Animal Slaughter: A Time For Change

[karelia]

I can't help but share some thoughts here... First of all, I don't think it's about eating meat vs. not eating meat. From what I can see, we already all agree that factory farming of any kind is wrong. For those of you who believe we can't make do without it because people demand cheap food, have you ever considered that if you eat actual nutrition, you need far less? To my mind, it comes down to consuming senselessly vs. providing nutrition to self in the most efficient and least invasive manner.

I'm vegetarian; my men are not, and it isn't for lack of trying or particularly loving meat. Some years ago, when I became aware of the subject of food and saw how food has been bastardized and abused, I gradually changed my way of eating. First, I avoided stuff that contains anything I can't pronounce. That alone turned me into a foodie. Then I started to actually think about the carbon print imported food leaves behind. That made me look for locally grown/raised vegetables, dairy, and meat. In spring and summer it was easy; winter, not so much. So I learned to can vegetables in order to have some nutrition in winter, besides dairy and eggs. After a year or so, I realised that not only had we not spent more money on food than before but we needed less, smaller portions.

So, really, whether you can make do without meat or not is really secondary here. By looking for locally produced foods, you've withdrawn your consent from the big corporations, and you benefit from better health. Plus, you support a commendable idea: that of a local economy. Just imagine, if everyone did that! The world would become a much better place without any effort. And yes, I will buy that bottle of imported Champagne when the news hit that one corporation after another goes bankrupt because nobody buys from them. Because if we only import what we can't grow, and grow enough of everything to export to a place that doesn't grow what we grow, then there is a much better balance in the world, a strong economy everywhere, and any profits go where they belong: to the community. /soapbox

[13th Warrior]

Posted by karelia (here)
I can't help but share some thoughts here... First of all, I don't think it's about eating meat vs. not eating meat. From what I can see, we already all agree that factory farming of any kind is wrong. For those of you who believe we can't make do without it because people demand cheap food, have you ever considered that if you eat actual nutrition, you need far less? To my mind, it comes down to consuming senselessly vs. providing nutrition to self in the most efficient and least invasive manner.

I'm vegetarian; my men are not, and it isn't for lack of trying or particularly loving meat. Some years ago, when I became aware of the subject of food and saw how food has been bastardized and abused, I gradually changed my way of eating. First, I avoided stuff that contains anything I can't pronounce. That alone turned me into a foodie. Then I started to actually think about the carbon print imported food leaves behind. That made me look for locally grown/raised vegetables, dairy, and meat. In spring and summer it was easy; winter, not so much. So I learned to can vegetables in order to have some nutrition in winter, besides dairy and eggs. After a year or so, I realised that not only had we not spent more money on food than before but we needed less, smaller portions.

So, really, whether you can make do without meat or not is really secondary here. By looking for locally produced foods, you've withdrawn your consent from the big corporations, and you benefit from better health. Plus, you support a commendable idea: that of a local economy. Just imagine, if everyone did that! The world would become a much better place without any effort. And yes, I will buy that bottle of imported Champagne when the news hit that one corporation after another goes bankrupt because nobody buys from them. Because if we only import what we can't grow, and grow enough of everything to export to a place that doesn't grow what we grow, then there is a much better balance in the world, a strong economy everywhere, and any profits go where they belong: to the community. /soapbox

Hi Karelia,

I can relate very much to the path you've outlined.

[gypsybutterflykiss]

I think that over time I am slowly becoming a veggiesaur. Meat upsets my belly and gets caught in my teeth. It's at the point that it takes me more time to floss the crap out then it does to actually chew it. My husband is slowly starting to awaken from dreamland, he now buys meat from a local butcher rather than a supermarket and is buying organic fruits and veggies.. My children are little carnivores though- we can't cut it up and put it on their plates fast enough. Baby steps

[mind-scape]

"To each his own."

As we are all made of different things...Everyone's body is unique... :-)

Myself, I've had experience as a vegetarian, vegan, and a sparse meat eater.
I've learned to eat healthy... but also to be adaptable enough to get by on what's available. I've had to be very resourceful in this lifetime and have gained a lot of appreciation from this practice.

Personally speaking,
I prefer to have the bulk of my protein come from legumes... but I find that if I don't consume some sort of "thicker" protein like chicken every once in a while... my body demands it. I use discipline in every aspect of my life, but I always go by what -feels- right. I also consume dairy occasionally (in the form of yogurt mostly). My roommate is more or less vegan. We always cook together, and respect each others needs and differences.

I understand and respect all points of view on this subject.
And as far as animal cruelty goes... ah, why must we be cruel to every living thing on this planet? I agree that we need to change our approach to how we treat life... whether it be our own, or someone elses.

Thank you for opening up an interesting discussion.

[WhiteFeather]

Thank you all for your contributions to this touchy thread. I can only hope i have awakened a few to think slightly different perhaps. And Whatever path you choose, make it amost intuitive one. Much Love. In Light and Oneness. ≈W.f.≈

[Vanir]

I saw the news on this, it totally sicken me!

I'm fed up by the cruelty which is escalating world wide on a daily basis.
I stopped eating chicken and pork or any derivative products more than 5 years ago, and now days I hardly eat beef, I just can't eat it when my inner knowing tells me how much these animals are suffering so we may enjoy a plate of food.

New laws are imposed on humanity pushing us further and further into submission. Slowly we are being told what to eat, slowly we are being poison with GMO's, escalating Fluoride, artificial sweeteners just to name a few. Even now days there is no much choice here when one goes to the Supermarket, slowly we are being boxed in.

At times it feels to me as if we are going backwards towards the Dark Ages.
Our own Government here in Australia will tell you that they work for the interest of the Industries, thus they will not stop the cage animals issues, they are passing the buck onto the consumer.

[Russ1959]

Here is a wonderful reason not to eat meat and at least consider the benefits of a raw food diet.

The proof is in this very very beautiful ageless pudding so to speak!

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=O6oJA_xhTa8

[Paladin14]

The thread got steered into whether some people need meat or not, I don't think this is true. We get everything we need from plants, maybe in smaller dosages than animal protein, but its still all there (the essential amino acids).

The book "The China Study" changed my life; goes over all the health damaging effects animal protein causes, points to plenty of peer reviewed studies if you need the proof. That book, along with my own research into the topic, proved to me that we don't need to eat meat. There's a myth out there that we need to eat meat when we really don't.

If you're not eating enough of the plants you need to make up for not eating the meat (like legumes, quinoa and pistachios, tofu), then you might need to supplement some vitamin D (I prefer D3) and B12.

One question a lot of people ask me when I say I don't eat meat, or we don't need to eat meat is "where do you get your protein then". I simply say that we don't need protein, we need amino acids. We break down protein to get the amino acids we need from the protein. That's why I felt like crap after I eat meat- I got tired because my body shut down having to spend a lot of energy breaking down the meat to get what I needed out of it.
I like to think of it like this: saying you need to eat meat is like saying you need to eat a car to get the fuel out of the car. Proteins are microscopic machines that function in our body to make everything run, are they not? We feed and build these proteins with amino acids.

Ultimately I believe that your beliefs override anything people tell you anyway, we create our reality. Our intent, if strong enough, rules the reality, I mean look at Breatharians. But its nice to know about these things when you're challenged by people that don't want to let go of the whole meat eating thing.

[merkabagirll]

This is a very convincing documentary .... medical evidence that can't be disputed .... of the links between health and a plant-based diet.

http://www.filmsforaction.org/Watch/...r_Knives_2011/

(May have been posted before...)

[Paladin14]

Posted by merkabagirll (here)
This is a very convincing documentary .... medical evidence that can't be disputed .... of the links between health and a plant-based diet.

http://www.filmsforaction.org/Watch/...r_Knives_2011/

(May have been posted before...)

the author of the book I mentioned(The China Study), Dr Campbell- is in this documentary, thanks for sharing!

[merkabagirll]

This documentary is very convincing, explaining the undeniable health benefits of a plant-based diet.

http://www.filmsforaction.org/Watch/...r_Knives_2011/
(May have been posted before but worth a repost!)

[STATIC]

When all has been hashed out, it comes down to this. RESPONSIBILITY
Taking responsibility for your choices and expanding your consciousness enough to include all of the ramifications of those choices.

I have been a carnivore most of my life. Even though I was very conscious of where the meat was coming from I came to the realization that I was still not taking full responsibility.
I recently asked myself this simple question. Can I be the butcher? Will I pull the trigger? Will I be present for the animals death?
If I answered no in any case I would have to change.
Needless to say I am now in the thick of this.

I take great pleasure in growing and cooking my own food, so making this transition into full responsibility by leaving the consumption of animals behind is the only conclusion I can come to.

Like bluefire said. Some people don't have the option. This is true however for the most part those people do take full responsibility for their actions and live in balance with nature. They are not part of the problem so that is sort of a mute point.

There are practical parts of the discussion and also spiritual ones but in the end it's about owning the choices for both.
I don't expect the whole world to convert to vegetarianism, but if each and every one of us review the facts, take a good look inside and review the thought processes that lead to our decision making on subjects like this we will find a huge amount of room for improvement. We all want that.

[wynderer]

Go vegan now! Avoid the bad karma & save yourself from being penned, bred, & eaten by Reptilians! [you did say you welcomed different points of view, White Feather]

[13th Warrior]

Posted by merkabagirll (here)
This is a very convincing documentary .... medical evidence that can't be disputed .... of the links between health and a plant-based diet.

http://www.filmsforaction.org/Watch/...r_Knives_2011/

(May have been posted before...)

When was the video you posted "Forks Over Knives" produced?

[etm567]

Posted by WhiteFeather (here)
Lets not forget the health issues of the animals that are factory farmed (living in stressed out situations, never seeing the light of day etc.) There meat simply becomes tainted from the environments they live in. And then we ingest their tainted meat, causing sickness to ourselves and our children. Karma is a bitch.

We have learned to just wait until the chickens that are raised halfway decently are on sale, then we buy as many as we can and freeze some. they are so much better than the others! And for so long we just felt we couldn't afford them. But now, we watch for the sales and buy many of the local "pastured" chickens at Whole Foods. Not that I love Whole Foods, but they are selling our local chickens.

I have also found a coop for raw milk and real eggs and many other things that I never though i could afford.

Also, we started to make our own yogurt. I make it a gallon or more at a time. We inhale it. Last time I made two gallons of yogurt from raw milk. Yummy, good for you, too. And much, much, much CHEAPER!

As to pork and beef, haven't dealt with that one yet. But we are happy that we have solved the chicken problem and are no longer eating chickens that had their beaks cut off.

ETM

[WhiteFeather]

Posted by wynderer (here)
Go vegan now! Avoid the bad karma & save yourself from being penned, bred, & eaten by Reptilians! [you did say you welcomed different points of view, White Feather]

I did, and I Love You for that. : )

[pugwash84]

I'm sorry, I watched a bit but I just can't watch it all because it makes me cry. I am trying to go vegetarian and I think this is the push I needed, thank you I just can't watch it all because I am a very empathetic person and it will make me depressed and too upset.

[WhiteFeather]

Posted by pugwash84 (here)
I'm sorry, I watched a bit but I just can't watch it all because it makes me cry. I am trying to go vegetarian and I think this is the push I needed, thank you I just can't watch it all because I am a very empathetic person and it will make me depressed and too upset.

Glad to hear it Pugwash. : )

[13th Warrior]

Posted by merkabagirll (here)
This documentary is very convincing, explaining the undeniable health benefits of a plant-based diet.

http://www.filmsforaction.org/Watch/...r_Knives_2011/
(May have been posted before but worth a repost!)

I've watched this video and have a few comments:

It was apparently released in 2011 but, is loaded with old footage; if find that kind of odd...

I am unconvinced by the main study cited against animal protein. The inference that by feeding casein to rats increased the growth of tumors and thus animal proteins will as well is wholly misleading...

By this very same logic one could say that vegetable sugars cause obesity and diabetes because when high fructose corn syrup is feed to rats these symptom become prevalent...

Do you see the problem? They've used a processed compound in the experiment. Had they feed the rats animal protein in the form of milk and not processed casein i'd find the findings more convincing.

In regards to the testimonials; you can take any person who hasn't been on a regulated diet, nor a consistent exercise program and put them on a strict diet and an exercise program and see very dramatic increases in their health markers (including the Atkins diet) .

All of this said; i am an advocate of a more vegetarian diet but, not to the exclusion of some animal protein and fat.

[WhiteFeather]

IMO,,,,Eating animal DNA also lowers our frequencys/ vibration thus hindering spiritual growth and spiritual evolution. Again its my opinion.