During my time spent with the flu, I had plenty of free time in bed to watch television. We do not have cable since we are never really home to watch TV. Luckily we do have Amazon Prime and Netflix which are life savers if you do not have cable and you are sick with nothing to do BUT watch TV.
A friend of mine recommended the documentary “Forks Over Knives.” It’s about the effects of animal product on our bodies (both meat and dairy). I HIGHLY recommend everyone watch it. And I sincerely hope that everyone recognizes how important fruits and vegetables are for healthy living and to avoid such terrors as heart disease and cancer. Yes… eating less meat will reduce your chances of getting cancer. Your genes do not play that big of a role compared to what you put in your mouth at every meal.
After watching this documentary, I decided to watch other ones. I watched “Vegucated”, “Farmagedon”, “Ingredients”, and “Fresh” (Note: “Food Inc.” is also a great one that I watched last year). These are all excellent documentaries that hit on the same fact that our industrialized food industry is going to be the death of us as well as our environment. Did you know that the food industry is more harmful to the environment than the cars we drive? In North Carolina alone, the pigs create more waste than all the humans in the state. And that is just North Carolina.
The FDA plays a large role in promoting industrialized food production while tearing down our local farmers. It sickens me the amount of money (millions upon millions) spent by the FDA to find issues with local farmers that just aren’t there (watch “Farmagedon” and “Food Inc.”). Money that could be spent to provide more people health care or shelter for the homeless. YOU NAME IT AND THAT IS A BETTER USE OF MONEY!!!
Not to mention the process of raising the animals and then the process of slaughtering them is the most inhumane process. Your milk comes from cows that are artificially impregnated and the baby calf that results is then used for veal. The cow gives milk and then is re-impregnated till it’s body cannot handle it anymore and then it is killed. Once killed (with a bolt through its head), it is used as a meal for other cows that you eat in your burger and steaks. Yes… cows eating cows. Sounds natural right? Now does that glass of 2% milk sound so appetizing? Not to me.
That juicy slice of ham comes from a big that is thrown into hot water to be drowned and then sliced up immediately whether its actually dead or not. Male chicks in a egg producing plant (PLANT NOT FARM) are crushed to death and ground up for more cow and pig food of which again, you will be eating. The chicks that make it through this process then have their beaks shaved so they can’t peck at each other and also have their feet shaved so they can’t attach each other. No numbing of any kind, this process is just done outright regardless of the pain these animals are put through. Does that bacon and egg breakfast sound so appealing now? I assume you get my point.
I’m sick of it and I think we the people need to stand up to our government and demand change. Organic and local is sustainable. It may be more costly than that dollar menu burger at that fast food place, but it will save you thousands on medical bills in the future for heart disease or cancer that resulted from lots of those dollar menu burgers.
I for one want to live the longest life possible and the most fulfilling life. I want to be 95 and still able to ride a bike. Not sitting in a chair all day wasting away because I didn’t take care of myself and because I just had to have that tasty fried chicken.
Now I’m not asking that everyone give up meat. I know that is hard. But I strongly encourage you to eat less of it and when you do, find a local farmer and find out how they treat their animals. Buy local, ESPECIALLY your meat.
We are very fortunate to have a butcher here in Ballantyne, “What’s Your Beef” that gets all of his meat from local farms and then processes it himself. It’s all great quality meat and it’s also grass-fed which is another plus. Grass-fed animals are not eating processed food, injected with hormones, or eating other cows!
In addition, contact your local state representatives and your congressman and ask for change. Demand it. I plan to write all of my representatives several letters requesting change. I may even write the President. Enough is enough. Let’s stop large corporations from running our government and our lives. Think about the amount of jobs that this would create? Farming is not even considered an occupation today because large corporations have taken away all the jobs and shipped them overseas or possibly replaced them with machinery.
Okay my rant is done (temporarily) but I hope each of you consider the effects of your food and start buying local.
The Modern Ballantyne Wife 