*Disclaimer*
This might seem like a really random post, considering my last post was
announcing my engagement...in January. Sorry about the lapse, but this is one
I've been meaning to write for a while.
In honor of World Vegan Day, I thought I'd
share why I stopped eating meat. While this is a subject very important
to me, I'm not trying to sound judgmental or self-righteous. Veganism is about
compassion and peace, not waging war against those who haven't made the same
choice.
I've been interested in vegetarianism/veganism
for a couple years. In 2011, I read a book called The Kind Diet. It was a gentle
nudge towards compassionate eating, full of pictures of cute cows and sweet
little piggies. I went vegetarian for a month, to see how I felt. Towards the
end of that month, I met Mike. We started dating and eating out and it just
became "easier" for me to go back to old eating habits. I was not yet
ready.
My dad has been a vegan for a few years. When I
stayed with my parents for a few months before leaving Las Vegas, we talked a
lot about his decision. Despite working out on a regular basis for the last 15
years, he still had high cholesterol and some extra weight he just couldn't
drop. He had made the choice to give up meat, dairy and eggs solely for
the health benefits. His cholesterol is now perfect and he's the
healthiest he's ever been. Every time we discussed it, he'd tell me he's 100%
happy with his decision, but I was not yet ready.
In May 2014, Mike and I honeymooned in Maui. While
we were there, we visited Leilani
Farm Sanctuary. This was my absolute favorite part of our honeymoon. It was
very hands-on and Laurelee Blanchard, the woman running the farm, was so kind
and informative. We met goats, donkeys, deer, chickens, pigs and
more. I loved meeting every animal and looking into their sweet faces. I
held an adorable chicken while she ate an apple out of my hand and I felt something stirring
in my heart. I was almost ready.
In July, I watched a documentary called 'Vegucated'. It followed 3 regular
people as they adopted a vegan lifestyle for six weeks. Part of the documentary
shows just what goes on in slaughterhouses and factory farms all across the
country. It completely opened my eyes to the truth behind the
meat/dairy/egg industry. In the back of my mind, I always knew the animals
probably weren't living on some happy farm, just waiting to be magically turned
into someone's dinner. However, I can honestly say, I had no idea just how
horrific the conditions are in factory farms. Seeing undercover video of how
cows, calves, pigs, and chickens were treated literally made me sick to my
stomach. I remembered the sweet faces of all those animals I'd met in
Maui. The disconnect I'd had
between farm animals and how they ended up on the table was gone. In that
moment, I was ready.
My immediate decision was to
stop eating meat, but I knew I wanted to also quit eggs and dairy. Those
animals have it just
as bad as the ones awaiting slaughter. I started reading and watching
anything else I could find on the subject. The more I learned, the more
my empathetic heart broke. Once I pulled back that curtain, I knew
there was no going back. After you look past the food, there's the companies
that test on animals. Then there are animals being killed for fur and leather; the circuses and animal "attractions". It was overwhelming.
After just a few nights of research. I broke down. How was one person going
vegan going to stop the millions of animals being harmed and killed? I had to
face the fact that I'm not going to be able to save all the animals and that
was a difficult realization. However, I'm doing my part. I'm making a one
person difference and that is still a difference.
I made my choice firstly for the animals, but
I've discovered many more reasons that a plant based diet is better for
everyone. The amount of land, grain and water that is spent raising animals for
food could feed so many hungry people across the world. Factory farms are also
huge contributors to the air and water pollution in the United States. I
could go on and on, but I'm trying not to turn this into a lecture.
I really haven't found it difficult to leave
animal products out of my meals. I don't miss meat, in fact it makes me kind of
queasy to see it now. I don't feel like I'm missing out and I'm not just eating
salads every day. There are so many vegan
options available now! I find lots of vegan products in my regular grocery
store. Target carries quite a few vegan brands and even just launched their own
Simply Balanced meat substitutes. We have a vegetarian grocery store nearby
that's kind of like a Whole Foods, but doesn't sell any meat. I've recently
discovered vegan items at Costco too. I picked up a couple vegan cookbooks and Mike
and I have both enjoyed all the recipes we've tried so far.
Speaking of Mike, he was definitely surprised
when I (out of the blue) announced I wasn't eating meat anymore. While he has
not made the same decision, he has been very supportive of my choice. He's open
to trying all the things I make, he's even become a fan of certain items. He
doesn't think veganism is for him, but he's already eating much less meat than
before. I'll take what I can get.
In my ideal world, everyone would wake up vegan
tomorrow. I know that isn't going to happen, but I urge you to at least learn a
little more about where your food is coming from. Even just having a plant
based meal once or twice a week would make a difference. It's all about baby
steps; I'm still very much at the beginning of my journey.
This turned out longer than I planned and I
feel like there's so much more I could (and should) say. Please, please message
me or leave a comment if you have any questions or want more information.
Again, this is something that I've become very passionate about and it's going
to be mentioned a lot more since it's now a big part of my life. I'm going to
mention a few sites and information sources that led me to where I am.
Documentaries:
'Vegucated' (available on Netflix)
'Forks Over Knives' (available on Netflix)
'Earthlings' (very important, but
not easy to watch)
Websites:
www.vegan.com (their YouTube channel is also awesome)
www.vegan.com (their YouTube channel is also awesome)
www.peta.org (can
be a little intense, but I use them more as a reference regarding cruelty free
companies and vegan products)