I come from a family where meat is incorporated into almost every meal. Breakfast wasn’t complete without bacon, deli meat was packed onto every sandwich for lunch, and Friday night dinners were (and still are) known as “Steak Night”. Life without meat or dairy wasn’t something I had ever thought of. So, when I was bored in my apartment over winter break, I finally decided on the very talked-about Cowspiracy, not believing that it would have any affect on me. Silly me, because Cowspiracy only lead me to watch countless more documentaries on why eating more whole and plant-based food is ultimately the best thing for humans, the environment, and the animals. Below I listed three of documentaries I watched.
Cowspiracy
This documentary, which is available to watch on Netflix, follows filmmaker Kip Andersen as he focuses on the environmental factors of animal agriculture and how it is the most destructive thing on this planet.
Vegucated
This documentary, which is also now available on Netflix, focuses on three ordinary New Yorkers who go vegan for six weeks. Within those six weeks, they were introduced to many vegan alternatives to meat and dairy items and even visited an abandoned slaughterhouse to learn what really goes on in them. At the end of their six weeks, each individual had lost weight and showed signs of lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
Earthlings
Narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, Earthlings shows how animals are treated in most slaughterhouses around the country. For me, this one was a bit difficult to watch because the clips shown are very gory. The goriness, however, is all of the truth behind the doors of slaughterhouses, and once I finished watching the documentary, I decided that I probably wouldn’t be able to eat meat or dairy again.
After watching these documentaries, as well as a few others, I decided to give up meat and diary products, which has actually been easier than I expected would be (vegan cream cheese saved my life). Eating plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, grains, etc has made my body feel lighter and generally just better. The pros of a vegan lifestyle definitely outweigh the cons and I can’t see myself going back to eating meat or dairy ever again.