I have been a vegetarian for so long that I have forgotten what meat tastes like. When I reveal my diet choice to people, the response is often, ‘but bacon is delicious?!?!?!’. I am sure it is but I honestly can’t remember what it tastes like. Veggie bacon, on the other hand, tastes pretty damn good to me.
I wasn’t brought up vegetarian. In a family of carnivores, meat has always been a regular part of my diet. That was until I was eight, when I saw a cow close up and simply decided I wasn’t going to eat it again.
This is an impressive commitment for a very fussy eating kid and it turns out this lifelong promise was a little far fetched for me, especially when my mum didn’t know what the fuck to feed me. But at around thirteen, I stumbled across ‘From Farm to Fridge’ when browsing the internet and it totally changed my life. I cried and cried and decided I did not want to encourage such a terrible, terrible industry. After a steady start I went pescatarian and eventually vegetarian and was super happy with my decision.
Cue 2016, the year of realizing things, to quote Kylie Jenner’s words of wisdom. Turns out that the dairy industry is pretty shitty as well. Raped by the farmer’s arm, female cows are forcibly inseminated year after year. Turned into baby machines, their calves are ripped away from them at days old, with males slaughtered or sent to veal crates to face a short and terrible life. Then there’s chickens. Turns out the male chicks are pretty useless too, and are ground up or thrown into rubbish bags to suffocate and die. Not to mention the egg and dairy industry are aligned with their meat counterparts.
All pretty nasty I know, but I really feel like we should know where our food came from before we eat it, especially if we claim to love animals. If you’re interested in finding out more you can visit White Lies and Animal Aid. Vegucated is a great documentary too.
So that was that, I went vegan. I’m not going to say it’s been easy when it definitely hasn’t and I have to cut so many things out of my diet. I just love pastries and doughnuts so much… But I feel so much better for it and hope I can keep it up. As much as I love a good brie, I do really hope I don’t go back.
If you’re interested in helping animals and feeling better, Veganuary is a great start has been an absolute godsend for me. If you’re a full on carnivore and simply don’t think you can make such a drastic change, Meatless Mondays is a great place to start.
Leave a Reply