Contemplating the move to Vego

I've been reading "Quantum Wellness" by Kathy Freston - somewhat slowly but consistently.



For several chapters now Kathy has been peeling back my somewhat naive few of the meat trade around the world. Now I have to keep in mind that the book is American and therefore written with American corporations as examples, but it had me wondering how Australia does in terms of cruelty towards animals in the meat trade...but also trying to somewhat justify in my head using tougher Australian laws as the excuse for me to stick to my current consumer practice. Amazing how fast our ego jumps to our aid in a moral dilemma!

Until recently I was, and probably like most people in Australian, thinking that no news was good news.

However as I dug back into the memory banks I came across a story leaked to the media about cruelty to animals in the live produce export trade I had read...namely our woolly friends, sheep. For days and days sheep are packed into boats and shipped to foreign countries (namely Asia and the middle east) where the conditions during transport are so horrible that allot of the stock die before reaching the destination. Those who survive the travel are then subjected to what I can only imagine is a far from pleasant death as the stock no longer on Australian soil cannot be protected by our Australian animal laws.

Live Export Shame - read this site for more information.

So yes Australia has fairly high standards in regards to live stock...but then we simply hand over our stock and virtually say "do what you like with them" because the $$$ once again wins over the suffering of an innocent animal.

Angers me.

Saddens me and scares me.

In Kathy's book, one story had me crying...

I read about the Veal industry and slowly sank in my seat with shame. Whenever I eat out I often choose the veal due to its tenderness and generally low fat content. Kathy explained in her book the background on the Veal industry and how the meat acquires the characteristics I like so much.

"The moment they are born, veal calves (babies!) are ripped away from their mothers, all the while mooing furiously for her as she tries to follow, and confined (often with their necks chained) to a crate barely bigger then their bodies (22 by 58 inches) so that they can hardly turn around or lie down; this causes their muscles to atrophy and remain tender. For four months - the time they have on this earth until slaughter - they generally live in the dark without ever getting to suckle, play in the field, learn to walk on their wobbly legs, or do anything else but stew in their own filth. They are denied solid food to chew on and made anemic (they lick ravenously at the metal chain to get the iron that a growing calf instinctively craves) so that their flesh stays a pale white. When they are sold at auction by dairy farmers, before being shipped to slaughter, they sometimes cannot walk and are therefore dragged. If you've ever seen a baby calf, it would break your heart to know that this innocent little creature (cattle are very gentle and affectionate by nature) must endure such an awful fate as to be designated veal."



After reading the above extract I had to stop for awhile and let me emotions settle. I silently vowed never to eat veal ever again.

I had memory flashes of calves I helped hand raise on my grandfathers farm. Their furious sucking on my fingers as we tempted them towards a bucked of milk. Their beautiful brown eyes and generally playful nature.

I recalled going to petting zoo's with my man and his daughter and feeding calves straw and grass laughing as their giant tongues wrapped around our hands leaving them covered in slobber.

I then remembered the last veal dish I ate a restaurant...and felt ill.


Not to drop momentum the book continues on describing poor practices in the chicken industry (including eggs), beef, all bird stock and even seafood.

Kathy wasn't just promoting a move to being vego...but to full blown vegan. Intimidating to say the least!

Of course their are instructions on baby steps. The first being a simple awareness, and/or thought, before consuming animals products on where the products came from.

I have adopted this principle at a 75% rate so far. I say 75% because I do really well during the day but then I get home late at night and eat the quickest thing I can prepare which last night was 'bangers and mash'...the night before was a chicken burger...on and on it goes.

I can go all day without meat (purely from the above story as motivation)....but once I get tired...or home late...KAPOW! The end of my hard work.

I am happy to be more aware of where my food comes from and I am thankful to Kathy's book for sharing her knowledge with the public. Yes in Australia we tend to just say "not out problem" knowing that it is near impossible for cruelty acts to occur without being notice nationally...however...they still occur around the world and probably in the country un-detected, which is what I will choose to remind myself of each time I reach for a animal product.

Kathy's book can be found at your local bookstore or on Amazon; Quantum Wellness