After investigating how food is produced and raised in this country, one of the first commitments to my health I made was to completely stop eating "factory farmed" meat. Whether I'm eating at home, at a friend's house, or at a restaurant - I try my best not to eat meat unless I know that it didn't come from a factory farm.
I even actually went vegan for a while in my 20's just to survive a grueling work schedule traveling to cities with little options for organic food. At home and in an environment I can control, I eventually realized that some meat in my diet is beneficial to me personally. Although I'm not a huge meat eater (compared with the amount consumed by the average American) I do eat pastured organic meat on a weekly basis with an abundance of plant-based foods.
I have many friends and family members who are vegans and vegetarians that I respect greatly, but I believe each person should evaluate their needs to find the right balanced diet that works for them and makes them feel their best. That's why I don't label my diet and why I remain flexible so I can give my body the nutrients it needs.
We all have different biochemistry and there's no exact diet for every human on the planet - however, there are many universal eating principles and habits that work for all humans - like avoiding toxic chemicals in our food and especially meat!
Toxic chemicals accumulate in the fatty tissue of animals - so if you do one thing this upcoming new year, make a resolution to stop eating factory farmed meat!
Just as I am fighting against the corrupt food system that we have here in America plagued with processed foods full of synthetic additives and food crops that are contaminated with harmful pesticides - if you are a meat eater, I am fighting for you too.
For the past two years, I've been working on several campaigns with some of the most respected non-profit groups, targeting the largest food companies in America to stop the routine use of antibiotics on the farms that raise their meat and encourage them to adopt sustainable humane practices. Many of you have signed the petitions we've started and shared this critical information - so thank you!
I cheer loudly when companies stop this practice and create policies that provide healthier living conditions for farm animals. Big brands are starting to improve their standards - from Subway, to Chick-Fil-A, to Panera Bread - but this is just one step towards a truly sustainable food system and we still have a long way to go.
I'm an animal lover, so when I found out about the stomach-curdling practices of raising animals at "factory farms," I was incensed. Animals grown in factory farms subsist in horrific conditions. For example...
- Factory farm animals live a life of cramped conditions, ill health, and injury or death during transportation, and they face the risk of not being properly stunned before they are slaughtered for human consumption.
- Most U.S. cattle are raised on grain so that they bulk up faster for mass production and earlier slaughter. The process is helped along by hormones and antibiotics – a system fraught with numerous environmental and health problems.
- The majority of broiler chickens are raised in sheds, with sometimes as many as 100,000 crammed into one building.
- Pigs are given no anesthesia when their tails are cut off
- Cows are given hormones that cause their udders to get so big that the animals can barely stand up on their own.
- There are many animals that never see the sun or feel anything but concrete under their feet. Many become crippled and feeble; others are unable to reach the feed or water and die.
These animals are not healthy! And when we eat animals that are not healthy - we become unhealthy!
That's why I love to make my own homemade broth at home. soup at home. Store-bought chicken broths can be pretty nasty! They're usually made from the bones of factory farm animals and spiked with sugar, flavors, and hidden MSG additives.
Fresh homemade stock is full of valuable nutrients and is very simple (and cheap) to make! I have two new recipes for making either chicken or vegetable stock on the blog this week. Get the homemade stock recipes here.
If you want to change the food industry, your body, and get healthy you have to make the commitment to stop eating factory farmed meat.
In my next message to you, I'm going to help you make the commitment to get factory farmed meat out of your diet for good. I'll give you some of my favorite strategies so you can get started ASAP.
Let's make 2017 our healthiest year yet!
Whether you eat meat or not, ask your friends and family to make this resolution along with you and to subscribe to the Food Babe newsletter here. (Forward them this email!) It's so much easier to stick with your resolutions when you have the support of your loved ones!
In the meantime, I'd love to hear from you if you have already given up factory farmed meat - what inspired you and what tips do you follow to maintain this habit? Leave a comment on the blog for everyone to learn.
Xo,
Vani
P.S. Also, I'll be announcing the next Food Babe Favorite Gift of the season soon! If you missed the last one, catch up on the emails I sent over the weekend, there are still some awesome deals extended through this week from our partner for clean, fresh, toxin-free water!!!
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