Educate Yo' Self!

Altering the way you eat can be nothing short of life-changing.

I grew up in a very ‘meat and potatoes’ kind of house until I became a vegetarian at age thirteen. At that point in my life, vegetarian meant eating lots of side dishes. If I didn’t feel well whether it was a headache or common cold people would tell me, “well, it’s probably because you don’t eat meat.” Anytime my non-meat eating habits were brought up I would be asked, “how do you get your protein?” “Is it because you like animals or because you don’t like meat?” And of course, my Italian grandmother would look me up and down and finally say, “Elizabeth! You’re too skinny! It’s because you don’t eat meat!” Being that I was so young and uneducated on the subject I would simply shrug and say, “no it’s not.”

As I grew up that started to get old, so I decided to educate myself and become a smart vegetarian. One of the first books I read on the topic was called “Skinny Bitch.” The book’s authors take a humorous approach to promoting veganism as a way to look and feel good. The book was hilarious and more importantly, very informative. From there it all became a wonderful vegan blur. Not only did it help me find answers to often misinformed statements/questions surrounding the topic, it also strengthened my views and beliefs. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of education on all aspects of veganism. Becoming what I call an “educated vegan” is vital in order to properly take care of yourself or your family while adhering to this lifestyle.

Okay, so now that you have a background of why this is so important, here is a list of must-read and must-see books and movies on the subject. 

Movies:

Forks Over Knives. I spent some time promoting this film in 2011 before its release. Little did I know what a huge impact it would make once it hit the big screen. The film’s message is that forks, which we use to eat, are more powerful than scalpels used for surgery. In other words, food can be both our medicine and our cure. The film claims that “most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.” I truly believe it is a must-see for vegetarians, meat-eaters, vegans and everyone else. It could be the most valuable hour and thirty minutes you could spend investing in your health. 

Earthlings. If Forks Over Knives is for your mind, Earthlings is for your soul. It is a documentary film about society’s treatment of animals. Although most of the film is heart-wrenching and often hard to watch, it’s a must-see for anyone interested in animal rights. Even if you are someone who says, “I don’t need to watch that movie. I know what happens, I know it’s bad.” To that I would respond: just watch this film once. An hour and thirty minutes, once out of your entire life isn’t much and I promise, you will be the wiser for watching.

Books:

“The China Study” by T Colin Campbell, PhD and Thomas M. Campbell II. This book is for the vegan knowledge seekers. It provides all the science behind the film Forks Over Knives. If you are an analytical, detail-oriented person, The China Study is for you. Even if you aren’t so much into details, this book paints an overall picture that will help answer some of the most nagging and important questions related to veganism and nutrition in general. It has answers to things such as the protein myth, why big medicine and the government don’t promote a plant-based diet and how to eat for optimum nutrition. This is a perfect book for answering the sometimes daily objections vegans face from meat-eaters. 

“Animal Liberation” by Peter Singer. Also known as the vegan bible, this book set the foundation for the modern animal rights movement. The author approaches animal rights from a thought-provoking, philosophical perspective. It shows the world in a way you might have never before noticed, or particularly wanted to notice. This should be required reading in high-schools everywhere, it’s that good.

“Skinny Bitch” by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. This one is for the ladies. By far, this is the most amusing vegan book out there. The authors take a humorous, satirical and informative approach to eating vegan. The book’s tag-line is, “a no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous”, which kind of says it all. The amazing thing about this book is it had me laughing out loud just as much as it had me thinking, ‘hmm I didn’t know that.’ Which is why it’s perfect for new vegans. The reader doesn’t feel bombarded with information, though the information is all there. On my first read I finished within a day and have re-read and enjoyed the book many times since. The authors also have a book, “Skinny Bastard” for men, which I’m sure is just as funny.

Farmer John Slaughterhouse Protest

It was supposed to be one of the hottest days of the year in LA and it felt like it. I drove away from the ocean breeze in Santa Monica to the muggy heat of the industrial district. I recognized the Farmer John building as soon as I saw it. There were mural paintings covering the entirety of the huge building. Happy playing pigs, a boy fishing with his dog and pig next to him, a mother pig nursing babies. It was insulting to know just on the other side of these painted walls was a horrifying slaughterhouse where 6000 pigs are massacred every single day. As I drove closer to the building I started to feel very anxious with bad vibes throbbing through my wrists, making my hands shake.

I parked my car down the street and across the block from the building. As soon as I got out of the car the smell hit me all at once and I was overwhelmed with nausea. I walked toward the building covering my nose and mouth with my shirt. I wondered how long I would be able to stay at the protest as I was gaging with every few stifled, heated breaths that were going in and out of my shirt. 

The crowd of protesters when I arrived was small but solid. I had learned earlier there was a group blocking the gates of the slaughterhouse so trucks with pigs couldn’t go in or out of the facility. Two women were arrested as they would not move from their seated protest in front of the gates. 

A woman gave me a roll on scent to put on my arm and I was grateful. The stench of death hung heavy in the air and a normally welcomed breeze only whipped the smell across my face and into the pit of my stomach even more. I thought if everyone who eats meat stood for one hour and smelled this disgusting stench in the air  and felt the negative energy it would probably make vegetarians out of most of them. 

The group went from small and solid to large and unified in a matter of minutes. We chanted animal rights slogans and held our fists and signs high in the air. Four different news outlets showed up, including a helicopter. This type of exposure was exactly what we wanted. How ironic that on World Farm Animal Day the pigs that were being sent to slaughter would only have seen the light of day once, on the ride from the factory farm to the slaughterhouse. I felt deep sadness for these animals, who are scientifically proven to be just as smart, if not smarter, than most breeds of dogs. That they would never be able to live. That’s it. Just live out a normal life. So seemingly simple, yet so twisted and broken from the people that enslave them, use and abuse them, because they simply like the taste of their flesh. 

I stayed for about an hour and said goodbye to the amazing people I had met. On the walk back to my car I could no longer sustain my composure. I was gagging uncontrollably and threw up. Normally, that makes me feel better, but the sickness was deep in me and I continued to gag on and off for hours after the protest. My nausea  lasted well into the next day, but the feelings and images I was exposed to at Farmer John’s will stay with me forever.