I never thought I would become a vegetarian. I had always thought that we (as humans) were meant to eat animals. I loved a juicy steak and don’t even get me started on how much I loved a good burger.
I had seen the videos in health class about the way’s animals were treated on farms, pumped full of steroids just to get bigger. They are packed into stalls to create room for even more animals. I was never disgusted by those videos. They were gross, but they never changed my mind.
Fast forward about six years later to when I’m scrolling through twitter and I see a video of a pig on its way to the slaughterhouse. I didn’t put the volume on because I didn’t want to hear it, but the image alone was enough to make me want to double over. I will spare you of the gory details but let’s just say I had never seen anything that grossed me out that much.
Right then I decided that I would cut out meat from my diet. I didn’t want to contribute to a world that purposely killed innocent creatures for our benefit.
That is when I also learned that we as humans didn’t need meat to survive. I had been speaking to a professor who told me that way back when we were hunter and gatherers, we rarely ate meat. Animals were much harder to catch and kill because we didn’t have modern machines. Also, meat wasn’t and still isn’t necessary to our diets. We are more or less omnivores because the meat gave us a bit more of energy/protein that helped us after evolution. However, with the introduction of tofu and veggie meat substitutes we can supplement the once ‘needed’ meats.
Once I realized that there were other ways to eat food that still tastes as good as meat but doesn’t hurt innocent beings, I instantly felt a weight lift off my shoulders. I have never looked back or regretted the decision I made that day. If I am ever craving the taste of meat, I stock up on my favorite Gardein ‘Chicken’ Tenders and cook up some fries and have a good old fashioned kids meal! And there are so many other veggie meat options to choose from. Gardein is definitely one of my favorite brands but I am so excited to try other ones as well!