Why Don't I Eat Meat?

Before I start, I just want to say I'm not trying to push the 'vegetarian lifestyle' upon anyone else. Whether or not you choose to eat meat is your decision, and I respect you regardless. This post is not about trying to shame people, or start an argument, or stir up controversy.

I grew up eating meat, and all my family still do. Throughout the years when I was eating meat, I never really stopped to think about what I was doing, or what was happening to these animals before they ended up as a meal. I didn't really know any vegetarians, so my knowledge was almost completely what I was being told by other people. And because I was surrounded by meat-eaters, I never questioned whether it was right or wrong.

How I became aware of the issues surrounding vegetarianism was actually through a few YouTubers, the main one being Lucy Vallely. After watching her videos, I started questioning things - I wanted to know, I was curious! If such a rapidly increasing number of people had started changing the way they eat, of course I wanted to know what it was about. I did SO much research.. you wouldn't believe the amount of time I spent of the PETA YouTube channel. I also watched a few documentaries, such as Cowspiracy. If you want your entire point of view changed, this is the one. It completely opened my eyes: I had no idea how big of an influence cattle farming has on the environment. One cheeseburger drains the equivalent of TWO MONTHS worth of showers. Let that sink in.

At this point I realised what I was contributing to. I never wanted to eat meat again: from then on it disgusted me. We bring animals into the world only to torture and kill them, because, you know, we fancy a chicken wrap. All the suffering and gore is just not worth the taste of the meat. So in my opinion, killing animals for food is cruel, inhumane and unnecessary. We don't get to choose whether animals live or die. We don't get to choose which animals we walk on a lead and which animals we have on our plate.

In terms of cutting out meat - I pretty much did it overnight. I was overcome by all these thoughts and I knew how wrong it was. It wasn't hard to not eat meat on my own. But, and I know so many people struggle with this, it was hard to settle it with my family. I have two younger meat-eating sisters, and my parents eat meat, too, so it was very hard to persuade them to let me do this. Protein was a big worry for them - of course I knew I'd be getting enough.. I eat my bodyweight in chickpeas everyday. It took a lot of explaining how passionate I am about this subject. I also pointed out really easy plant-based recipes that we could have as a family a few times a week. I try to cook for myself more so my dad doesn't have to cook a different meal for me every night. Sometimes all you need is to offer a different perspective.

Initially, I had my heart set on veganism. I was fully vegan for a week, but eventually my parents just said no, it's too hard. I know that factory farming and cruelty is the same with the dairy and egg industry, but at the moment, it's just not possible for me. Although, you can bet I'd be vegan if I had a choice. Right now, I never ever have milk - I use almond milk in cereal, tea, and cooking, and honestly, it just tastes so much better. I don't really like eggs, anyway, so that's not a problem for me. I hate honey, too. So the only product I consume that distinguishes me as a vegetarian and not a vegan is cheese. Where I can, I avoid it. For example, if there's a choice to put cheese on pasta I don't do it.  But if it's already in a meal, I'll eat it, because I still live in a family house with dairy consumers.

Whether or not you think it's moral to eat animals, I think everyone should know where their meat  and products come from, so here are a few (of the many) websites and YouTube channels that really opened my eyes. Not just about the meat industry, but also about how there are so many amazing cruelty free brands out there. Basically just some good resources if you're interested in the matter.

PETA
Mercy for Animals
BWC

So, that's why I'm a vegetarian. I also only use cruelty-free products (makeup, skincare, body products etc).. would anyone like to see a post on that? I'm so happy I made the decision to stop eating meat; it's one of the best things I've ever done. Knowing that I'm doing less harm to the planet and to the animals just makes me a happier person.