(Disclaimer: As an ex vegetarian of 23 years, I'm completely aware of how wonderful and rewarding the diet can be for many people. I have nothing against veganism/vegetarianism. I'm also not trying to convince anyone to eat meat. This is all my own experiences and opinions. Please respect them as I do yours!)
You may be wondering- what does this have anything to do with ferrets? The ferrets actually played a role in my decision to begin eating meat! I'll explain more later... I was raised by my vegetarian mother and meat eating father. Growing up, I always had the option to eat meat if I wanted to, but never did. I became conscious of what I was doing and why I didn't want to eat meat by maybe 10 years old. It felt like the best option for me at the time. Wow, was it hard. So freaking hard! At the birthday parties, school gatherings, the cafeteria...I was bullied and told the most awful things because I was the only vegetarian in my graduating class (until I got to highschool). It quickly became part of my identity and what made me "stand out." I remember people joking about sneaking meat in the meal I just ate, how a certain food I've been eating is actually not vegetarian, and oh my gosh the- "but bacon though..." and the, "how do you get your protein?" remarks said by kids and adults alike. Eventually, I became completely desensitized. Navigating through high school was still annoying, and it stretched into my first semester of college, but I did get used to it. Nowadays, it's the best time ever to go plant based with the amount of options and veg establishments out there! So...why after 23 years of eating meat free, did I decide to begin eating meat? My Selfishness The whole reason I ate meat free was; I didn’t want to contribute to animal suffering. It was always about the animals. Not for health, or environmental reasons. Purely animals. I loved them so much, I couldn’t fathom eating them. I honestly thought for 23 years of my life that you can't love animals if you eat them. Everyone around me who ate animals, I subconsciously thought I was better than them in a moral way. Now, I see how ridiculous and hypocritical that thinking was. My perspective on the entire concept has shifted. You can absolutely be an animal lover and eat animals! I've been buying meat for my ferrets and “contributing to animal suffering” by purchasing it weekly. I just don't eat it. You're absolutely entitled to your opinions, if you honestly feel this way about people, take a step back and examine your lifestyle. Animals are used by humans in various ways. Testing and experiments, beauty and household products, materials like leather and wool, horse racing, pet stores that sell mill animals and more. While you may not be directly funding factory farming, what about all the other industries that include some form of animal exploitation and suffering? I know there are people out there that do the best they can to cut the cruelty in all aspects of their life, but I'd say most people who go plant based for moral reasons are still actively supporting animal suffering one way or another. That's not to say you should throw in the towel and give up all care, just do the best you can! Vegan/Vegetarian Hypocrisy Going along with my personal hypocrisies- the vegans and vegetarians out there who choose to be for moral reasons; think about it before pouring out your pet’s kibble into a bowl. Most of the time, the animals used to make kibble are from factory farms and kept in horrendous conditions. Can you really be vegan/vegetarian while actively supporting cruel treatment of animals by feeding kibble? Additionally, instead of forcing your carnivores to be vegan or vegetarian, compromising their health, feed raw. Seriously. That way you can guarantee sourcing for everything you feed. It may seem super crazy but it’s one of the kindest things you can do for your domestic carnivores. In summary: If you're plant based with carnivorous pets... - Feed processed kibble containing factory farmed animals and animals that died otherwise than by slaughter (4D meats). -OR- - Feed a fresh raw diet with the ability to confirm treatment and quality of every animal prior to slaughter. I Don't Support Animal Suffering by Eating Meat Overtime, I began to question my stance on animal suffering and plant based-ism. "How would I be contributing to animal suffering by buying ethically raised meats?" Truth is- I wouldn't be. I would also get incredibly stumped when asked- "Why not just eat it? The animals die regardless." It's true. I loved thinking I was saving thousands of animals each year, but I wasn't. That being said, I still wouldn't feel good paying for a product that came from a factory farm because death is inevitable. Instead, I always try and shoot for organic pasture raised and free range poultry, and grass fed and finished animals. It's more expensive, but these animals live a life outdoors, and are treated similar to that of a livestock pet. I do this for myself, my partner, and our ferrets. The way an animal is treated prior to slaughter greatly affects the quality of their meat- I want to ensure my ferrets get only the best, along with supporting local farms that advocate for animal welfare. Some say the very concept of putting dead animals in our bodies is despicable regardless how they were treated while alive, and that opinion is totally valid, even if I don't personally agree. In other aspects of my life, I make conscious efforts by not directly funding companies that test on animals, not buying fur items, and dedicating my platform of over 16,000 people to spreading awareness on the animal mill industry and exploitation of ferrets. My Health- Meat Substitutes & Synthetic Nutrition Being a pet nutrition geek, lots of what I've learned has transferred over to my own nutrition. I realized the importance of ensuring I too, was getting the nutrients I needed, that way my animals are always properly taken care of. Being plant based does not automatically mean health. I didn't eat meat, but I ate a very processed diet with little to no whole foods. I didn't realize my unhealthy relationship with food until my body began craving foods I'd never had before- like meat and fish. YES! I'm aware I could've been much healthier while vegetarian, but with zero energy daily, I felt like I had to eat all day. With each plant based meal, I rarely felt "full." I could easily eat 5 full meals daily, along with snacks. It didn't matter how much varied plant protein and fat I was getting, I only felt full after eating meals with pasta or potatoes. I attempted to cook more and incorporate whole foods but at the volume I was eating, the expensive organic ingredients I was purchasing never lasted, making me spend money left and right on things like tofu, tempeh, and quinoa. Despite my efforts, one day, my lips began to turn blue due to iron deficiency. Another day, after having clear skin my entire life, I developed chronic eczema. Eczema can be triggered by many things, but after a year of seeking multiple dermatologists, changing products, wearing face protectors, testing allergies, etc. it never got any better. I even revisited being full vegan instead of vegetarian, ate primarily whole foods, and tracked my meals to ensure I was getting everything I needed... my skin became the worst it ever was. And no, I'm not talking about some itchiness. I'm talking about waking up with my eyes swollen shut and oozing liquid. I'm not going to sit here and blame vegetarianism as the complete cause of my skin condition, but skin allergies and issues can be linked to poor gut health due to improper diet. We're still learning about gut health, but I don't think it's a wild assumption that macronutrient composition of the diet could affect gut microbiota and colon environment. Over the course of the last year, my supplement arsenal has grown. I made sure to take vitamin B12, vitamin D3, fish oil, iron, along with a general multivitamin daily. I was on these for quite awhile but didn't notice much of a difference in the way I felt. I actually grew to despise taking these pills every morning. Much of what is known about synthetic supplements used in pet foods, can be said about artificial human supplements. Our bodies cannot regulate the absorption, nor can it optimize their levels. They also vary greatly from food based vitamins. Just like with our pets, scientists have yet to figure out what the human species requires. Natural supplements are a much better alternative, but are quite expensive. I much prefer getting my nutrients from whole food sources and only supplementing when recommended by a professional. My same thoughts for pets! Summary No matter what diet plan you follow, there will always be conflicting evidence and opinion. The truth is- most people are going to do it wrong, therefor being mediocre examples of said diet. The amount of times I've heard, "I went vegan and got sick!" or, "I stopped eating meat and I'm finally healed!" is immeasurable. While I'm a firm believer in the impact of a healthy diet, with the limited knowledge we have on the subject, it's really hard to distinguish fact from opinion. I think we can all agree there is no "one size fits all" diet for anyone, humans and pets alike. And at a moral standpoint, it's never going to be black or white. Animal exploitation and suffering is everywhere. The best thing we can do is be conscious in what we support in all aspects of our lives. (This is all my opinion! Please be respectful)
1 Comment
Meg
11/2/2020 12:49:55 am
I went vegetarian a couple of years ago but have been debating going back to eating meat for a couple of months now. And this article has helped me to realise that this would be the right decision for me. So thank you :)
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