Why I don't eat meat...

A lot of people, over the three years I have been a vegetarian, have asked me various questions as to why I don't eat meat (with the exception of salmon and sometimes tuna). So, here are the FAQs of my philosophy (still in the works) on my non-meat eating lifestyle:

1. Why did you decide to become a vegetarian?

Well, it happened gradually at first, then bam! one day I thought, I don't think I want to eat meat anymore. At that point in my life, I hardly ate red meat anymore, I just consumed chicken from time to time. I had been working at whole foods for about eight months and started thinking about growth hormones, inhumane treatment of animals and the cycles of life. First, I didn't want growth hormones in my meat. That is disgusting and there haven't been enough long term studies stating they are beneficial. Second, cows that are killed when they are a) in distress and b) have had a horrible life locked up in cages are probably not going to taste that great. And ingesting meat that is stressed is going to pass some of that to you. It brings me to my third point, the cycles of life. Our food, no matter what we eat, comes from something giving up its life. We have to respect that. A living being was sacrificied for us. So, if we don't treat that living thing with respect and a chance to live fully, then what the nutrition it provides us in return will be tainted. It will come back to us, whether through indigestion or more serious health problems.

2. Why will you not eat meat but you will fish and eggs?

So, after examining the reasons stated above, I started thinking about what I was going to keep in my diet. And it dawned on me. If I had a ranch, and had to slaughter a goat, I probably wouldn't do it unless desperate. But if I went fishing, then I would probably could gut and skin a fish. Therefore, I eat fish but not goat. Not cow and not chicken. Eggs are a tricky one though. Yes, they are techinically baby chickens, but as long as they are left unfertilized (like most are) then they are not really baby chickens yet. And they are great source of protein and truthfully, I love eggs. I can raise chickens and gather and eat the eggs and not feel bad or queasy about it. Therefore, I eat eggs.

3. You must eat a lot of tofu.

No. Not really. Just because I am a vegetarian does not mean I just subsituted tofu for meat. As I stated above, I realized that I had already given up red meat and only chicken rarely. Therefore, giving up meat was not hard. It just took being creative in finding how to get my protein: beans, eggs, yogurt, greens, grains, etc. Austin is a good place for me to be living too. But even without those restaurants, I have changed the way I cook. I try to include as much grains, greens and beans into my diet as possible. One of my favorite grains to work with right now is quinoa (pronounced "keen-wa"). It is a grain from South America and is very versatile and packed with protein and amino acids. It takes about 20 minutes for it to cook and if you add cumin, roasted or sauteed veggies, it is great. My mouth is watering to think of it. Being vegetarian has really forced me to explore as a cook (which is something I am still working on as well).
Plus, I don't really like tofu that much to cook with it. If it is in a dish I like, I will eat, but I don't go out of my way to look for it and prepare it for dinner.

4. How do you shop for groceries?

I spend a lot of time in the bulk section and produce section. It is cheaper to buy groceries when you are not buying meat. Grains are cheap, so are beans. Produce, if in season and from the regional area, is also cheaper. Lately, Chris and I have been shopping at the local farmer's market. I have been trying to buy produce that doesn't have to travel very far as that uses resources like fuel to get here and the produce is more likely to not be fresh and as nutritious. Plus, supporting local farmers is great for local economy and if they are growing without chemicals, then it is even better for the environment. Farmers markets are pretty popular and in a lot of towns. Or you can find an area farmer and make a deal with them as well.

Well, I think that is all the questions I can think of. Do you have any more for me? Leave them in the comment section and I will try to get to them.

In the meantime, here is an article I discovered on the website Common Dreams:


Published on Wednesday, April 26, 2006 by the Providence Journal (Rhode Island)
How You Can Be a Mindful Meat Eater
by Matthew L. Miller

SALINA, Kansas -- Living in the Rocky Mountain West, I am used to breathtaking views. None takes my breath away as much as a 150,000-cow feedlot in southern Idaho.

Even before I see it from the road, its stench overpowers me. Then I crest the hill and cattle in bleak pens sprawl to the horizon. It is a depressing sight, and I feel horrified at a food system that can allow animals -- living beings -- to be raised in such a manner.

I see the products of this food system every time I visit the supermarket: rows of fatty, hormone-injected, often colorless meat -- straight from a factory, not a farm. I'll pass.

But I do eat meat. This isn't hypocritical. I buy my meat from farmers and ranchers committed to raising animals in humane and healthful ways -- steaks from grass-fed cattle, roasted free-range chicken, elk chili, lamb chorizo, smoked duck -- and so celebrate the lands and the animals of my Idaho home.

And I want at least part of the responsibility for getting meat to be strictly my own. Each fall I hunt and stock my freezer for the year with elk, deer and duck. For eating, nothing better connects me to the cycle of life and death. I call this being a mindful meat eater.

Becoming a mindful meat eater means acknowledging that life feeds on life, that regardless of our diet, all of our food has costs. Even those who shun animal products cannot escape this, whether in the loss of wildlife habitat to grain fields, poisoning by pesticide use or animals killed for crop damage on organic farms.

Becoming a mindful meat eater also means getting to know farms that produce animals while being respectful of their nature. At a farm market I buy lamb, chicken and turkey from a farmer just down the road. Unlike industrial agriculture's huge feedlots, her farm is grassy pasture and a spacious barn. The chickens roam freely. These animals aren't pets, but she knows each one.

Even large farms and ranches can raise livestock mindfully. I know another rancher with free-range sheep and cattle on thousands of acres. His animals will never see a feedlot. Herders stay with the animals all day to ensure they don't damage wildlife habitat. The ranch also won't harm wolves, coyotes and mountain lions of the area -- a practice labeled "predator-friendly."

By supporting these kinds of farms, and knowing them, I connect with the meat I eat in a better, saner way. The supermarket disconnects us, from chickens crammed into tiny, indoor cages, and from acre after acre of cattle packed into feedlots.

Invest some time in learning how your steaks and burgers are produced. Support labels that certify animals are raised in ways healthful to them and the land, and avoid factory farm products. Restore mindfulness to meat eating.

Matthew L. Miller, director of communications for The Nature Conservancy of Idaho, writes frequently on sustainable agriculture, conservation and outdoor recreation. He wrote this for the Land Institute's Prairie Writers Circle, Salina, Kansas.

© 2006 The Providence Journal


Hope you enjoyed my little soap box rant today! Have a great weekend!

Peace,
michelle