I wanted to
talk about something that I am very passionate about, and that for me is
veganism. I think we are now in a culture where the concept of being vegan is more
accepted, however, there is still some controversy around the topic.
Many still ask the same question: ‘so what do you eat if your vegan?’, and I
can assure you the answer is not simply leaves.
Veganism for me is something much more than what you do or do not eat. It is a
lifestyle choice; an autonomous decision to abstain from using or consuming
anything that is associated with an animal. I truly do not think there is another way to sustain the world unless we start to refrain from using animal
products.
My journey
towards veganism begun when I was 12 where I decided I wanted to become a
vegetarian. In January of 2013, many supermarkets were exposed to what was
the horsemeat scandal, where it had been found that horse DNA had been discovered
in supposed ‘beef burgers’. At the innocent age of 12, I could not imagine
consuming a horse and so, with the encouragement of my close friend, I decided
to try initially going pescatarian. The first few days were hard since I had to
remind myself that no, Bolognese was not vegetarian, but after a while, it
became incredibly easy. I can confidently admit that I have never been the
biggest “meat lover” in my life at any point; I would always moan when I knew
chicken was on the menu. Thus, for me, I did not have to remove very much out
of my diet. It is also notable that my Grandma and Aunty are vegetarian and my
Mum was when she was a teenager, therefore, the concept was certainly not alien
to our family. Of course, there were days where I would get cravings for meat,
but after a few months of the transition, I was disgusted altogether by the
prospect of it.
For quite
some time I was a pescatarian, however, that too was not enough for me. In 2015
I was admitted to hospital and it was promised to me that if I could try and
fight it I could get a goldfish. It then hit me: how on earth could I buy a
goldfish in which I would love and nurture yet be eating their species? The two
seem completely contradictory to me and so in the June of 2015, I decided to
become a full veggie. This decision was again relatively easy as I did not love
the taste of fish - actually just writing the “taste” of it kind of freaks me
out now as I could never imagine eating one. I now have my Oranda Sebastian who
I love very much. Unfortunately, I did lose his friends Flounder, Melody and
Bubbles L but
nevertheless, they will not be forgotten.
However, I
would say it has been in the last year and a bit the idea of veganism has
really been brought to my attention. We are seeing an increasing trend in “clean
eating” and I think many have considered veganism as a form of this. But I want
to make it extremely clear that I do not think the two fall in the same
category. Veganism is an ethos that rejects the commodity status of animals,
not a 5:2 diet. It frustrates me that people use veganism as a way to restrict
because this simply undermines what the philosophy stands for.
I must warn
that the next section of this post might upset you. So, if you do not want to
know about what goes on in the dairy and egg industry, I would recommend you
stop reading. I am grateful for the media promoting veganism since it made me
look into what it was a lot further. At first, I had a very narrow view of
being vegan, by thinking “those people must be so strict”. But when I informed
myself of the horrors of the dairy and egg industry, I was absolutely
horrified. I could not and still cannot to this day understand how they have
been able to get away with what they do. How on earth did it ever become
acceptable to impregnate cows and tear them away from their calves? That’s
right…The “skinny milk” in your latte comes from a cow who has been impregnated
with artificial insemination which causes them to involuntarily produce milk.
Cows are then hooked up like a patient to an IV drip, to milking machines
multiple times a day which has toxic effects on their health. Cows may also be
medicated with recombinant bovine growth hormone so that they can produce more
milk at the cost of an increased risk of getting mastitis which is known to
KILL cows. Most cows should live around 20 years but because of this barbaric
treatment, they are now living at least 5 years less as their bodies
essentially give up. This leftover carcass is then turned into a soup such as
“bone broth” or ground beef.
You are
probably by now wondering that if this is the treatment of female cows, what
about the males? Male calves are typically separated from their mothers to be
slaughtered. Many are shipped off in devastating conditions where they can
barely move; making them more “tender” for slaughter. These poor calves only
see the light for a few months before they are sold for their flesh. You would
never, ever wish these sickening conditions on your pet dog or cat, so why is
it any different for cows? Why do we have the right to cause this inane torture
on an animal? Surely the answer is that we do not.
As for the egg industry, it does not get much better. Hens have their beaks sliced off
with a burning hot blade just after hours of birth. They do not get any anaesthetic
or painkillers like we would in an operation: they have to suffer. It then
makes it incredibly hard for them to eat after they have had their beaks mutilated
and so many hens naturally die from extreme hunger and dehydration. Then the
hens that do survive are shoved into battery cages where they can barely
breathe, let alone move. The battery cages typically measure 18 by 24 inches
which according to the egg industry – is ok for 10 hens who have a wingspan
each of up to 36 inches! These hens are squished so closely together that they
have no choice but to urinate and defecate on each other. Many of these birds consequently
die from the stench of ammonia meaning that the surviving birds are forced to
live with their dying cage mates. After two years of this torture, the hen’s
bodies are exhausted and so their egg production drastically drops, thus their
flesh is instead sold to produce animal food. Then as for the male chicks: they
are worthless to the egg industry. So instead they are blended alive by
high-speed grinders. That’s right – male chicks are shoved like your kale in
your nutri-bullet ALIVE. It horrifies me.
I know that
these facts are distressing and horrifying to read, but we need to be aware
of what is going on behind the scenes. I am not saying that everyone NEEDS to
go vegan, but even just making one small change such as switching your skinny
latte to a soya latte would make a difference. The less we buy into the
industry, the more likely these animals will have a chance. I truly hope this
gives you an insight into my own beliefs and you understand why I live the way
I do.
Lots of
love,
Is xxx
Here are
some of the sources I used:
