I am! Plant strong for 2.5 years. I was never a big meat eater so that was easy. Dairy was a hurdle, but the benefits keep me from going back. Never get stomach aches, skin is baby smooth, I rarely get sick and I have more energy. I am still chubby--there are so many delicious recipes and I haven't mastered portion control at all. I like to think of myself as an avocado--healthy fat lol
No, I really believe that humans are omnivores and require nutrients from animal protein. I have done a bunch of research over the years, and eating a lot of fruits/veges is good for you, but we require that good fat and protein from meat.
No, I could not survive as a vegan due to some medical problems. I have friends who are and they are all pale and less than healthy looking. Humans evolved as omnivores. I take responsibility for the animals I kill and eat. They are humanely raised and slaughtered and I do not skate around the fact that I take lives in order to eat.
True, the only way to 100% assure the humane treatment and slaughter of animals is to have total control from start to finish.
That being said, do not make the mistake of thinking a vegan diet is not also responsible for suffering. Vegetable farms profit off the backs of quasi-slave laborers, as young as 12 legally in the US. Chemical poisoning, heat stroke leading to death, squalid living conditions, financial entrapment, sexual harassment/assault, child labor, are just some of the issues facing farm workers employed on vegetable farms. Imported produce may come from places with even less oversight, with workers being paid as little as $8/day. The US imports $7.6 billion worth of produce from Mexico which has over 100,000 children under the age of 14 working full time on farms with little hope for a better life. Exploitation is a concern no matter what you decide to eat. Just food for thought.
I tend to worry more about the roundup that is overused everywhere and all the poisons put into the environment. I'm sure if I had ever worked on a dairy or pig farm or at one of the giant feed lots I would worry more about the humane treatment of meat animals. We raise or buy most of ours locally, and I know how they're handled most of the time. You can never be 100% sure unless you are there.
But what do you consider humane, Meredith? Animals never, ever having the least bit of stress in their entire lives? That's not very practical. Even trailering an animal to the butcher is stressful. There aren't mobile processing units readily available in many areas, and most (probably all) butchers will not accept an animal that has already been killed.
Aren't you a vegan by now? I assumed you were because of all the animal rights stuff you post on FB.
Yes! For about 12 or 13 years. It's a decision I'm extremely happy with and do not find it difficult to stick with. I'm very healthy and I am ethically and morally at peace.
Having been raised with meat, carbs and veggies at every dinner, it's really hard for me to accept a dinner without all three, although I could skip the potatoes/bread if necessary. And where I care about animal care, I may not care as specifically and passionately as Meredith. I know nature is not kind to animals, either, but domestic animals should have a better life than wild. By the same token, there are probably some things I care about more emphatically than Meredith. That's ok by me.
I am not. I eat eggs from my three hens, and occasionally, carefully sourced (and local) honey, dairy, and seafood.
ReplyDeleteNot me! I have a metabolism that needs animal protein, must be a throw back to the early human days ;)
ReplyDeleteI am! Plant strong for 2.5 years. I was never a big meat eater so that was easy. Dairy was a hurdle, but the benefits keep me from going back. Never get stomach aches, skin is baby smooth, I rarely get sick and I have more energy. I am still chubby--there are so many delicious recipes and I haven't mastered portion control at all. I like to think of myself as an avocado--healthy fat lol
ReplyDeleteNo, I really believe that humans are omnivores and require nutrients from animal protein. I have done a bunch of research over the years, and eating a lot of fruits/veges is good for you, but we require that good fat and protein from meat.
ReplyDeleteOmnivore.
ReplyDeleteNo, I could not survive as a vegan due to some medical problems. I have friends who are and they are all pale and less than healthy looking. Humans evolved as omnivores. I take responsibility for the animals I kill and eat. They are humanely raised and slaughtered and I do not skate around the fact that I take lives in order to eat.
ReplyDeleteHow can you assure those animals are humanely raised and slaughtered.
DeleteI've come to firmly feel if I do not witness the humane treatment and slaughter those claims cannot be trusted.
True, the only way to 100% assure the humane treatment and slaughter of animals is to have total control from start to finish.
DeleteThat being said, do not make the mistake of thinking a vegan diet is not also responsible for suffering. Vegetable farms profit off the backs of quasi-slave laborers, as young as 12 legally in the US. Chemical poisoning, heat stroke leading to death, squalid living conditions, financial entrapment, sexual harassment/assault, child labor, are just some of the issues facing farm workers employed on vegetable farms. Imported produce may come from places with even less oversight, with workers being paid as little as $8/day. The US imports $7.6 billion worth of produce from Mexico which has over 100,000 children under the age of 14 working full time on farms with little hope for a better life. Exploitation is a concern no matter what you decide to eat. Just food for thought.
I tend to worry more about the roundup that is overused everywhere and all the poisons put into the environment. I'm sure if I had ever worked on a dairy or pig farm or at one of the giant feed lots I would worry more about the humane treatment of meat animals. We raise or buy most of ours locally, and I know how they're handled most of the time. You can never be 100% sure unless you are there.
DeleteI know they are humanely raised and slaughtered because I am there from birth to death.
DeleteNot vegan, definitely part of the caveman crowd.
ReplyDeleteControl quality and quality of raising by raising my own:)
Omnivore
ReplyDeleteBut what do you consider humane, Meredith? Animals never, ever having the least bit of stress in their entire lives? That's not very practical. Even trailering an animal to the butcher is stressful. There aren't mobile processing units readily available in many areas, and most (probably all) butchers will not accept an animal that has already been killed.
ReplyDeleteAren't you a vegan by now? I assumed you were because of all the animal rights stuff you post on FB.
Yes! For about 12 or 13 years. It's a decision I'm extremely happy with and do not find it difficult to stick with. I'm very healthy and I am ethically and morally at peace.
ReplyDeleteHaving been raised with meat, carbs and veggies at every dinner, it's really hard for me to accept a dinner without all three, although I could skip the potatoes/bread if necessary.
ReplyDeleteAnd where I care about animal care, I may not care as specifically and passionately as Meredith. I know nature is not kind to animals, either, but domestic animals should have a better life than wild.
By the same token, there are probably some things I care about more emphatically than Meredith. That's ok by me.