Is It All Worth It?

I do a lot of reading on vegetarianism and animal rights and the more I read the more upset I get. My choice to not eat meat is a positive and healthy one. Even though I feel very strongly about the subject, I do not preach to other people. But what I will do is talk to people and share information that I feel is very important for everyone to know. Honestly, I find that many people do know the horrors of animal cruelty and they simply don’t care. The others are either naive, ignorant or really have no clue. Especially, to all the sickness and diseases that are linked to factory farmed animals and food. Like I said, the information I have gained from my research and experience I will continue to share with the world.

Here are just a few facts about the food you are eating and some thoughts to get you really thinking. Please read them through and really think about what you put in your body. Not to mention, the food you put on your family’s table.

1. If you can eat chicken, turkeys, fish, cows and pigs, then why not eat dogs and cats? Just because they are household pets doesn’t mean they are illegal to eat. Why are these animals domesticated and others not? Pigs and cows are just as smart and chickens and turkeys are just as playful. Fish are also considered some of the most intelligent creatures. All animals deserve the right to live a long healthy life.

2. Do you eat fish? Well, then you should know that modern day fishing methods not only harm but kill hundreds of other sea life in the process. They are called bycatch. So the next time you are eating shrimp think about the 80% of sea animals that have suffered just so you can have a 10 minute tasty meal. Don’t eat crawfish? Other fish like tuna is no exception. More than 145 species of sea life are regularly killed while catching and killing tuna. Is all this suffering and killing worth it just so you can eat it? No.

3. Chickens are now put in two categories. They are either broilers and layers and have been engineered for two different functions. What ever happened to just being called chickens? In factory farms (which are far from the farms that you and I picture in our heads) the layers are allowed only about a space the size of a piece of paper. They are kept in cages that are stacked liked shelves and left to live a short, horrible life. No windows, no fresh air and no healthy food. But plenty of darkness, manipulation, torture, chemicals and antibiotics. Worst of all, they never get to live a full life. Most are killed after a months time. Its these eggs that you are eating.

Then you have the broilers who are treated the same way but are not in cages. They get about an inch or two more space on the floor and get to hang with out other broilers who are sick and diseased and dead. Don’t forget about all the feces they are forced to sit and sleep in. Killed about 6 weeks after birth they never get the chance to live the life they deserve either. I will leave the processed part of the time line up for imagination. I will only say that it gets worse. What about the male chickens that the layers produce? Well, to the food industry, they have no function. More than 250 million male chicks in the United States alone are killed each year. Destroyed as if they aren’t worth anything. How? They are sucked through pipes onto electrified plates, tossed into large containers to suffocate slowly and sent through macerators and torn apart fully conscious.

Is this what you want to put in your body? Tortured, unhealthy and sick animals. Is this what you feel comfortable about your country doing? Are these stories you would tell your children? The more you buy factory farmed livestock you are supporting this behavior and prove to the food industry that you are weak enough to fall into their traps and naive enough to believe all their lies. Even worse, you are consuming the dead rotting flesh of amazing, loving animals that are honestly worth more than you are. They wouldn't eat you if they had the chance!

4. These horrible methods used by factory farms are legal as long as they are commonly practiced. The Common Farming Exemptions allow this to continue. How crazy is that! What ever happened to laws that you had to obey?

5.There is an estimate of around 2000,000 cows a year that collapse and suffer from poor health and do not have the strength to stand back up. These poor animals are left to die a slow tortured death. In America, it is legal in most states to allow “downers” to die or toss them in dumpsters while still alive. If that doesn’t make you upset than you are not human.

6. Most farmed pigs are slaughtered when they reach about 250 pounds and still young. If they lived a natural, healthy life they would normally reach 800 pounds or more. Just more animal lives that are cut short so you can eat them. I hope its worth it.

7. Do you care about the environment? Do you consider yourself an environmentalist? Well, you must be a vegetarian. Great! Oh wait, you aren’t? Than you are a fraud. Factory farms are the number one reason for global warming, 40% more than all transportation combined. It causes air pollution, water shortage and pollution and land degradation. So give yourself a pat on the back. Thanks to you the earth and everyone living on it is suffering as well. How important is your choice to eat meat?

8. When you see these labels, “free-range”, “fresh” and “cage-free”, ignore them because they mean nothing. Organic is the only safe way to go.

9. Remember the “swine flu”? How could we forget. Well, it didn’t come from Mexico. Its funny how far the government and food industry will go to make American’s believe their lies. When researched, scientists found that the virus was linked to a hog factory farm in North Carolina. The scary thing is that they also found that the virus combined genetics from birds, pigs and human viruses. This is not the end folks.

10. Vegetarian diets are a good choice for everyone, even children. There are a number of health advantages such as lower cholesterol and blood pressure, lower risk of heart disease and hypertension and type 2 diabetes. They also contain higher levels of fiber, vitamins C and E, potassium and lower in saturated fat and cholesterol. Not to mention, that vegetarians tend to be healthier and less fat. Just more reasons to make the switch to a better way of life.

You know, these farm animals are alive just like us. They have beating hearts and brains that keep them moving. It is said that humans are more intelligent but by the way we act it doesn't seem like it at all. People choose to live like cavemen instead of living in the now. Its 2010 and we should not be killing and torturing animals for food or any reason for that matter! We do not need their meat to survive and there are tons of alternatives that are so much healthier. So why do we do it? Some people have a big problem getting over how selfish they are and surpassing the greed that consumes them. Its as simple as that. If you just open up to the truth and let your heart actually feel something for another living creature than maybe things can change.

Animals are beautiful, smart, funny and brave. They belong here as much as we do. I hope you can read through these and really think about the reasons you eat meat. Are they valid? Are they important? Do you really need to eat animals? Do you feel right knowing all the torture that is involved? Keep thinking people....evolve for change!