Giving Up Meat - I'll Do it For the Animals

For awhile now I've been thinking about incorporating a plant based diet, and eliminating meat. For as long as I can remember, I've LOVED animals. From the time I was a little girl and begged my parents to get me a puppy, to now as I am the proud owner/mother of the sweetest little dog. I simply can't think of a time when animals wasn't something I was passionate about.


Lately, I've been reading a lot about different animal rights organizations & a couple that have really struck a chord with me have been The Humane Society of the United States - Farm Animal Protection, and Farm Sanctuary. I've found myself in tears after reading the cruel treatment these innocent animals have had to endure. I know this is nothing new, obviously it's been going on forever, but when you open your eyes, understand and realize what the actual circumstances are...how the pork you're eating came from a pig that lived a life full of suffering then slaughter, it puts things in serious perspective. In fact, I feel selfish for eating pork at all. My enjoyment of eating a certain food had to be at the expense of another creature's very own life? A life that man doesn't have the right to take, in my opinion, doesn't sit very well with me.


I feel like I've always had this voice in the back of my mind urging me to STOP eating meat altogether. I used to ignore it, continue on with eating whatever I wanted, until recently when I watched a video the Humane Society posted about an undercover operation on an animal factory farm that is a direct supplier for Tyson foods. In the video, I watched as a sow screamed at the top of her lungs as she just wanted to tend to her piglets, because they were being tossed around by their hind legs into a pile of manure. Or as a factory worker jumped on another sow who's back lag was broken, and she screamed in agony. I couldn't help but cry, it's just horrible. As I sat and ate lunch today, I saw someone near me eating the pork sandwich special. I thought about two things: the mother who simply wanted to tend to her piglets, and I thought of Kobe. I thought of Kobe because, well, he's an animal, can feel the exact same pain as the piglets, and how I would literally want to ring any one's neck if they every treated him that way. So, I thought, what is the difference between Kobe and the piglets (besides the obvious)? Nothing. I wouldn't eat Kobe, so why would I eat this pig? Or any other animal for that matter. I just can't justify it. Not without feeling selfish, and a bit ignorant, really.


Conclusively, my goal is to ultimately eliminate any food that contains animal products, so I'd like to live a vegan lifestyle. I don't want to rush into changing my diet in fear that I'll fail go back to eating meat (this is not an option!), so I'm going to take it slow. For starters, I've officially sworn off pork (my parents didn't eat pork while I was growing up, so it's not something I'm used to eating anyway). Secondly, to start off, I will integrate Meatless Monday's into my weekly routine. I'm excited to post the many different menu options this new way of eating has, even after eliminating meat.


If eating a plant based diet is already a way of life for you or you're thinking of incorporating it into your life, PLEASE reach out and share your thoughts! I would love to hear them and learn anything new!

And best of all, I know Kobe would approve!!

Thank you so much for reading!

Eva