I didn’t think I was going to become one of those “crazy vegans” and yet here I am, flying on a plane starving because I refuse to eat anything they are serving. Somehow everything has either animal parts or animal excretions in it. I’ll learn better next time to fly with some vegan friendly food.
Just before boarding my flight I posted yet another video from Toronto Pig Save . I’m sure my social media “friends” will scroll right past, while rolling their eyes but somehow I feel I can not stay quiet when there are so many animals suffering. Perhaps this latest video will help to open their eyes.
You see, every time I see one of those videos, it reminds me why I continue to not eat meat or any animal products. It also reminds me of what has been kept secret from me, all these years. There I was, joyfully consuming animals, while never taking a second thought about them.
How did I go all these years never wondering where my food “came” from??
I’ve always been an animal lover and against animal abuse. Yet, my favorite childhood meal all the way up until now, has been my grandmothers chicken rice recipe, with sliced pork shoulder on the side. My favorite meat was pork!!! Even with the crispy skin still attached, pork was a food and a pig was, well, a pig. Pork never equaled pig in my mind and it was easier that way because eating it held no remorse or guilt.
How did I not make the connection?? How was I raised so blind?
“Until you bring it to the light, that which is kept in the dark, remains hidden.”
The meat and dairy industry has been doing a great job by labeling their pretty packed packages with “happy” cows, chickens and pigs alike. We see beautiful farms with rolling hills across super market banners and never for a moment, think about the animals, how they were raised or slaughtered.
Although you will still see family farms stretch across our great USA, most of the packaged meat and dairy you see in your grocery store, is straight from factory farming. Whether is marked free range, natural or hormone free. Fact: 99.9 % of chicken, 99% of turkeys, 95% of pigs and 78% of cattle all come from factory farms. Do yourself the favor and google factory farming, it’s not quite as our food packaging tells…
Factory farms.
These “farms,” more appropriately called prisons, are not farms at all. These are places of torture and murder of the innocent. Throats are slit, heads are smashed and lives are ended. For what?
Meat, dairy and eggs. (*Links provide video’s. They are disturbing, yet this is the reality of factory farming.)
If what I’m saying upsets you, it should! It’s because you know what’s right, in your heart. I get it, if there was another way around it, you would. You don’t want to hurt animals or want to cause pain and suffering. You just can’t see any other way… yet, there is.
Vegan.
Here’s the thing. I’m not shaming you for eating meat. I ate meat the last 37 years and I’ll be damned if I’m going to point the finger. I just want to share with you why I’ve made the change and what opened my eyes to seeing the truth, in our very “normal” way of eating.
The suffering. There is enough pain and suffering in this world and eating animals is only contributing to it. Besides the fact that animal agriculture is destroying our planet, the consumption of animals is destroying our health!!
The animals.
My original “why” was for the animals. Once I found out how they were treated before slaughter, the conditions of living they were subject to and the inhumane treatments they were forced to endure. I just couldn’t be apart of that anymore.
Things like, baby female chicks having their beaks cut so they don’t peck each other. Male chicks tossed into meat grinders while still alive, since they can not produce eggs. Baby piglets are castrated, have teeth pulled and their tails cut off. All of these procedures are done by human hands, without anesthesia or painkillers.
Other horrors include the methods used for stunning the animals prior to slaughter. They simply are not effective and many animal’s throats are slit or they are boiled alive while they are still conscious. Forcing them to die a slow and painful death. I understand that this is not the “norm” all the time, but the very fact it’s happening at all, is enough for me to make my decision.
The dairy industry, seemly innocent as it is, allows “raping” of cows to continually keep them pregnant, then murders their young or sells them off for veal. Especially the male calf’s because they are seen as an inconvenience to the industry, since they do not produce milk.
The planet.
The further down the rabbit hole I went, the more I found out about the devastating effects that animal agriculture is having on our planet. “It is the leading cause of species extinction, ocean dead zones, water pollution, and habitat destruction. It’s also the number one reason for deforestation of the rain forest as well as responsible for 18% of greenhouse emissions. That’s more than the combined exhaust from ALL transportation. Not to mention that 80-90% of US water consumption in the US is by animal agriculture.” All these facts are mentioned in Cowspiracy. (*Click on link to see fact sheet. )The list goes on.
For those of you who claim that these documentaries have the facts stretch, perhaps you’d be more interested in The Weather Channel. They just reported that there is a dead zone the size of New Jersey in the Gulf of Mexico as we speak. The cause…animal agriculture.
Our health.
Obesity, heart attacks, cancer and diabetes… can all be linked to consuming animal products. We are finding out now that processed meats are carcinogenic!! Mercury and plastic are in our fish. Meats are contaminated with hormones and antibiotics. Yet, these are all a part of our daily diet. Still, we wonder why our heath is at a steady decline…
So now what?!
First of all, you need to know your why! Why are you choosing to change in such a big way? Is it the animals, the planet, your health or possibly all three that inspires you to head towards a plant-based diet? Once you have your why, educate yourself. Don’t just take it from me, do your own research. Watch, read and see what there is to see. Visit an animal sanctuary, ask your doctor and try switching, just a few of your food items at first.
Some people jump all in, some just drop the red meat at first. Some easily switch to vegetarian and some still choose to eat fish. I found for me, the more I educated myself, the more animal products I dropped. Eggs were the last thing I dropped and that was three weeks ago. The whole process took me about two and a half months. It may take you a year or you may not choose to at all. Either way, you know what is best for you. I just ask that you look at the facts and make the best decision for yourself. If you still choose to eat meat after all the facts are presented, I ask that you source your meat responsibly and buy local. Lets not give factory farming one more of our dollars.
I can not un-see what I have seen, nor do I want to. It’s not always easy knowing the truth but in the end the truth always sets us free, to make the best informed decisions for ourselves, our families and our planet. Who knows, maybe we can be one of those “crazy vegans” together.
Write back soon, love Annie.
PS. I will follow-up with a blog on how I made the switch and what I am eating these days!
