We all, at one time or another, have probably considered whether we eat to live or live to eat. Judging from the post views we have received on our Facebook page and blog the answer is clear: we live to eat. We love our food. For many of us, our god is our appetite (Philippians 3:19) and we eat to satisfy our cravings. We eat what we want, when we want, without considering the far-reaching impact of our choices.
A few months ago Joy and I watched an eye-opening documentary that forever changed the way we view food, our health, and our world. As we continued researching animal rights, climate change, and the health benefits of a whole food, plant-based diet we were faced with a choice: we could continue to stick our heads in the sand and ignore what we had seen or we could adopt a more compassionate lifestyle, giving up meat, dairy, and eggs and finding cruelty-free alternatives for cleaning products, cosmetics, and clothing. Why would we, or anyone, want to consider so drastic a change? Because we realized that the dietary and lifestyle choices we had made all our lives resulted in destructive consequences for our health, our planet, and the animals who share it with us. We resolved not only to change the way we eat and live but also to share information with others in an effort to effect positive change in our world and in the health of those we love.
Sadly we are faced with the reality that people really don't care about the suffering and death of the animals they eat. Neither did we, until we began to open our minds to the effects of our choices, not just on our own health but on the lives of the farm animals slaughtered to clothe and feed us.
Maybe you don't care about saving the lives of animals. Maybe you don't consider a cow, pig, or chicken to be in the same class as your dog, cat, or guinea pig. But did you ever think that by embracing a plant-based diet, the life you save could be your own?
Copyright 2016 by Dee Dee Wike and Joy Wike. All rights reserved. www.feelingveggiegood.com
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