While I was sick I picked up a book to read. I chose Diet for a New America. I picked it out on purpose. I’d fallen off the Eat No Meat wagon, and was hoping to remind myself why I cut out meat in the first place.
Diet for a New America is an exposé on factory farming. Written by John Robbins it is a horrifyingly frank book about the miserable lives of the millions of animals who suffer so they we can eat them. Or eat from them. Debeaking, tail docking, starvation, deprivation of light, cruel overcrowding practices and inhumane slaughters are just some of the atrocities chronicled within the text. Robbins spares no detail in reporting on the ravages of factory farming. I cried more than once while reading it.
Robbins’ report cemented my resolution to forgo meat from in diet, which was my intention all along. But what I didn’t expect was to learn how dairy cows and laying hens are treated. I’d venture to say it is worse than those killed for their meat. The cows are forced to stay pregnant their entire lives, giving birth to calves that are taken from them immediately. They are pumped full of hormones and left chained to stalls that prevent them from lying down or even turning around. They live in darkness, never permitted fresh air or sunlight, and most become deranged due to the harsh and unnatural conditions. The hens are starved to force moulting which increases their laying productivity. They are subjected to endless hours of artificial light and kept in battery cages that are stacked high to the ceiling. The bottoms of their feet often become fused to the metal grates that they must stand on so that their waste can fall through. They debeak (slice the ends of their beaks off with hot blades) the laying hens because they have them so over packed in the factories that the birds go insane trying to establish a pecking order, therefore injuring the hen. Which is bad for egg production.
You’d think that milk sold as "organic" or eggs sold as "cage free" (or "free range") would mean that at least those animals don’t suffer, but no. That is what I always thought. I bought the pricey cage free eggs because I imagined a happy pecking hen having a dirt bath in the sunshine, but I was mislead. Cage free hens are allowed only a few minutes of outside access a day, if that. Some are merely provided a tiny door that they may go through at some times of the day, but the area is so overcrowded that many of the animals can not get out. Some die trying. Eggs labeled as cage-free or free-range or organic all still allow starvation for forced moulting and the debeaking of birds. The only reason to debeak a bird is because they are going crazy from the overcrowding. The eggs we pay three times as much for come from the same starved, mistreated birds as those in battery cages. The differences are minute.
But that is just the first half of the book. The second half is an exhaustive look at how a plant-based diet, devoid of meat, dairy or eggs is actually a pretty healthy way to eat. Robbins debunks the notion of too little protein and even shows how eating lots of protein can actually lessen the absorption of calcium. So yes, you’ll get less calcium if you cut out dairy, but by eating less protein, you’ll absorb more of what you do eat. Robbins discusses how to get the most out of one’s animal-free diet by emphasizing whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits. All very healthy items by any dietitian’s standards. By following a plant-based diet, Robbins argues, one can reduce her chances of heart disease, stroke, cancer and even dementia.
The part about a vegan diet being a healthy one was secondary to me. The endless suffering of countless animals is the stuff that really stuck with me. Some of those passages I can’t get out of my head. I will never, ever hear the word "veal" the same way again.
And so it is for that reason–the horrors of factory farming–that I have adopted a vegan diet. This happened the moment I closed the book. It wasn’t a question of "if," it was a question of "how soon can I get started?"
I have been avoiding meat and dairy and eggs for about a week now, save for Thanksgiving Day. On Thursday I reverted to a vegetarian diet merely out of convenience’s sake. I hadn’t planned on being animal-free and so I didn’t want to be rude (or hungry) when visiting family that had no clue that I’d changed my eating. I tried to chose items I knew weren’t flavored with meat, but otherwise enjoyed cheese and butter. For the very last time.
It has been very easy for me to adopt a vegan diet. Sometimes I think of pizza or grilled cheese or chocolate milk, but only for a second. I am immediately flooded instead with images of the suffering. Then it is very easy to choose a black coffee, no cream.
It was very difficult not for me to ring up everyone I knew to share with them what I had learned in Diet for a New America. It crossed my mind that if others were aware of where their meat came from that they would also eat less of it, thereby reducing the suffering. But I don’t want to be that kind of vegan.
You see, it was hard for me to write this post at all. The term "vegan" comes with so many negative connotations in American society, especially in the South, where everything is flavored with fat back. Some people dislike vegetarians, but man, they hate vegans. They see it as an affront of some sort. Perhaps because many of the vegans they see are outspoken activists who could benefit from a shower.
Anyway, I was really reluctant to share this with you, the internets, because it’s one of those subjects that provokes people. I mentioned my interest in a meat and dairy-free diet in an online forum and was met with snobbery from what I can only guess was a strict vegan. So the derision comes from both sides. But I did want to talk about it here, because it has been on my mind a lot.
I started a place for my thoughts on this life change. It will be a place for me to write about grocery trips or the best place to find vegan cookies in town or what brand has the best vegan cheese. Or it might be about how my cholesterol finds its way to a healthy level again. That would be a good thing. My love for cheese took a toll on my arteries, and due to a rich history of heart disease in my family, that is not a road I want to travel down. Cutting out all meat, dairy and eggs will, I hope, reverse some of the damage my lifetime of French fries and macaroni and cheese has caused.
I feel good about my decision, even though it was less of a decision and more of a need. I can subsist on cruel-free food items and still maintain a balanced, healthy diet. That feels powerful to me, and it’s about time I actually stuck to something I aimed for.
So, did this feel preachy and overwrought? Did you just want to slap me down and shove a cheeseburger down my throat?
UPDATE: Want to know why I was reluctant to post about this on the tubes? Check out the reaction of "The Professor" in this thread about this post.
41 comments ↓
Best of luck! I’m rooting for you. Perhaps keeping up with your new blog will help me inspire me in that area as well.
How will you be classifying fungi like mushrooms and yeast? Scientifically, they’re some place between plant and animal. I would be more than happy to not eat mushrooms, but am not sure I could give up beer and wine.
Yeast? It does not suffer, so I will eat yeast. Same goes for mushrooms.
How about fish? Scientists say they don’t have the nerves or mental capacity to feel pain. PETA says they do.
Congratulations! As the spouse of a longtime vegan (Dre’s going on 12 years of veganitude), I’ve been exposed to some amazing vegan food. You will not suffer for lack of rich, decadent food. Vegans don’t really suffer at all … maybe I’ll ask Dre to send some of his insanely rich recipes. I wish you were in Seattle so we could take you to some of our favorite vegan restaurants … Nashville’s enough of a college town that there must be some decent spots there? Oh, and as for righteousness, you’re fine. The key to being a good vegan is living by example, I think … but Dre could speak more to that than me.
The book I read does not discuss fishing in regards to suffering. However, I’ve seen the catches that came back after a trip of deep-sea fishing, and watching those animals flail after being nailed in the head to a wooden wall leads me to believe there is some pain involved.
Good lord, girl. Sorry about the fuss.
I never could make the jump to vegetarian fully, but I significantly decreased meat-eating over the years. It’s just not something I generally want when I’m hungry. Vegan was never an option for me. I applaud anyone who can do either, though. Ironically, thanks to current health matters that are requiring me to avoid anything that’s not non-fat/low-fat, my current diet is probably closer to a vegan diet than it’s ever been.
One sentence caught my eye: “Then it is very easy to choose a black coffee, no cream.” What about non-dairy creamer… or are you just a black coffee drinker anyway? Just curious (i.e., nosy). And echoing the good luck wishes.
Well, most non-dairy creamer is full of trans fats, but I’ll use it. I can drink good coffee black, but shit coffee needs something to mask the shitiness.
jesus tapdancing christ. no one in this world really seems to mind their own business anymore. hopefully some of these assclowns will blog about a PERSONAL decision that affects NO ONE BUT THEMSELVES so that we too may immediately judge them.
WHY DON’T YOU EAT RIGHT THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING AND YOU MUST BE STOPPED BEFORE YOU CORRUPT THE YOUTH OF AMERICA WITH YOUR DECISION
WHORE
Congratulations Brittney! Two of my daughters are vegan, the rest of us are mere vegetarians. I hope you don’t get too much grief. In my experience, many meat eaters get really defensive, even to the point of hostile.
Fucking debate team drop-outs… Of all the stupid shit to be arguing about, veganism is about on the bottom of the list.
If you want to be vegan, why should that irritate people so much? It’s your decision, it doesn’t affect them one single iota, and, and, and…I forgot my point.
Regardless, if you choose to not spread first degree murder or arson, nobody questions you. Give up meat and people act like you’ve kicked ‘em in the balls. I don’t get it.
How’s about we debate why kids are dying in foreign wars, or how to eliminate AIDS from ravaging more people in Africa, or what we should do about the perception that America is now its own axis of evil…
Go vegan and be proud, B. The fact that folks are bitching about it says more about them than it does about you.
Well, it’s your choice, and best of luck. I was a vegetarian myself for a few years long, long ago (yes, there was a woman involved). But I was struck by the irony in your statement, “I am immediately flooded instead with images of the suffering. Then it is very easy to choose a black coffee, no cream.”
If you’re concerned about animal suffering, how about human suffering? How much would you enjoy that coffee if you knew the beans were picked by a 7 year old who was only one small step away from slavery? Read this: http://www.teaandcoffee.net/0102/special.htm
Like I said, it’s your choice. Live life however you see fit. But don’t get too smug about not supporting animal cruelty when, in much of the world, human beings are suffering just as much to keep our bellies full. No, sadly I don’t have an answer either. I’m just trying to increase awareness.
I buy fair trade coffee whenever available.
Wow, that’s quite a big change all at once. I admire your resolve.
Good luck! I went completely vegan in ‘98 (Diet For A New America was one of my big motivators, too!) and was totally dedicated to it for over five years. (I was even a raw-foodist for a little while, but it never really stuck with me.) I “downgraded” to lacto-veggie when we moved to Nashville and I found it hard to keep up with the vegan cooking and baking. (Those cheeses at Amanda’s party were certainly worth splurging on!) In the last few months, though, I’ve been making my way back to full-fledged vegan status.
By the way, I don’t know if you know about this, but you might find it useful:
http://www.nashveggie.com/board/index.php
Feel free to give me a shout if you ever want to bounce ideas around or if you need moral support, or whatever. And again, good luck!
Who knew Jesus was a tapdancer? That guy is good at everything. ;)
Thanks for a very thought-provoking post. I will enjoy reading more about your decision and how you live it. I am most definitely a meat-and-potatoes person, but I would like to live as compassionately as I can whenever and however I can.
In other words, I’ll never say never on giving up meat, but it might take me a long, long time to catch up with you. Please keep us posted.
You know, you’re going to get a lot of hits from people looking for vegans and waxing.
Do vegans use different wax for removing body hair?
Does it work as well?
Are there spas, specifically FOR waxing vegans?
The book that converted me to vegetarianism was Garden Cuisine by Paul Wenner, creator of the Gardenburger, so I can relate. I can’t look at a glass of milk withought thinking about what’s in it and how it got there (and the same for meat).
I admire you for going vegan. I’m not vegan, though I’ve cut back on dairy (just butter and cheese) and eggs (only in cooking and that’s rare). It can be hard sometimes because animal products pop up in the weirdest places such as marshmallows (gelatin), Worcestershire sauce (beef stock), and sugar (white sugar is commonly refined with bone char, which is why many veg*ns eat only raw sugar).
I’ll send you some information that you might find helpful. Maybe that will help me cut back even more.
Congratulations on your choice - no matter what you do, somebody will mouth off about it, but you have reasons that make sense to you, and that’s admirable. I’ve been looking at your lunches on Flickr, and it makes me wish I liked hummus and whole wheat pitas and tomatoes.
Good for you!
And this post was well thought out and well written. I feel you conveyed your personal feelings and reasons for doing this without being preachy and judgemental.
brittney wrote: “Well, most non-dairy creamer is full of trans fats, but I’ll use it. I can drink good coffee black, but shit coffee needs something to mask the shitiness.”
Try Silk creamer. Wild Oats has it. Keep a carton at work, and you’ll be set.
Good Luck to you! It takes hard work and planning to go vegan. Perhaps you could consult a nutritionist for tips on balance and making sure that you get all the minerals and vitamins you need along with the carbs, proteins and fiber. There are lots of resources out there to help and encourage you. Time to start gardening for yourself. Lots of things grow now around here.
Congratulations and welcome to the club!
Don’t worry about nay-sayers. Most criticize vegans because they feel guilty about their complacent unethical lifestyles.
Jupin’ Jeezus H. Christ on a cracker! “The Professor’s” post, while raising one of the same points as my previous one, also serves as an example of what I was warning you about. Whatever you believe, whatever choices you make, you don’t have to become an asshole about it! (Granted, with some people, they were clearly assholes before those choices were made.)
It’s like Bill Hicks said about whiney non-smokers: “I’d quit smoking, but I’m scraed I’d become one of you.”
In my non-meat-eating days, a friend once told me his father was in the hospital following a heart attack. And I said to him… I ACTUALLY SAID TO HIM… “Yep, have another pork chop.” Then I realized what I had become and promptly went out and bought a pound of bacon. From a pig that, no doubt, was “ten times more charming that that Arnold on Green Acres.”
Anyway, don’t let the assholes get to you. Just don’t become one of them either.
hi brittney. not trying to be a bitch but what about leather? i think people should eat whatever they want. i work in a place full of vegans/veggies and there is nothing worse that them sitting at the table telling you how healthy they are while lighting up a cigarette. i think that everyone should mind their own food business. it is a personal choice. no one should give vegans shit about their choices but vegans have to be careful too. (you know all of this).
i was a veggie for about 7 years in the south and that is hard enough. i mean, you’ve seen the brown/orange buffet at family gatherings. luckily, i live in a city that makes it really easy for me now. you should check this out too:http://www.slowfood.com/. when you guys come down at xmas, i can make you some great vegan food and tell you some tricks so you’ll never miss the meat and cheese. good luck!
I think this is awesome! I love the idea of your new site and I’ll be following what you write about. It’s neat that you decided to do this at the same time I’ve been contemplating going vegan myself. I think you just might be an inspiration for me!
I will continue to use and wear the leather I own, but will attempt to avoid purchasing it in the future. I have already selected some leather free running shoes and Mary Janes, just saving up the dough.
Not leather is expensive!
be careful of the vegan cheese you eat. most contains casein, a milk protein added for the “gooey melting”. galaxy makes a good american style variety. there’s a discussion buried somewhere on nashveggie.com’s messageboard regarding vegan “cheese”. you will also find that nutritional yeast is your friend. you know i will support you in this endeavor in any way possible.
not leather doesn’t have to be expensive. i wear the obligatory, vegan standby chuck taylors but you will find plenty of cheap vegan friendly choices at payless.
nashveggie, I have heard that Follow Your Heart vegan cheese has no casein and is melty and delicious. Have you tried it?
i have tried follow your heart, for a “chunk” style cheese it is the best available here. it is much better used in a situation where you will be cooking and not “eating it with crackers”, as i found that it doesn’t have the best texture for that, my opinion of course. i have used the mozzarella style in italian dishes and it melts quite well and has a good flavor.
stay away from the rice varieties some brands have. they are rubbery and lack any flavor whatsoever.
soon you will be just fine without a cheese substitute and will find many other things to take its place in the recipes you prepare and on anything else where moldy bovine secretions took part.
I wanted to let you know that I find the information you write very inspiring. I have been a strict dairy free consumer for many years, due to allergies, but it wasn’t until I learned more about the dairy industry itself that living without dairy became very easy for me. I am trying to take the next step towards a vegan diet, but I haven’t been as successful as you. I will look into the reading you suggest. I would love to share some of your thoughts and suggestions with viewers on my website, as I think others who are curious about going vegan would love to hear from someone in the “middle”. Let me know and good luck!!!
Not vegan is expensive no matter what you eat or wear. I’m sure this on purpose like everything else, but as someone who is forced to live in a basement that is not owned by their parents, I could never afford to be a vegan. Anorexic like the rest of my female family? yes. But vegan like my rich hippie brother? No. Eat whatever you want, whatever you can afford. Just count your blessings is all. And give back to humanity like you give to cows. My brother never calls me. Especially when I am being tormented, about to but off my beak. But he sure loves cows.
i thought the $19 “not vegan” shoes i bought were “not expensive myself. vegan doesn’t HAVE to be expensive.
it actually isn’t at all.
i thought the $19 vegan shoes i bought were “not expensive” myself. vegan doesn’t HAVE to be expensive.
it actually isn’t at all.
That paragraph about protein caught my eye. I just want to remind everyone that protein and meat are not equivalents. Meat has protein, but protein is not found ONLY in meat, it’s found in a host of other foods from all food groups; most notably from rice and legumes. Adult humans need to have certain proteins in their diet. (kids too, but they have slightly different requirements) You are now getting your proteins from these non-meat sources, which works out fine. I just don’t want anyone to think they can avoid proteins altogether- that’s not healthy.
You are talking about the shit you get at the corporate grocery store. Of course the animals are treated like shit and the labels are misleading that is how corporate america works.
If you want some truly free range chicken meat and eggs go to a farmers market. Meet your neighbors, the people who are doing it for the right reasons. They are trying to make a living but not in the same self-interested, evil corporations at your local grocery store.
being veg*n is NOT more expensive. it can be expensive if you buy all the fancy fake meats and whatnot - just like eating certain meats can be very expensive. but if you base your diet on tofu, beans, lentils, chickpeas, fresh fruit and vegetables, etc, it’ll probably be CHEAPER than eating meat. veg*nism is NOT a class issue.
Woooo! Brittney in Maryjanes!
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