I have been thinking a LOT recently about the reasons behind the beliefs that I hold and the actions that I take in my life. Trust me, this exploration has taken me to quite a few deep, sometimes dark places. But I have learned so much about myself in the last year than from the rest of the years of my life combined. I wanted to write today about a topic that has come up pretty frequently in the last year: not eating meat.
Last year after my family's Thanksgiving in early November, I decided to stop eating meat. In retrospect, it was a long time coming and for me, it was a matter of deciding when I wanted to stop. My first few holidays were rough. Being a brand new vegetarian in a family whose culture and traditional celebrations revolve heavily around meat created quite a challenge. I'm talking Christmas on the family dairy farm with two massive beef roasts and potatoes...Yikes! I was still in the process of adjusting to what being a vegetarian meant to me. How's that for the first time explaining to many of your family members that you aren't eating meat anymore?! But I digress.
I know that making this decision can be very difficult and it can go against the traditional values under which you were raised, so I wanted to take a moment to put my thoughts down on paper as to why I made this choice and what my vegetarian "philosophy" looks like.
Let me first share my past with meat: I love me a good cheeseburger. That shit was amazeballs. Just ask my colleague about my insane cravings for a cheeseburger. And I'm not talking about the McDonald's nonsense. I mean a really meaty, juicy, cheesy burger. Mom's pot roast with carrots and potatoes that could melt in your mouth....one of my favorite Sunday after-church meals/fall comfort foods. My sister's recipe for feta & basil pesto stuffed chicken breast....to. die. for. And I would put chicken on anything. As a collegiate athlete, it was sort of my bread and butter. Protein was a staple for me in college. And bacon? I wasn't a huge fan, but my college boyfriend was and let's be honest, I didn't hate it either. Bacon-flavored chapstick though....gross.
Anyway, on to my personal reasons for coming to this decision.
1. Animal cruelty. Let's just get this one out of the way right off the bat. I want to be very clear about this because it can seem controversial. I 100% disagree with the meat industry's model for producing meat in our country. It's toxic. We create animals to be raised in a disgusting, disease ridden, cramped environment for much of their life, only to be slaughtered inefficiently in a plant that is just as disease ridden. Seriously, if you dare, click on this Consumer Reports article to read more about food borne illness and the meat packaging industry. The fact of the matter that really tipped the scales for me though is that we purposely breed these animals for destruction. I have great respect for the traditional Native American philosophy that honors the animals who are slaughtered during a hunt for so selflessly giving up their lives for the health and livelihood of humans. I mean, how incredible is that? In society today, we very much so take these animals' lives for granted and I decided that I was not okay with participating in that process.
But Anne, what about the locally produced, grass-fed, happy cows? Or the tiny farms that only follow traditional animal husbandry practice? From my understanding, many of the locally produced, grass-fed cows/chickens/etc are still sent to processing plants that undergo the same/similar treatment. I would agree that these practices are a step in the right direction, but for me, it's not enough.
And what about Atlantic salmon/cod/insert oceanic fish name here? Again, I would probably be okay with this, but the irreparable damage that is done by fishing these species is not acceptable to me. Research "bycatch." These are all of the species that are caught with your target species. Most die. Our oceans are significantly less diverse than they were 100 years ago and this is due to commercial fishing. While the idea of "wild-caught" might help you feel slightly better about eating fish, the fact remains that the animal cruelty part is involved, even if it is not in regard to the fish on your plate. Oh, and this results in a steep ecological impact, as well.
2. Health. This is another hot button in the vegetarian/meat-eater debate. Although, come to think of it, all points are hot buttons. Anyway. Around the time that I was making my decision, the World Health Organization came out with their big announcement about the research that had been done that showed that consuming more processed meats resulted in a higher risk for certain types of cancer. Again, I want to be clear that this research was not the trigger for me. Instead, it was the research of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, a cardiologist, who practiced at Cleveland Clinic for many years. Damn, son! Anyway, some of his research is presented in documentary form, called Forks Over Knives. If you haven't watched it, I would highly recommend it. In his research, he has found that a whole foods, plant-based diet can not only halt the development of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes, but can reverse it, in some cases. Again, damn, son! It's not like it's a secret that whole foods like fruits and vegetables are greatly productive to our health. It is, however, surprising how detrimental meat and dairy, especially in the volumes in which Americans consume them, can be to our overall health. It never ceases to amaze me how good the meat, sugar, and dairy industries are at lobbying to keep this information out of the media. Anyway, I would highly recommend checking out Dr. Esselstyn's webpage for more information about his research.
After working in pharmacy for about a year, one of the biggest shortcomings that I have found in our healthcare system is the inability to address the root cause of an illness. Of course, this also stems from the American public's need for a quick fix that allows us to continue to live our current lifestyle...not exactly conducive to total healing. Heart disease and cancer are the two leading causes of death in America today. Our doctors--trained in pharmaceuticals, not nutrition--encourage eating low fat meats, low fat dairy, and taking medication to keep cholesterol and blood pressure under control. Does this address the root cause of the issue? No. Does it keep the symptoms in check temporarily? Yes. And as a society, we have become okay with this answer!
But Anne, how do you get enough protein? To by honest, I do not count macros or calories, but eat when I am hungry and stop when I'm full. Despite my best efforts as a meat eater, I never hit my protein recommendation anyway. No, I don't eat beans and rice for every meal either. If this suprises you or upsets you, I would recommend that you check out the work of Dr. T. Colin Campbell and The China Study, in which disputes the emphasis that our culture places on the necessity for a higher level of protein to be considered healthy.
I won't dig too much deeper into this point, because it can turn into a long conversation/rant from my end. My main point though is that as an individual, I have the tools and resources available to me to be healthier. I'm at a stage in my life, where I have the ability to impact my future health and I'm not about to wait until I have a heart attack to do something about it. Dr. Esselstyn's research was instrumental in helping me to see this point.
3. Environmental effect. This will be short and sweet. Being more green is more of a secondary reason for me and I am not super well educated about it. Essentially, there has been research conducted that suggests the modern animal agriculture contributes more to the climate change crisis than factors like industry, transportation, etc. Again, this is a factor that I am not as well versed in, so it is not my primary reason. Many could argue, I'm sure that transporting my veggies all over the world is contributing to the problem, but I always try to buy local as often as possible, in order to avoid that.
Now, I feel like I have only scratched the surface and if you have any questions or want to know more, reach out to me and I would be happy to share more! Now that you know why I made my choice, stay tuned for a post about my vegetarian philosophy and how I live in it from day-to-day!
xoxo,
Anne
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