You see all of that deliciousness? All of it was made without eggs, milk, butter, cheese, eggs, or animal meat. About two months ago, I decided to eat vegan.I was always a little disturbed by things I heard about the food industry. Cruelty to animals (during life and at death), cruelty to humans (those working in the industry as laborers), and a general lack of regard for consumers (we have to cook meat until we kill the bacteria from shit that shouldn't be on food in the first place).
I know several ex and current vegetarians, as well as some pescaterians. I, being who I am and therefore an all-or-nothing type of person, couldn't decide where to draw the line. A few years back I went several months with no chicken or eggs after I learned about the cold water baths chicken sits in as well as that almost every single egg is contaminated with salmonella. Like most people, I eventually forgot/stopped thinking about it and went back to my old ways. I have read several books about food, eating, and food production. I have read The Omnivores Delimma, Fast-Food Nation, and Spoiled. Even after this, I continued to eat meat and animal products. I know that tons of grains are used to feed animals every year while people starve and die. I continued to eat meat and animal products. I know that the fats found in animal products are linked to heart disease and other ailments. I continued to to eat meat and animal products.
Then, I had a friend recommend Skinny Bitch. It is a light read, and I was like "Okay whatever." As I read it, I saw a lot of what I thought of as silly newage-y self help-y stuff. I have never really taken diet books very seriously, and some of the things they say are not very well researched and seem a bit odd. Then, I got to the chapter whimsically labeled "The Rotting Flesh Diet".
They cited a book over and over that I had never read, Slaughterhouse. I found it and read it. This book was as good as the others I had read, but it was like the last straw for me. I didn't learn anything new, but I suppose I am in a different place than I was when I read the others, years ago. I finally said to myself, "This is gross. What am I doing to myself, and to others?"
I am not a fan of PETA. I think that their agendas don't always make sense, and thier idea of "protest" is ridiculous. However, the suffering of animals makes me sick. Even if I didn't care about that, do I want to eat suffering?? Do I want to consume the flesh of something that spent its whole life stressed and unhappy? How can that be healthy?
The answer is, it's not.
A side effect of this new way of eating is that I have to check the labels on EVERYTHING, because you would be surprised how many things butter and cheese are in, and therefore am noticing the other nasty things I don't want to eat. For example, corn syrup is in almost EVERYTHING. Even "healthy" things like Wheat Thins, even the low fat variety! I am starting to love tofu, now that I know how to cook it. I am careful to eat a variety of things so that I am getting all of my vitamins and such, and try to add nutritional yeast to things so that I get enough B vitamins. Although it is more expensive for me, I am spending money on what should be the most important expense: MY HEALTH. I try not to eat processed foods, such as the fake meats and cheeses. That is just fine, I thought they tasted awful and TOO much like meat. Also, now that I am more challenged when eating, I don't eat crap like fast food (I ate some fries the other day after more than a month of no fast food and almost vomited). I have to carefully plan what I eat. I also am challenged to cook more creatively. As someone who loves to cook, this new way of eating has opened up new challenges, and I think it is affecting me for the better.
Okay, enough of my preaching. Knitting content next time, I promise. I am almost done with the diamante sock #1.
