gone vegan

when i first started my blog back in january, i was just beginning to play around with the idea of a vegan diet.  i was content to go mostly vegetarian and strive for vegan as long as it was convenient.  a little cheese here, an egg there, maybe a bit of fish from time to time wasn't going to make the world stop turning.  i don't really like to be legalistic about anything and this was no exception. you may remember from my intro post that my reasons for leaning towards a plant based diet were strictly health reasons.  as of now, i'm officially coming out as vegan....and here's why.

you can't visit too many vegan sites before you're exposed to another side of veganism.
just as i site Forks Over Knives as the catalyst for my dietary changes, many other vegans site the documentary, Earthlings, as theirs. i avoided watching it for a while because i thought i knew what it was going to show me, and what i thought i knew, i thought i could live with.  i couldn't have been more wrong. as well as highlighting the extreme suffering of animals in the pet, entertainment, fashion and research industries, the film exposes the gross, inhumane mistreatment of animals on factory farms from birth on, and their cruel, often prolonged deaths in slaughterhouses. it also brought to light the pathetic existence of dairy cows and laying hens who are bred to produce the majority of eggs and and dairy products on the market.

 this wasn't my grandma's farm they were talking about, where the chickens ran around all day until grandma caught one and quickly  wrung its neck for dinner...or the farm across the street from hers where  i used to watch the little pigs run and jump and play in the mud when i was a little girl. no doubt they ended up on someone's dinner table, but to me, that just seems like a natural life process, and call me a bad vegan, but i'm okay with that.  i also don't have any moral qualms about hunting or fishing for food, provided the animals lived a normal life and died a quick death...or gathering eggs from hens who get to run around and spread their wings...what i witnessed in this movie was anything but natural, compassionate or humane.  it was vile and literally made me nauseous for days. i honestly can't even smell meat cooking right now without imagining what i saw and having my stomach begin to churn. when god gave man dominion over the animals and sanctioned the eating of meat, i'm pretty sure that this isn't what he had in mind at all. as a matter of fact, i think it probably breaks his heart.

so, maybe there's no way you're going to watch this movie after my description and maybe it wouldn't even take you to the same place it has me, and that's ok.  this is my decision that i have no intention of projecting on anyone else (except the people who have to eat what i prepare).  but let me challenge you here.  if you aren't motivated to cut back on your meat intake for health reasons, maybe at least rethink the source of your meat and dairy and try to purchase from a source where the animals are treated with compassion. this takes research and often costs more (which will likely cause you to eat less of it), but once you know the truth, i think you'll agree it's worth it.

as for me, the compelling health benefits and the beyond inhumane treatment of animals where the bulk of our meat and dairy is from, makes me want to just avoid it altogether.

and now you know the rest of my story....i'm off to whip up something yummy for dinner.