I've had a "Plate Awakening!" ~ Thriving on plant-based nutrition ~
As we get older, we learn more about the food that we were conditioned to eat as children. Sometimes we go on eating it, and sometimes we learn something that shifts our awareness... and our diets.
I've been flexitarian most of my life, preferring vegetables, fruits, grains and nuts to meat and seafood. For about a year I've been pescatarian, giving up meat, except for grilled salmon and occasional fish & chips. For the last 6 months I've been vegetarian, where I thought I'd stay for life. But now I'm well on my way to eating vegan. I didn't expect to ever be here!
It's been a gradual and natural change, due to what I've learned about the dairy industry, and animal agriculture in general.
I watched that movie in 2010 about Temple Grandin, a top scientist in the humane livestock handling industry. I saw how she revolutionized practices in cattle ranches and slaughterhouses. I assumed companies around the world adopted her ideas and killed animals swiftly and painlessly. I didn't know their living conditions were so unbearable, or that there were conscienceless bullies on the factory line, traumatizing and torturing animals.
Most farm animals live in a jail cell, unable to even turn around, many standing in their own feces. The hormones they are given cause some to grow so fast they can't even stand up, and some die from heart failure. They won't see sunlight until the day of slaughter. Federal laws such as the Humane Method of Slaughter Act, are not always enforced. I recently learned it doesn't even apply to chickens or turkeys (why??)
And I never considered how we get our dairy... what has to be done to the cows and their calves in order to keep the milk production up. Or what happens to male baby chicks! We need a kinder, more compassionate way! If we wouldn't allow our pets to endure this, how can we allow other animals to suffer this way? It's all in our conditioning.
And I never considered how we get our dairy... what has to be done to the cows and their calves in order to keep the milk production up. Or what happens to male baby chicks! We need a kinder, more compassionate way! If we wouldn't allow our pets to endure this, how can we allow other animals to suffer this way? It's all in our conditioning.
We've been programmed to see this as normal: "a dog is a pet, but a calf is for food." This is called "speciesism," and it's not normal, or even necessary. We don't need to eat animals to get our protein! Elephants, gorillas, bison, rhinos, horses, cows, oxen... these strong animals are herbivorous. Peas, legumes, seeds, nuts, brussel sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, avocado and spinach are very high in protein!
I could have embraced veganism long ago, when I first talked to my (then) 12 year old nephew who pioneered down that path on his own. And I could have become vegan in 2014 when I went to a week-long retreat where nothing but vegan food was served - and they were the most gastronomically satisfying and delicious meals I've ever had! I could have adopted a plant-based diet when I learned that my 20 year old niece and her boyfriend had embraced it. These were all seeds, (pun!) planted and watered.
But it didn't really hit home until I spent time near a chicken factory in Delaware...
I'd drive by and the peculiar stench was enough to choke me. I'd see truckloads of chickens smashed together so tightly, you couldn't tell where one ended and the other began. Occasionally I'd see a beak in there, accompanied by eyes that were filled with despair. I realized that this is what I'm eating when I order from my (former) favorite fast food chain, Chick-Fil-A. These were the living creatures that transformed into the "nuggets" I casually dipped in honey mustard sauce.
It was a defining moment for me... an uncomfortable awareness set in and I saw everything differently.
Dreadful as it is, the horrors that accompany factory farming don't just affect innocent animals. They also jeopardize our health. The contamination that they produce can give rise to many serious illnesses.
Factory farming pollutes the water, air, and is the leading cause of deforestation and biodiversity loss. It contributes to the climate crisis more than all the world's transportation systems combined. And our taxes are paying for it! Animal agriculture is not a sustainable way to feed a growing world population. We are feeding the animals... so we can benefit from what they eat, by eating them. (How did we ever think that was a good idea?)
This is a very informative read (no sad triggering pictures, just words).
https://blog.pachamama.org/how-animal-agriculture-affects-our-planet
If you want to know more, here are some documentaries: "What the Health," and "Earthlings," and "Cowspiracy," and "Dominion," and "The Gamechangers."
The more I learn, the more I shut the door on my past eating habits. I simply cannot support an industry that is destroying our world, jeopardizing our health, and inhumanely killing billions of innocent animals who share the planet with us, and have a right to live as nature intended.
Paul McCartney said, "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian."
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity."
Almond milk (unsweetened vanilla) is SO much tastier than dairy milk. I also like oat and soy milk. I use plant-based 'Shakeology' and add pea protein. I love Silk's soy yogurt in blueberry and mango peach. Still working on finding a tasty cream cheese for my bagels. And I recently discovered JUST egg substitute, which is so close to the real thing my Mom couldn't tell the difference. Plant butter tastes exactly like real butter, I recommend Miyoko's. It's been a culinary adventure!
Purple Carrot is my favorite vegan meal delivery service. And many restaurants are introducing plant-based protein in lieu of meat. "The impossible burger" for example. Dunkin Donuts is now offering "beyond meat sausage" sandwiches. Delicious vegan meals are popping up on every menu. I'm surprised we don't have a vegan fast food chain yet. (Entrepreneurs take note!)
I'm also learning about wool, leather and fur... no more UGG boots for me! I have become much more conscious about what I buy. Cruelty-free is the only way forward.
This wave of awareness is spreading exponentially: We don't have to give up taste, in order to be healthy and save the world! If everyone would go vegan, we'd save animals, reduce rainforest deforestation, reduce antibiotic resistance, reduce climate change, improve our health and prevent pandemics.
I could have embraced veganism long ago, when I first talked to my (then) 12 year old nephew who pioneered down that path on his own. And I could have become vegan in 2014 when I went to a week-long retreat where nothing but vegan food was served - and they were the most gastronomically satisfying and delicious meals I've ever had! I could have adopted a plant-based diet when I learned that my 20 year old niece and her boyfriend had embraced it. These were all seeds, (pun!) planted and watered.
But it didn't really hit home until I spent time near a chicken factory in Delaware...
I'd drive by and the peculiar stench was enough to choke me. I'd see truckloads of chickens smashed together so tightly, you couldn't tell where one ended and the other began. Occasionally I'd see a beak in there, accompanied by eyes that were filled with despair. I realized that this is what I'm eating when I order from my (former) favorite fast food chain, Chick-Fil-A. These were the living creatures that transformed into the "nuggets" I casually dipped in honey mustard sauce.
It was a defining moment for me... an uncomfortable awareness set in and I saw everything differently.
Dreadful as it is, the horrors that accompany factory farming don't just affect innocent animals. They also jeopardize our health. The contamination that they produce can give rise to many serious illnesses.
Factory farming pollutes the water, air, and is the leading cause of deforestation and biodiversity loss. It contributes to the climate crisis more than all the world's transportation systems combined. And our taxes are paying for it! Animal agriculture is not a sustainable way to feed a growing world population. We are feeding the animals... so we can benefit from what they eat, by eating them. (How did we ever think that was a good idea?)
This is a very informative read (no sad triggering pictures, just words).
https://blog.pachamama.org/how-animal-agriculture-affects-our-planet
If you want to know more, here are some documentaries: "What the Health," and "Earthlings," and "Cowspiracy," and "Dominion," and "The Gamechangers."
The more I learn, the more I shut the door on my past eating habits. I simply cannot support an industry that is destroying our world, jeopardizing our health, and inhumanely killing billions of innocent animals who share the planet with us, and have a right to live as nature intended.
Paul McCartney said, "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian."
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity."
Almond milk (unsweetened vanilla) is SO much tastier than dairy milk. I also like oat and soy milk. I use plant-based 'Shakeology' and add pea protein. I love Silk's soy yogurt in blueberry and mango peach. Still working on finding a tasty cream cheese for my bagels. And I recently discovered JUST egg substitute, which is so close to the real thing my Mom couldn't tell the difference. Plant butter tastes exactly like real butter, I recommend Miyoko's. It's been a culinary adventure!
Purple Carrot is my favorite vegan meal delivery service. And many restaurants are introducing plant-based protein in lieu of meat. "The impossible burger" for example. Dunkin Donuts is now offering "beyond meat sausage" sandwiches. Delicious vegan meals are popping up on every menu. I'm surprised we don't have a vegan fast food chain yet. (Entrepreneurs take note!)
I'm also learning about wool, leather and fur... no more UGG boots for me! I have become much more conscious about what I buy. Cruelty-free is the only way forward.
This wave of awareness is spreading exponentially: We don't have to give up taste, in order to be healthy and save the world! If everyone would go vegan, we'd save animals, reduce rainforest deforestation, reduce antibiotic resistance, reduce climate change, improve our health and prevent pandemics.
For the animals, for our health, for each other, for our future.... please consider the vegan lifestyle. It's not a restriction, it's actually our emancipation.
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