First Things First: I am NOT a Vegetarian.

I am not a vegetarian.  I am not a vegan.  I am not a raw foodist.  But at some point in my life, for some period of time (ranging from 1 day to 10 years), I have identified with each of those labels.  Today I just am.  I simply try to eat healthfully and ethically and kindly.  Now that we have that out of the way, I'd like to also say this: I am not trying to preach or force my approach on anyone.  Truly.  That is not my intention and it is certainly not my goal with this blog.  I'd just like to share some information and get us all thinking about the choices we make every week.

This weekend I had a difficult and powerful experience.  I saw a video about conventional factory farming -- animals being raised for their milk (that means milk, cheese, yogurt, and, yes, your coffee cream too), eggs, and meat.  I have seen these videos before, but it's been a while.  And, of course, we all hear about the horrible things going on with factory farming -- disease, chickens having their beaks cut off (not all survive the experience), confinement, terror -- but until you see it for yourself, you cannot imagine how awful it is.  I cried.  And I honestly thought I might be sick at two points during the 8-minute video clip. I can't even go into detail for you because I can't bring myself to relive the images in my mind right now.

After watching this video, we heard from Howard Lyman.  Howard is a 3rd generation cattle rancher who became a vegan and now speaks to the public about the atrocities of conventional and factory farming.  He has written a book called Mad Cowboy if you'd like to read what he has to say.  Some of you may have heard of Howard because he and Oprah Winfrey were sued some years back after he appeared on her show, told her some of what goes on at factory farms, and Oprah declared to never again eat another hamburger.  They were sued for disparaging a food product.  Yes, seriously. 

So, why am I telling you all this?  I just got back from the grocery store and as I walked down the refrigerated aisle I couldn't stop thinking that 99% of the products on those shelves originated from places like the ones I'd seen and heard about last weekend.  We each have to make our own choices as consumers, but I wanted to offer a gentle reminder of what's going on before we toss these products into our shopping carts.  I encourage you to learn more about this situation. 

Personally, for my home cooking, I buy organic animal products and/or try to get most of it from local farms. Where I have been less diligent is in restaurants.  So, that is going to be my biggest intention: to ask about the sources of animal products at any restaurant I go to and, if I don't get a satisfying answer, then I'll be vegan for that meal.  For me, this is a small and crucial sacrifice.  I guess I'm writing about this today as much for you all as I am for myself -- I need some accountability so that I keep this intention clear in my mind, and you all are my accountability. Do you ever realize how easy it can be to forget even the important things? 

Here are my suggestions:

• Look into this issue for yourself (but make sure you trust the sources).
• Your best option with animal products is to buy local.  Check out your local farmers' markets, talk to the farmers, maybe even visit the farm.  This is the only way to be sure about what's going on.
• If you can't find a farmers' market or local farm, then products labeled "organic" are your next best bet (although it's true that there have been instances of problems there too). By eating organic animal products, you are also avoiding ingesting any antibiotics or hormones that were given to the animals.
• Also look for "grass fed", "pasture fed", "free range".
• Ask your servers at restaurants where they get their meat, dairy, and eggs.  Are they organic?  Are they local? The more inquiries they get about this issue, the more likely the restaurants are to make changes, once they are aware of the demand.

Again, I did not write this post to ruin your dinner.  I simply felt the need to pass along what I witnessed and to encourage us all to remember that our choices as consumers are some of the most important ones we make. 

Thank you for reading about this sensitive issue and for keeping an open mind.

Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.  Eat kindly.