an athlete, I know that protein is something I need. It was something my body actually started to crave a few years ago. I went through both pregnancies being vegetarian, but during my pregnancy with my second daughter I was craving turkey and chicken.

After her birth, I had an enlightening appointment with my chiropractor and running friend, Dr. Young, and I mentioned that I was having trouble recovering from my runs. Dr. Young told me I should probably listen to my body and that unless I'm really on top of it, I'm probably not getting the protein my runner's body needs from a vegetarian diet. And, that when your body doesn't get enough protein (amino acids), it starts breaking down your body's muscles and organs to get it.

The very next day I got a turkey sub from Subway and officially fell off the vegetarian wagon.

But, I didn't fall far. Turkey subs are about the extent of my foray into the meat world. I occasionally eat chicken (if someone else makes it) -- ditto with fish. I found out that cottage cheese was loaded with protein, so I started forcing myself to eat it every day and I also choke back an omlette (2 egg whites, 1 whole egg) at least once a week.

I thought I was doing good, but...uh, not quite. Come to find out, I'm probably still not getting near what I should be every day.

Cottage cheese is a good start, but it's not enough.We need roughly .4 grams of protein for every pound of body weight. For a woman my size, that's about 50 grams a day. For a woman of my activity level, it's nearly twice that. I should be aiming for 80 or 90 grams a day.

Meat is, by far, the highest source of protein, but it's also found in milk, eggs, dairy products, soy, lentils and beans, nuts, vegetables and grains.

For more information about protein -- why you need it, how much you need and where you can get it, check out this PDF from UCLA.