What we can do

In my constant research and reading about the topic of eating kind, I came across this great article that talks about things we can do today (some of them are VERY easy) to directly improve welfare of farm animals.  Read the full article here or see below for my summary:

Incorporate the Three R’s into Your Life
  • Refinement: look for humanely raised products
  • Replacement: look for vegetarian alternatives
  • Reduction: reduce meat consumption by just one meal a week

The reduction part seems pretty easy to do and the results are fantastic! According to MSPCA, “if we reduce the consumption of animal products by just one meal a week, approximately one billion animals would be spared the suffering that occurs with intensive confinement operations.”  And when we do buy meat, stick with the humanely-raised options!

Support Legislative Action

There are many websites and organizations that make it very easy to take legislative action, including keeping you up to date on various issues and even providing email templates so making a change is as easy as pushing a button!  My go-to websites are Farm Sanctuary and HSUS.Sounds pretty easy, doesn’t it?!

‘If you cook it, they will come’ or how to convince people to eat (and enjoy) vegetarian

How do you convince habitual meat eaters to choose, eat and enjoy a vegetarian dish when yummy meat dishes are fighting for their attention?

The answer is pretty simple and it’s this: cook a delicious vegetarian dish as part of the line up.  And I’m not just talking about putting out more veggie side dishes and salads (although those don’t hurt either), but providing a true vegetarian meal that can hold its own against its protein partner.

Unconvinced? I have two recent cases in point.

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What makes us human

Reading about the recent findings at a Tyson Foods pig breeding facility made me sick to my stomach. Which is the reason why I usually stay away from graphic, visual descriptions such as “workers kicking piglets like soccer balls, swinging sick piglets in circles, and ruthlessly beating mother pigs.”  I don’t mean to be ignorant but it breaks my heart and so I try to focus on the positive.

In this case, I got far enough to read those details and as I was having a small angry crying episode, I kept asking the question “why“. I understand people taking the only available job at a slaughter house and having to deal with the standard abuses at commercial farms (minuscule cages, gestation crates, etc). I don’t agree with it, I think there are alternatives, but I get it. But why add to the cruelty? Even if you’re not an animal activist and don’t believe that pigs and chickens and cows have feelings and think of them as purely food, why proactively add to their pain?

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May activity

Here are some of the things happening in May:

  • Urge Trader Joe’s to label GMO and CAFO products.
  • Speak out against the overuse and misuse of antibiotics on farm animals.  Do the same here.

Meet Lucas, our new member of the family!

Lucas, the Pig

Well, he won’t be actually joining me at the house, but I am not sponsoring him which means that I can go and visit him anytime at the Farm Sanctuary. I’m hoping to have some time in the next few months to do that. Isn’t he adorable?!

I’ll provide more information about where Lucas came from and how he’s getting along at the Farm Sanctuary in the next few weeks.

If you’d like to sponsor a farm animal for your family, check out Farm Sanctuary’s website.