I just read one of the hardest things to read in this book. Foer describes the process of "thumping", which is what factory farm workers do to the runts of the pig litter.
"Picked up by their hind legs, they are swung and then bashed headfirst onto the concrete floor."
A Missouri farmer describes what he has done, which I won't type out here because I got to the point where I was crying so hard that I couldn't see well enough to keep reading. I've had to put this book down three times in 7 pages and collect myself.
Every time I sit down to read this book I think, "how could I have ever eaten meat and not know about all of these inhumane, immoral, and unethical acts that are going on in these factory farms. My heart is completely broken.
Now I have to go back to work looking like I just found out something awful, which I did.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
A few words from Eating Animals, part 2
"Needless to say, jamming deformed, drugged, overstressed birds together in a filthy, waste-coated room is not very healthy. Beyond deformities, eye damage, blindness, bacterial infections of bones, slipped vertebrae, paralysis, internal bleeding, anemia, slipped tendons, twisted lower legs and necks, respiratory diseases, and weakened immune systems are frequent and long-standing problems on factory farms. Scientific studies and government records suggest that virtually all (upwards of 95 percent of) chickens become infected with E. coli (an indicator of fecal contamination) and between 39 and 75 percent of chickens in retail stores are still infected. Around 8 percent of birds become infected with salmonella (down from several years ago, when at least one in four birds was infected, which still occurs on some farms). Seventy to 90 percent are infected with another potentially deadly pathogen, campylobacter. Chlorine baths are commonly used to remove slime, odor, and bacteria.
"Of course, consumers might notice that their chickens don't taste quite right -- how good could a drug-stuffed, disease-ridden,shit-contaminated animal possibly taste? -- but the birds will be injected (or otherwise pumped up) with "broths" and salty solutions to give them what we have come to think of as the chicken look, smell, and taste."
The next time you think you're making a healthier choice by eating chicken instead of read meat, go ahead and re-read this post.
"Of course, consumers might notice that their chickens don't taste quite right -- how good could a drug-stuffed, disease-ridden,shit-contaminated animal possibly taste? -- but the birds will be injected (or otherwise pumped up) with "broths" and salty solutions to give them what we have come to think of as the chicken look, smell, and taste."
The next time you think you're making a healthier choice by eating chicken instead of read meat, go ahead and re-read this post.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
A few words from Eating Animals
"KFC chickens are almost always killed in thirty-nine days. They're babies. Thats how rapidly they're grown. Salatin's organic free-range chicken is killed in forty-two days. 'Cause it's still the same chicken. It can't be allowed to live any longer because it's genetics are so screwed up. Stop and think about that: a bird that you simply can't let live out of it's adolescence."
Birds raised for poultry can't reproduce naturally anymore. Because of all the genetic alterations, they are all artificially inseminated. They are reproducing deformed birds. Since all factory farmed animals (even free-range/cage-free, which only legally means "access to the outdoors", and only occasionally) are in such tight quarters, they literally go mad, attacking each other, and sometimes killing each other. They are left there to be trampled, which causes disease to spread. These birds are what you eat.
Birds raised for poultry can't reproduce naturally anymore. Because of all the genetic alterations, they are all artificially inseminated. They are reproducing deformed birds. Since all factory farmed animals (even free-range/cage-free, which only legally means "access to the outdoors", and only occasionally) are in such tight quarters, they literally go mad, attacking each other, and sometimes killing each other. They are left there to be trampled, which causes disease to spread. These birds are what you eat.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer
I just started reading Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm about 40 pages in and I'm already blown away! There are so many amazing facts in here. Not only facts, but also really great questions for carnivores to think about. I have already decided that the next time someone asks me why I'm vegan, I will say, "Read the book Eating Animals. It will explain everything."
Brilliant!
I had to write a quick post about it. Read the book!
Brilliant!
I had to write a quick post about it. Read the book!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
PETA's Ingrid Newkirk
I just read one of the best interviews since being vegan. PETA president and Co-founder, Ingrid Newkirk, sat down with Forbes to discuss animal cruelty on all levels. Ingrid even discusses religion and how animal cruelty relates to so many different points of view. Here's my favorite part:
MT: What do you think makes humans ignore some cruelties?
IN: At PETA, we often say that the issue of how animals are treated isn’t just about them; it’s about us, how we behave. It is about what we are thinking when we do violent things to others whom we find it difficult to relate to or whom we dismiss as too unimportant to take into consideration at all. A lot of people have culturally induced ethical blindness, but they can be cured! A lot of people profess to holding religion dear. One of the main tenets of Buddhism is that “all lives are equal.” Confucianism teaches us that “we shall treat everything in the world as one.” Jesus talked of being kind even to the “least of them,” of watching out for the smallest sparrow. Judaism and Islam have wonderful teachings about kindness to animals as a prime virtue. Whether or not we are religious, respecting others should be seen as just as important as looking out for ourselves, yet it requires discipline to change our bad habits that cause pain to animals. I think that the more we learn about animals, the harder it is to abuse them. For instance, that the average dog in a human family learns hundreds of household words without being taught them. Ants build boats to cross streams. Bats take food to nearby bats who are sick. Chimpanzees, crows, elephants, and even fish use tools. Octopuses learn how to open a jar simply by watching a person do it. Elephants cradle their dead relatives’ bones in their trunks, tears pouring down their faces. Little desert rats collect dew by rolling a stone in front of their burrow. Geese and pigeons mate for life, mourn, and become demonstrably depressed if a mate dies. All these things and many others have been measured, witnessed, studied, and published.
This part was very personal to me. I have been criticized by family members for being vegan because it's not "God's way". I beg to differ. As Ingrid said above, "Jesus talked of being kind even to the 'least of them'." I've never really known how to win this argument, but this is a great quote. During the Last Supper, Jesus at bread and drank wine. No meat. Interesting, eh?
Ingrid really knows how to answer all of the typical questions (which is why she's the president), so the full article is definitely worth a read. Here it is!
MT: What do you think makes humans ignore some cruelties?
IN: At PETA, we often say that the issue of how animals are treated isn’t just about them; it’s about us, how we behave. It is about what we are thinking when we do violent things to others whom we find it difficult to relate to or whom we dismiss as too unimportant to take into consideration at all. A lot of people have culturally induced ethical blindness, but they can be cured! A lot of people profess to holding religion dear. One of the main tenets of Buddhism is that “all lives are equal.” Confucianism teaches us that “we shall treat everything in the world as one.” Jesus talked of being kind even to the “least of them,” of watching out for the smallest sparrow. Judaism and Islam have wonderful teachings about kindness to animals as a prime virtue. Whether or not we are religious, respecting others should be seen as just as important as looking out for ourselves, yet it requires discipline to change our bad habits that cause pain to animals. I think that the more we learn about animals, the harder it is to abuse them. For instance, that the average dog in a human family learns hundreds of household words without being taught them. Ants build boats to cross streams. Bats take food to nearby bats who are sick. Chimpanzees, crows, elephants, and even fish use tools. Octopuses learn how to open a jar simply by watching a person do it. Elephants cradle their dead relatives’ bones in their trunks, tears pouring down their faces. Little desert rats collect dew by rolling a stone in front of their burrow. Geese and pigeons mate for life, mourn, and become demonstrably depressed if a mate dies. All these things and many others have been measured, witnessed, studied, and published.
This part was very personal to me. I have been criticized by family members for being vegan because it's not "God's way". I beg to differ. As Ingrid said above, "Jesus talked of being kind even to the 'least of them'." I've never really known how to win this argument, but this is a great quote. During the Last Supper, Jesus at bread and drank wine. No meat. Interesting, eh?
Ingrid really knows how to answer all of the typical questions (which is why she's the president), so the full article is definitely worth a read. Here it is!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
I Am Vegan
I absolutely love it when other's blogs inspire me. Today, I read Kiss Me, I'm Vegan! and the author decided to write her reasons for being vegan. She was inspired by This Vegan Life.
I decided to write the reasons for why I am vegan. So, without further adieu, here they are:
...because it breaks my heart to know that there are so many farm animals in the world being treated cruelly and inhumanely. I completely agree with what The Bible says on God putting animals on this earth for food. However, the people in Biblical times did not hold these animals hostage in small cages to fatten up, or cut of the beaks and feet of chickens so their only purpose is to lay eggs, or impregnate female cows so unnaturally frequent just to create milk. Humans used to work for their meat by hunting. Let's be honest, the human species has become a lazy one. What other species on earth keeps their food in cages?
...because I am living the healthiest lifestyle. I feel so healthy and have never felt so good about my body. Sure, I've lost weight, but the overall feeling of health is beyond the physical aspects. I haven't been sick since I started my vegan life, and since I've been taking my iron and multi-vitamin supplements, I have a ton of energy. In fact, I have so much energy that I have been pushing myself so hard out on the trails. I'm sprinting up mountains! It's the best feeling I've had in years!
...because I'm avoiding all of those deadly diseases. Did you know that when you're a carnivore, your intestines are lined with animal fat? That doesn't just go away with a quick detox. I am avoiding several kinds of cancer just from that area of my body. I'm also avoiding heart disease, diabetes, and so many other harmful things.
...because I have amazing bowl movements! This is something most people won't discuss, but leave it to me! Thanks to my BFF and college roomie, I have no problem whatsoever discussing my bowl movements. I'm proud to say that I have the softest stool in the world...and it's regular!
...because I've never tasted such delicious and flavorful foods in my life! Before I went vegan, I had never heard of quinoa and millet, or umeboshi plums and daikon. I am eating so many vegetables each day that in my six months of being vegan, I'm pretty sure I've passed myself up on the veggies I ate throughout my entire life. I'm eating whole grains and natural foods, and they all taste amazing!
There are so many other reasons to go vegan, even if it's just to lose a few pounds. But be prepared to change emotionally. I didn't feel this way about farm animals when I first started. Now, it's my reason for staying vegan, and it's an incredible feeling!
I decided to write the reasons for why I am vegan. So, without further adieu, here they are:
...because it breaks my heart to know that there are so many farm animals in the world being treated cruelly and inhumanely. I completely agree with what The Bible says on God putting animals on this earth for food. However, the people in Biblical times did not hold these animals hostage in small cages to fatten up, or cut of the beaks and feet of chickens so their only purpose is to lay eggs, or impregnate female cows so unnaturally frequent just to create milk. Humans used to work for their meat by hunting. Let's be honest, the human species has become a lazy one. What other species on earth keeps their food in cages?
...because I am living the healthiest lifestyle. I feel so healthy and have never felt so good about my body. Sure, I've lost weight, but the overall feeling of health is beyond the physical aspects. I haven't been sick since I started my vegan life, and since I've been taking my iron and multi-vitamin supplements, I have a ton of energy. In fact, I have so much energy that I have been pushing myself so hard out on the trails. I'm sprinting up mountains! It's the best feeling I've had in years!
...because I'm avoiding all of those deadly diseases. Did you know that when you're a carnivore, your intestines are lined with animal fat? That doesn't just go away with a quick detox. I am avoiding several kinds of cancer just from that area of my body. I'm also avoiding heart disease, diabetes, and so many other harmful things.
...because I have amazing bowl movements! This is something most people won't discuss, but leave it to me! Thanks to my BFF and college roomie, I have no problem whatsoever discussing my bowl movements. I'm proud to say that I have the softest stool in the world...and it's regular!
...because I've never tasted such delicious and flavorful foods in my life! Before I went vegan, I had never heard of quinoa and millet, or umeboshi plums and daikon. I am eating so many vegetables each day that in my six months of being vegan, I'm pretty sure I've passed myself up on the veggies I ate throughout my entire life. I'm eating whole grains and natural foods, and they all taste amazing!
There are so many other reasons to go vegan, even if it's just to lose a few pounds. But be prepared to change emotionally. I didn't feel this way about farm animals when I first started. Now, it's my reason for staying vegan, and it's an incredible feeling!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Giving up dairy
I just read the latest post from the blog Kiss Me, I'm Vegan. This post is titled The Top Fifteen Kiss-Worthy Reasons To Put The Mozzarella Cheese Stick Down And Finally Kick Your Dairy Habit!
1) I need to learn to not read these kinds of posts at work because I end up tearing up at my computer.
2) It's a really great list of reasons to give up animal's milk and kick the dairy out of your diet completely.
If you're considering going vegan, I know this list will help you make the final decision. Here's the quote that made me cry, and one of the reasons for why I became vegan back in March:
“The very saddest sound in all my memory was burned into my awareness at age five on my uncle’s dairy farm in Wisconsin. A cow had given birth to a beautiful male calf… On the second day after birth, my uncle took the calf from the mother and placed him in the veal pen in the barn—only ten yards away, in plain view of his mother. The mother cow could see her infant, smell him, hear him, but could not touch him, comfort him, or nurse him. The heartrending bellows that she poured forth—minute after minute, hour after hour, for five long days—were excruciating to listen to. They are the most poignant and painful auditory memories I carry in my brain.” - Michael Klaper M.D
This quote really hit close to home because my family is from Wisconsin and I grew up eating meat and cheese. If I knew at a younger age what was actually going on in all those farms we drove past, I think I would have changed my diet much sooner.
1) I need to learn to not read these kinds of posts at work because I end up tearing up at my computer.
2) It's a really great list of reasons to give up animal's milk and kick the dairy out of your diet completely.
If you're considering going vegan, I know this list will help you make the final decision. Here's the quote that made me cry, and one of the reasons for why I became vegan back in March:
“The very saddest sound in all my memory was burned into my awareness at age five on my uncle’s dairy farm in Wisconsin. A cow had given birth to a beautiful male calf… On the second day after birth, my uncle took the calf from the mother and placed him in the veal pen in the barn—only ten yards away, in plain view of his mother. The mother cow could see her infant, smell him, hear him, but could not touch him, comfort him, or nurse him. The heartrending bellows that she poured forth—minute after minute, hour after hour, for five long days—were excruciating to listen to. They are the most poignant and painful auditory memories I carry in my brain.” - Michael Klaper M.D
This quote really hit close to home because my family is from Wisconsin and I grew up eating meat and cheese. If I knew at a younger age what was actually going on in all those farms we drove past, I think I would have changed my diet much sooner.
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