We made the transition to buying local if possible and humane certified if big producers, pasture raised always.
In our experience... we spend a lot more money and eat a little less meat and dairy products. But wow, a pound of mushroom is higher price than a pound of conventional ground beef.
Believe it or not... craigslist farm and garden section is a great place to find local meat... rabbit, goat, lamb, beef, pork, and poultry of all sorts.
We raised lots of our own stuff like heritage chickens and vegetables... cost, time, processing or harvesting, storing feed without spoilage, and general husbandry, plus having to keep roosters over winter for breeding.. have led to a MUCH better appreciation of exactly WHAT I am paying for!
Basically we never attempted to go vegan or vegetarian as we like meat (butter/cheese
) AND it's highly nutritious. But we did curb our consumption and add in more vegetables and try out more "meatless" products such as meatballs, chicken nuggets, breakfast sausage and so on, which my daughter like many of. Actually many textures in meat gross me out anyways... gristle/cartilage.
Couple things to keep in perspective... animals still die when vegetables are farmed... land is being used and pushing out native wildlife. It's also tilled and sacrifice anything that was living under ground. Fertilizers and pesticides (even organic) can still be poison and run off or over spray can still impact our environment.
According to the research I've done... there is LESS lameness and actual issue observed in large factory type conditions because they have people who identify it and eliminate it... through processing if still viable in order to keep their bottom dollar and production up (think milking cow with blown udder sent for ground beef). Many small time farmers will keep a lame (or otherwise ill or injured) animal (in pain/limping) and think they are doing it favors by not culling. They try to support it just as long as it can live out it's days... that is NOT the same thing as humane IMO. Small holders often don't have funds to replace animals or equipment. Where as SOME large holders have invested in the latest and greatest... laser guided milking parlors. Also most large holders are feeding an adequate ration where as everyday on here I see people feeding crap like only scratch or only wild bird seed as they simply didn't know any better or bother researching or were given bad information from someone they trusted. Viewer beware of headlines and videos that post only ONE side of the story and are meant to grab attention evoke outrage in the public... often by folks who have a misguided view of reality. (PETA is great example)
My point is that doing our best to live a life we are proud of can mean
balance. It doesn't have to mean I can never go out with my family for dinner again or that I have to feel guilty at every meal. I understand a life was given so mine can go on. I have a new found respect for and understanding of how I fit into the CIRCLE of life.
Some folks do something like meatless Mondays. This first sent my husband into a tail spin thinking he wasn't getting enough protein.. which was far from the truth... but it's about perception.
We played with using different types of beans. My family seems to like black beans best. We have made taco's, taco salad, enchiladas, etc. We actually like the textured vegetable protein (looks like pasta before cooking) seasoned up and fried similar to ground beef in several dishes. And to that sometimes we do a combination of meat and protein supplement so we are still reducing our overall flesh intake without sacrificing texture or flavor. Baby steps can lead to big life long changes and doing it in phases can make it easier for those who are more resistant... or like me, not super fond of many vegetables. It's important not to just become a carbivore for our own health conditions.
In addition to the things I've already mentioned... waste can play a big part of consumption. We are working to use up what we do have and stop throwing things away. Some things we buy with good intentions and hope but just don't pull it off.... er um, get lazy.
Hope this gives you some good food for thought!
