Becoming a vegetarian or a vegan helps protect the environment while taking care of our animal companions in a caring, compassionate and cruelty free way. Many people believe that farming methods used today are safe, happy and healthy. Yet, the truth of the matter is, most animals farmed for the purposes of producing meat, eggs and milk are treated as simple commodities rather than complex living beings.
For example, pigs are well-known to be intelligent, social animals that enjoy being in the company of one another as well as humans. They enjoy rolling in the mud and playing. Fresh air and sunlight are important elements to their physical and mental health. Unfortunately, most pigs that are farmed for meat are kept in cages their entire lives. These cages are often small and do not allow the pigs to socialize, move about freely or roll in the mud.
Chickens are also frequently kept in cages that allow them little movement and freedom. Sometimes chickens are packed so tightly together, they are unable to turn around. They are also frequently given growth hormones that speed up the maturation process while helping them to produce more eggs on a daily basis. This artificial growth process is quite difficult for them and their limbs can seldom handle the additional pressure.
Becoming a vegetarian is one way to help the anti-cruelty movement. If no one purchased eggs, milk and meat from these farm factories, then they would not exist. One reason for the overcrowding problems and lack of empathetic care is the commercial need to produce eggs, milk and meat quickly and inexpensively to meet the growing demands of an ever-increasing worldwide population.
Vegetarianism is also good from a nutritional perspective. Every chemical that enters an animal, from growth hormones to the pesticides used on the animals food supply, enters the humans who eat it. That means each and every one of us is contaminating our bodies with unnecessary chemicals on a daily basis. Many of us are concerned about the pesticides used to grow the fruits and vegetables we eat. What about the pesticides used to grow the fruits, vegetables and grains that an animal eats? These poisons go into the bloodstream and muscle mass of the animal and then enter our systems when we eat the meat. The same can be said of milk, eggs and a variety of dairy products.
Vegetarians as well as vegans and other individuals that would like to live a cruelty-free lifestyle, take care of themselves, animals and the earth by working to eat a healthy and safe diet. Being a vegetarian does not have to be an all or nothing venture – even cutting back on the amount of meat you eat is a start that can help many animals while supporting an anti-cruelty world.