Henny Peeny:
My husband and I always joke that we'll go veggie..but really, we're pretty close. Our reasons to eat less meat included:
-Health. It is utterly amazing to me how much meat, and fatty meat, the average American consumes in a day. I grew up in other cultures that had more...balanced meals.
-Humane Reasons...for us and the animals. We stopped buying factory-farmed/industry meat, and now only get meat from local sources where the animals are raised in conditions we feel are humane and healthier for both the animals and us. Buying local also helps support our community, supports the small farming lifestyle, and keeps the environment and animals in a better condition (ie. no gas trucking stressed animals across the country). Our money gets spread out to several people instead of one, giant corporation. My first taste of the difference in made in, well, taste, was with eggs from a neighbor. I could actually make yellow cake that was bright yellow instead of white without adding food coloring! This is because the yolks are much richer in color (and taste). I didn't think I'd be able to tell between a Wal-mart egg and a fresh farm egg, and used to scoff at things like vegetarianism and trying to eat healthy. ...Oh my gosh, it was just a melt-in-my-mouth difference. I then found the same to be true with meat, and kept finding out that real food sure beats the heck out of heavily processed or 'intensively raised' stuff that is edible.
Same with dairy and honey. We're really trying to cut ourselves off the corporate teat for all things. For instance, we weren't pleased to find out much of the grocery store honey isn't anything approaching honey. http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/11/tests-show-most-store-honey-isnt-honey/ After avoiding milk for most of my life for the severe acne, stomach pain, and other health issues it caused me, I found out I wasn't actually lactose intolerant. I can handle milk and dairy that is free of hormones and antibiotics just fine. Cows raised on pasture have much, much higher levels of CLA and vitamins as well, and avoid the ulcers common in grain fed cattle.
We are just getting into raising our own fish for food this year, and we will see if we just start raising all our own meat animals..or if we decide we'd be happier going all veggie/non-pain-feeling organisms.
