Going Vegan—What’s Your
Motivation?
Ready to
ditch that fattening, life-shortening, heart-choking, cholesterol-laden,
hormone-soaked red meat in favor of healthier, happier, plant-based “meats”?
Congratulations—and as isolating as the concept might feel right now,
understand that you’re certainly not alone in your quest. Vegetarianism and
veganism is spreading like wildfire throughout the world, and with very good
reason. Not only has a plant-based diet been scientifically proven in numerous
medical studies to be healthier than a carnivorous diet, but you’re also
helping save the environment in the process.
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| I try to make every meal with at least two fruit or veggies from my garden. It's so important that I teach my son yummy food comes from the ground, not a box! |
Between
the cost of animal and meat transportation, fossil fuel consumption, greenhouse
gas emissions, toxic waste and pollution created by factory farming, and many,
many other environmental issues, the impact that we as a carnivorous society
have on planet Earth is substantial and heartbreaking. A single pound of beef
can waste up to 2,500 gallons of water to produce! Think of all the good we
could do for our planet if we all made the shift to a meatless diet. And today,
it’s easier than ever to create satisfying, nutritionally sound meatless meals. If you’re
worried you’re going to miss the taste of meat, there are dozens of meat
replacement products on the market today. The best of the bunch nearly
perfectly replicate the look, taste, and texture of real meat. Sometimes, the
resemblance to actual meat is so striking that meat-eaters can’t even taste the
difference.
Compassionate Meals
We as a
modern society have been taught to physically and emotionally disconnect
ourselves from the food we eat. That pre-packaged, mass-produced container of
red meat you find under plastic wrap in your local grocery store bears no
visual resemblance to the cow it originally came from, making it remarkably
easy to forget that you’re eating something that used to be walking around. The
meat industry often perpetuates this mental disconnect, either directly or
indirectly; deliberately placing their slaughterhouses out in the middle of
nowhere, shielding them from public view. This is because the meat industry
knows that when directly faced with the reality of large-scale meat production,
most people might reel back in horror and decide to abstain from eating meat
altogether.
If you
aren’t convinced, take a few seconds now to search for an image of a cow online.
Now, while looking at that picture, ask yourself honestly if you could take the
steps necessary to slaughter and eat that cow as a part of your day-to-day routine.
If the answer is “absolutely not” or “not without getting upset or sick from
doing it,” then you have taken the first step towards acknowledging the
harrowing reality of the meat you eat. When coupled with the knowledge that you
don’t need to eat meat to be healthy, this newfound reality can be empowering.
Soy and pea-based meat alternatives to the rescue!
Dairy, Too
The dairy
industry isn’t excluded when it comes to animal mistreatment. Dairy cows are
typically artificially inseminated and kept perpetually pregnant in order to stimulate milk production. They are injected with hormones
to produce more and more milk, and injected with antibiotics when they become
ill. These chemicals can pass right through to the milk they produce. Any
female offspring of dairy cows tend to become milk cows like their mothers,
while male cows are usually slaughtered almost immediately to become veal. Typically,
newborn calves spend little or no time with their mothers after birth, which is
extremely stressful for both mother and baby. Egg production can be similarly
unpleasant, with chickens pumped full of chemicals to produce more and more
eggs. When a chicken stops producing eggs due to older age, they are typically
slaughtered for meat.
Environmental Hazards of Meat Production
The
bottom line is that massive factory farming has grown out of control, polluting
the environment each and every day, squandering precious resources to feed and
water these animals, and wasting thousands of acres of land that could be used
for growing vegetables. The worst part is that all of this is unnecessary—medical
studies have proven time and again that not only is eating meat not required
for optimal health, but a diet with substantial amounts of fruits and
vegetables and little to no meats or dairy can vastly improve your health.
Weight
loss, lowered blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and a variety of other health
benefits have all been directly attributed to a purely plant-based diet.
Furthermore, the conditions that the majority of factory-raised animals endure
are certainly less than ideal, and in many cases are absolutely deplorable.
Even “free range” animals are often kept packed together by the thousands in
dark warehouses that never see the light of day. Just because the animal isn’t
kept in a cage does not mean it gets to live a happy, stress-free life before
being slaughtered.
