It's been quite a road to get here...
I'm an omnivore turned vegan. The process all started in spring of 2010 when my husband and I were going through a phase of watching a lot of documentaries. We watched Food Inc, and it really got us thinking about the meat we were eating, where it came from, and how it got to our plates. I remember watching a scene with little chicks' skulls being smashed, and with my cat purring on my lap, I asked my hubby why we treat some animals so poorly while caring so deeply for others. I couldn't imagine how my cat was any different from one of those cute baby chicks.
Don't get me wrong... I'm not a sucker for baby animals. It just hit me in that moment that there was something unfair about the whole thing.
We immediately began purchasing organic and free-run meats. However, we found it too expensive and soon slipped back into buying whatever was on sale at Safeway. We bought and ate meat, and we felt guilty about it, knowing what we were doing wasn't healthy for the animals. I insisted we watch Food Inc again, and this time, we took it to heart. We stopped purchasing meat almost altogether.
The second stage of the transformation happened around the time we watched An Inconvenient Truth. I'm passionate about the environment and my home-based business allows me to sell environmentally-conscious, chemical-free cleaning products and personal care products. Learning about how our actions affect the planet was an affirmation that I'm in the right business! However, yet another documentary brought the issue of global warming into focus. Meat the Truth brought to light the fact that while transportation causes about 18% of the greenhouse gases emitted each year, the meat industry produces over 20% of greenhouse gases produced annually - and it wasn't mentioned ONCE in An Inconvenient Truth. Meat the Truth explores this and sheds some light on the shady dealings of the meat industry and the government.
The final factor in my vegan decision: yet another documentary entitled Forks Over Knives which explains the health benefits of a vegan diet, and the potentially fatal illnesses caused by a meat and dairy rich diet.
These three factors (animal cruelty, harm to the environment, and harm to my personal health) have moved me to the point where I cannot eat meat because it causes harm every step of the way: from the farm, to the factory, to my body!
Veganism isn't for everyone, and I don't judge others for the food choices they make. What I do suggest: do your research, and if you're still okay with eating meat after you're fully informed, it's up to you.
