In my last post from August 2015, I endorsed the merits of shopping local for the most “natural” meat. While that is still a “lesser of two evils situation”, fast forward four-and-a-half years and, wow, things have changed.
Spoiler alert: I’m a Vegan now!
In fact, four days ago, April 18, 2020, was my first Vegan anniversary.
I’ll spare the details and the sales job because most people have either (a) already had a Vegan awakening and get it or (b) decided to live with cognitive dissonance, outright opposition, or simple dispassion.
So, what happened?
- One day in January 2019, while browsing Netflix, I clicked on a documentary called “What the Health” and it opened my eyes to the damage caused to our individual & societal health by consuming modern-day meat & dairy products while emphasizing how many people & organizations would be highly motivated (follow the $$$) to keep this truth buried deep. Obviously, the meat & dairy industry — but perhaps not so obviously: the U.S. government, big pharma, the entire health care system, and even non-profit organizations. Basically, anyone who is selling you the cause or the cure. There is no money in disease prevention.
- Looking for a more unbiased opinion, I was recommended a book by Dr. Michael Greger called “How Not to Die” which systematically examines the fifteen top causes of premature death in America and breaks down all of the scientific research relating to diet in the prevention, treatment, and even reversal of these grim reapers of our nation. Calling this tome comprehensive is an understatement. It took me two months to… digest it, but I was convinced that I needed to take a different approach to what I put into my body if I wanted to sustain a long, healthy life.
- It was a gradual transition, starting with a veggie omelet with cheese as my first meat-free meal in January, then, by February, I was down to seafood/sushi only until finally, I had my last piece of salmon sashimi on April 18, 2019.
- That’s basically it — within weeks a bunch of weight was lost, my blood pressure normalized, and several months later, I confirmed that my cholesterol levels were now in a healthy range (down from “off the charts”). Life is peachy.
Additionally, I’ve seen my stress levels drop because I’m actually living consistently with my values of love & compassion. Modern animal agriculture is nothing short of enslaving & torturing other species for our temporary taste bud pleasures. We all know it in our minds, but “tradition”, our taste buds, and cognitive dissonance have most people unable to resist eating animal corpses or secretions with every meal.
Finally, I now feel like a better citizen of our big blue planet. Animal agriculture is one of the largest destroyers of our environment and consumer of our natural resources. I’m not going to post all of the statistics here, but they are shocking. Without even trying, I’m significantly more “green” than any carnivore regardless of what they drive, how little water & energy they use, how much they recycle, etc. and it’s not even close.
Vegans make up less than 3% of the population and I have no misplaced notions that the ratio is going to change any time soon. It’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and I’d encourage anyone to try it for a meal, a day, a week, or a lifetime — for your health, for the animals, or for the beautiful earth we call home.
Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Genesis 1:29-30 NIV