Oh HI!
Long time (me) no type.
This month has been cray-cray, and, to be honest, I've been thinking about how to start this blog post for... probably about a week now?
I guess I'll just start.
SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED, OH MY GOD. WHAT?!
I'm back in school, my job training has finished, and this year's students are moved in and lovely.
My pen and paper started this year off on the right page
(click me!), and I'm going to be doing some publicity for VegNews throughout the year (which, if you didn't know, is my favourite magazine/the great publication in the world. In. The. World).
I've been up and down and all around this past month, and am really just starting to find my footing and settle into any sense of routine. Of course, this means that my baking/cooking has been pretty minimal. In fact, it can pretty much be comprehensively described as follows:
No cooking. No baking. Just slicing, and skewering. And that was a couple weeks ago.
I do, however, have some very exciting news.
As you probably know, I've been vegetarian for the whole of this blogs existence (and many years prior to it's birth). I've dabbled in veganism (and raw veganism) a couple of times, but have always been perfectly content keeping dairy, eggs, and the occasional fish in my diet. But in the past year, I've started to feel a bit uneasy about this. You see, I've always liked to sum up my reasons for being a vegetarian into three categories: My health, environmental costs, and animal rights -I see these reasons as being pretty equal, though some tug at my heart strings/moral consciousness more than others... Regardless, as I continue to educate myself on these issues, which are obviously near and dear to my (and the planet's) heart, I'm finding it harder and harder to ignore the truth: I should be eating vegan.
My Health
In terms of my health, I have always not done well with dairy. I am super prone to sinus infections, and when I'm not drinking dairy, my sinuses become a (mostly) non-issue. My skin is better, my stomach is more at ease, and I generally just feel lighter and more energized. Milk + Me = a no-go.
Environmentally:
"An estimated 85 percent of all U.S agricultural land is used in the production of animal foods, which in turn is linked with deforestation, destruction of wildlife species, extinction of species, loss of soil productivity, mineral deletion and erosion, water pollution and depletion, overgrazing, and desertification." -Dr. Michael W. Fox, Agricide
(Can you tell I'm back in school?)
Environmentally, all of the reasons I stopped eating meat are equally applicable to dairy and eggs.
Animal Rights:
I became a vegetarian when I was a stubborn little nine year old. The PETA website quickly became my best friend/most trusted resource, and in no time, I was sneaking photos of factory farms on my family's fridge under our 'reminder' magnets. Since then, I've become a little more considerate, and strategic, with my beliefs, but have never stopped educating myself about these issues.
I recently saw a film that embodied so much of why I don't eat meat (and now dairy/eggs). It's called Earthlings, and the tagline is 'Make the connection'.
Make the connection.
I can't help but stop and think about that for a second, every single time I hear or read it.
So much of the facts about factory farming and the meat/eggs/dairy industries are overlooked -and I really don't think it's because people don't care. I might even go as far as to say that it's because they know that they WOULD care if they knew the facts. I choose to be informed, and am willing to change my actions in order to support my beliefs. It's an incredibly unapologetic film, but because of this, it is also extremely powerful. I highly reccommend it if you want to know more about these industries, what you can do, and what it all means.
BUT, just in case full-length films devoted entirely to gory (but very real and important) imagery and disturbing (but entirely truthful) facts isn't your cup of tea, I've decided to compile my own list of resources about vegetarianism/veganism. This is, of course, in no way comprehensive, but I'd like to continue to add to it. I'd also like to welcome YOU to suggest any literature/films/resources you loved (or hated!) to the list.
SO HERE WE GO:
Books:
Eating Animals: Jonathan Safran Foer (author of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close), after learning he was going to become a father, decided to make the most informed choices possible on his future child's behalf. This book is what he found after visiting factory farms in the middle of the night, and dissecting his own understanding of right and wrong.
The China Study: There's nothing like loads and loads of hard scientific data to back up your beliefs. The China Study presents the findings of a twenty-year-long study on the effects of animal protein on the human body. The author, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, spent many years researching how to improve access to animal protein. But after researching a study in the Philippines on malnourished children with liver cancer, Dr. Campbell began to see trends connecting disease and animal protein, and decided to do his own research to solve his curiosity and skepticism.
The Skinny Bitch Series: Disguised as a weight-loss tool, and completely hilarious, Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouim discuss the reasons for choosing to eat vegan, and use their biting sarcasm and sassiness to make the tough truth even tougher.
The Omnivore's Dilemma: Offers great insight into why the human body is not built to be carnivorous. We lack the short digestive tracts necessary to process meat quickly, as well as the claws and sharp teeth to tear meat apart with. Omnivores and herbivores (like humans) have much longer digestive tracts, causing meat to rot and remains stuck inside of us. We also have dull, flat teeth which the animal world shows us is intended for plant matter.
Films:
Food, Inc.: A painful look into the food industry, touches on pesticides, cloning, farm worker protection, diabetes, factory farming, and foodborne illness. Food, Inc. was also an Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature (oooh).
May I Be Frank: Frank Ferrante's transformation from an obese, depressed, and addicted 54-year-old man, to a healthy, happy and ultimately self-aware human being, after jumping head first into raw veganism, the concept of gratitude, and learning the potential that exists for the human condition.
Forks over Knives: A shocking film that looks at a wide variety of degenerative diseases that can be avoided, or at least controlled, by switching to a plant-based diet.
The Cove: Won the Oscar for best documentary feature, about mercury poisoning, dolphins, and our oceans.
AND finally...
Click
here to see my favourite youtube video on why humans aren't supposed to eat meat. It's less than five minutes long, and is narrarated by an animated, british pig. Enough said.
What films or literature helped YOU go veg? What made you NOT a veg? I'd love to hear about some more resources!
