I have a feeling I may piss people off or alienate them, and I'm sorry

[aprilstarchild]

Vegans Taste Better. Short sweet summary of why a person would be vegan. Like, say, me. *lol*

Bleh. Tricky stuff. I'm not big on evangelizing to my friends, even though I wouldn't mind leafletting total strangers. BUT: I am personally of the opinion that, when given all the facts on the matter, most people would severely cut down their consumption of animal products. Note that I didn't say that most people would become vegetarian or vegan. But more of them would, certainly.

It's hard, because I know a lot of my friends are very caring and wonderful people, but the things they eat are doing so much harm to the world. Several environmental organizations have pointed out that not eating meat is the biggest thing you can do for the environment. Not trading your car for a bike, or recycling, or using low-flow showerheads and toilets. But not eating animals.

I am not against the idea of killing things to eat them. However, if I know I can be perfectly healthy (chances are, I'll be healthier!) and happy without having to kill animals, why not? Also, the way most food animals are treated (whether for meat or eggs or milk) is inexusable. Period. I won't go into details, but it's pretty awful, and the awful stuff is not the exception.

I feel healthier. Everyone around me has been laid up with a cold. I spent one day lying down and then was fine. In fact, during the day I rarely had any symptoms other than an occasional cough and having to blow my nose. I can't help but think it's related to my diet. I've always had a weak immune system, catching everything that blows by and being in bed for a week, so this is a new thing. *knock on wood* Watch, now I'll catch something awful. *lol*

Blargh. Feel free to ignore this post if you want. Please please know that I'm not angry at anybody. I know that vegetarianism and veganism are the exception in this world. I just wish people would think about it more....

Comments

[sagcat.livejournal.com]

Amen, sister! Eating an animal is as good as cutting it's throat. I worked my ass off at the humane society to have people treat animals better, and eating them is simply *not* a nice thing to do, no matter how you rationalize it. (and it's so obvious that it's mean, i just can't see how people continue to ignore it.)

How would X person feel if someone said, "I'd like to eat you and your family?" If that kind of thing wouldn't bother you, your a fucking psychopath. The only difference is that the animals can't stick up for themselves.

But then again, with all the disease in the meat, maybe they *are* sticking up for themselves. Every person who dies from diseased meat is just another fucking darwin award winner, as far as i'm concerned. Eating meat is stupid. Eating meat is cruel.

yeah- these are the things we feel and are not supposed to say, but i figure 1) I'm a tactless Sag, and 2) I've had a couple of beers.

[wildcelticrose.livejournal.com]

There's nothing wrong with sharing what you stronlgy believe in with others in a respectful manner, which is exactly what you have done...

have you ever seen this?

http://www.bancruelfarms.org/meatrix/

It made the rounds of the waterkeeper groups because of our "hog campaign" against factory farming

[arielrose.livejournal.com]

I've always been very animal-cruelty aware. When I was 12 I became a vegetarian, soon thereafter a vegan and stuck with it for 4-5 years. It simply wasn't healthy for me...I was very good about getting all my protiens and such, but I was always tired, couldn't gain any weight and had too many docs telling me with my blood type, body type I needed animal protien. So now, even though I eat heavily on veggies, fruits, tofu etc...I will have freerange eggs, meat (mostly chicken or fish) and occasional dairy.

[alicia-stardust.livejournal.com]

It's interesting to hear your thoughts on this, so I'm glad you posted them. :)

Have you ever read Fast Food Nation? It has a different angle on things - it's about more than not killing animals - but I found it really interesting in an overall health perspective.

Since I've been sick and trying to rebuild my body so it can learn how to process food again, I have become acutely aware of healthy vs. non-healthy food, whether vegan or not. And it is crazy that it's so abundant in this society. I've always been a vegetarian, but now that I've been vegan minus wheat/gluten and sugar, it's been even more eye-opening for me to try to find foods without chemicals and strange additives.

Well, that was my little tangent - related to what you were saying but not directly. ;)

Sing it sister!

[5minutelimit.livejournal.com]

I stopped a long time ago giving lectures because I knew too many ranting vegetarians who were back on the meat after a year, and because I got tired of explaining myself. But, yeah...what you said.
And as we discussed before, since I've been doing this for 30-(cough-cough) years, so I think I've reduced my footprint pretty well. So I am entitled to "cheat" a little here and there, eat a little cheese, fish if I'm craving it (which means I need it). But always with consciousness.
Thank the cow.

[arielrose.livejournal.com]

Yes, I have read both those books ;)
I went to quite a few nutritionsists and docs...but really have found no food that can completely take the place of a bit of meat here and there. I don't think eating meat is evil or wrong, but the way that meat production has been industrialized is terrible and wrong. I always do my best to buy freerange or wild products, it costs more but it's worth it and like I also mentioned, I eat mostly fruits, veggies, grains, seeds...and I never drink milk *that* just makes me gag!
And furthermore...*hehe* I know a lady who is 107 years old, in good health and mind. Her name is Dr. Leila Denmark and she was my first doctor as a baby.
She doesn't believe people should drink anything but water, should never have dairy of any kind, she eats eggs everyday and red meat once a week, she advocates lots of veggies and fresh food in your diet...and she is seriously one of the wisest and most amazing people I have ever known.