Category: Entry 5 (Page 2 of 2)

This past Thanksgiving, I ate a substantial amount of meat, which I regret because I know that it sanctions the inhumane treatment of animals at industrial farms. On the other hand, my mother had prepared a great dinner with so much love that I couldn’t bring myself to reject it.

However, during break I also talked to a friend about the benefits of switching to a plant-based diet. I explained how this reduces the likelihood of suffering from heart disease and reduces inflammation (Adler 2018), an argument that he found very compelling since he is an avid runner.

Moreover, after thanksgiving dinner (which made me wake up with a headache), I came to the conclusion that I would benefit greatly if I adopted a (mostly) plant-based diet for the long-term. Realizing also that it wouldn’t be wise to commit to this diet religiously, because there will be moments when meat is the only available option.

I also have the intention to keep sharing my reasons for embracing a plant-based diet, even after the semester ends. In this manner, I can continue to spread awareness about the inhumane practices of the animal husbandry industry, and also share information that may help others increase their quality of life.

Finally, at the beginning of my project I foresaw constant struggle, mostly because I had the preconception that any form of nonviolent activism required sacrifice on some level. And this is true, transitioning into a plant-based diet was difficult, and in some instances of hunger I found myself craving animal protein. However, I also feel better physically, as I now feel that my energy levels are more stable throughout the day. More importantly, I feel better spiritually, since I know that my diet no longer comes at the cost of the extreme suffering of other conscious beings.

Adler, Allan. 2018. “The darker side of inflammation”. Accessed November 28, 2018.

https://healthbeat.spectrumhealth.org/the-darker-side-of-inflammation-vegan-diet-stroke-heart-attack/

               This project has impacted me in several manners. For several weeks, I followed the vegetarian diet very strictly and realized that it was difficult in some ways to get enough protein when eating in dining halls because of the lack of control over meal planning. I found it was becoming challenging to meet nutritional needs while eating vegetarian because of my other dietary restrictions including the avoidance of gluten. However, I continued to limit any meat intake to once a day only three times a week and every time I ate meat it was a very small portion. I realized how meat does not need to be the center of a meal and started talking to family members and friends. This is where I realized the power of conversation and communication. I emailed several recipes to my family members and many said that they planned on trying out the recipes. I spoke with many friends about eating vegetarian and though some were initially adamant that eating meat was important to their diets and my diet as an athlete, eventually they questioned whether meat consumption is necessary. I led people to question what they thought as I practiced my communication and advocacy skills.

             I intend to continue to eat very little meat. I no longer place meat on half my plate. Rather, a small amount of meat is found on my plate about three days a week. I was curious about the environmental impact of limiting meat consumption even if it is not complete elimination of meat. I found that sustainability can be improved even without complete elimination of food groups (Perignon, Vieux, Soler, Masset, and Darmon 2016, 15). Moving forward, this is encouraging as now I know small changes such as limiting meat consumption can have a positive impact. I will continue to encourage family members and friends to limit meat consumption both to reduce violence against animals and the Earth.

Sources:

Perignon, Marlène, Florent Vieux, Louis-Georges Soler, Gabriel Masset, and Nicole Darmon. “Improving Diet Sustainability through Evolution of Food Choices: Review of Epidemiological Studies on the Environmental Impact of Diets.” Nutrition Reviews 75, no. 1 (January 2017): 2. https://ezproxy.lafayette.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=120221013&site=eds-live.