Not even a day has passed since they took him from his mother. If he is an "industry standard" veal calf, he was removed from his mother on the same day he was born. This poor creature cannot even walk yet, and is already on the short walk to his own premeditated extermination. When they do the math, his life is worth very little, since his mother has been designated a "milk cow", not to mention that the lucrative milk that makes her breast swell to feed and nurture HIM, will be consumed by adult HUMANS. And this recently born piece of garbage with no immediate lucrative value will soon be dispatched to a dark , tiny crate, to be chained to the ground for 3-4 months, fed a nutrient-deficient diet ON PURPOSE so he becomes anemic and weak at the hour of slaughter; Since it's just like that - weak, anemic and tender - that's the way the craven, two-legged devils like to salivate over and savor their precious veal... Sounds like a terror film? A nightmare? Maybe now you understand why so many people are jettisoning meat AND DAIRY PRODUCTS from their diets forever. Maybe its time for YOU to reevaluate your eating habits, and your way of thinking...
~~~Anthony Botti
Mar 24, 2010
Why I Don't Drink Cow's Milk or Eat Diary - Get Weaned - Go Vegan
Not even a day has passed since they took him from his mother. If he is an "industry standard" veal calf, he was removed from his mother on the same day he was born. This poor creature cannot even walk yet, and is already on the short walk to his own premeditated extermination. When they do the math, his life is worth very little, since his mother has been designated a "milk cow", not to mention that the lucrative milk that makes her breast swell to feed and nurture HIM, will be consumed by adult HUMANS. And this recently born piece of garbage with no immediate lucrative value will soon be dispatched to a dark , tiny crate, to be chained to the ground for 3-4 months, fed a nutrient-deficient diet ON PURPOSE so he becomes anemic and weak at the hour of slaughter; Since it's just like that - weak, anemic and tender - that's the way the craven, two-legged devils like to salivate over and savor their precious veal... Sounds like a terror film? A nightmare? Maybe now you understand why so many people are jettisoning meat AND DAIRY PRODUCTS from their diets forever. Maybe its time for YOU to reevaluate your eating habits, and your way of thinking...
~~~Anthony Botti
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13 comments:
WHY DON'T YOU JUST LEAVE THE FARMERS ALONE, IT IS JUST A CALF, THEY DON'T THINK OR CARE WHAT THEY DO TO YOU.
Dear "Anonymous",
It's interesting that you speak so strongly, and yet refuse to disclose your identity. I'd be happy to discuss with you all the ways in which calves (and other animals our society has somehow deemed both useful and useless at the same time) think, feel, suffer, love, and desire to keep on living, but you seem to prefer to hide behind blanket statements with no basis whatsoever. Care to give honest discourse a try?
great post! I'm sharing this with everyone I know. :)
Hi Allison! Hi Amanda!
Thanks for the support!
I admit openly that when I connected the dots about cow's milk my heart shattered... I never imagined the vicious cruelty inflicted to such helpless creatures... I never signed up to be an ogre. :(
It didn't take long to discover all the tasty and nutritious alternatives. Daiya, rice, cashew and macadamia "cheeses"... All the Tofutti products and my indispensable yummy Almond Breeze!
It's been no "sacrifice" at all! ;)
Thank you both for dropping in. A voice of reason is always welcome! Peace. :)
Bea,
I don't know any farmers who are vicious and or cruel. That poor animal you are worrying about will live a much better life than if he lived in the wild. An animal that is treated poorly will not develop properly and that is not economical for the farmer. Female dairy calves live a good life and come willingly to be milked. Bull calves are not needed for milk, but are used for their meat to feed people. A calf is never useless, and many a tear is shed by dairymen when a calf dies uselessly. They do care about their animals.
Hello Michael - Well, cruel may be a relative term... Obviously if you see animals as commodities without the right to live their complete lives, little that is done to them would be seen as "vicious" to you. But if one takes another perspective, that every sentient being deserves not to have their lives NEEDLESSLY stolen from them... Well, the practice is then seen as vile and unacceptable. I fall into the latter.
So, the "poor animal" would have a worse fate in the wild? Let's see, in the wild - each animal would stand a chance to escape the predator... Actually, "predators" only eat what they require, and usually only take the sick, feeble or old animals. Man the predator in contrast - Takes them all, and usually in a very young (healthy) condition.
In fact, isn't there a saying regarding "food animals": No one dies of old age...
Of course the dairy cows "come willingly to be milked" - It's a biological imperative --- And you've taken away her calf who would naturally have fulfilled this need. In fact, couldn't she now nurse 10 or more calves with the milk that adult humans steal?
You also say they "live a good life" - I happen to believe a "good life" is one that ends in "old age" and not by hanging from a bleedrail... And would that "good life" also include the 35,000 "extra" young dairy cows that were "retired" early last year, so milk profits could remain high??? As I understand most were 1 or 2 years old at best... Kind of like saying a 20 year old human who get's killed in a car crash or home invasion had a "good life". We say that to cope with the tragedy --- But we all know a "good life" is a long life... And ends with a "natural" death.
Bull calves are not needed for their milk, that's true... But they are also not "needed" for their flesh either. As we are learning the idea of animal eating is totally UNNECESSARY! We can thrive on a plant based diet -
All around I have never felt physically better than since I've eliminated meat and dairy from my diet. My doctor is pleased as well, as my cholesterol level and other blood work is in the "ideal range"...
No, I don't require any of your useless deaths... And please, save your tears --- Just stop killing innocent animals and that would be "care" enough.
Thanks for dropping by.
WE NEED MEAT FOR PROTEIN MANY VEGETARIANS LACK PROTEIN AND OTHER IMPORTANT VITAMINS, HUMAN NEEDS SHOULD COME FIRST. YES I AM SURE THERE ARE OTHER SOURCES BUT THEY AREN'T AS PLENTIFUL OR AS GOOD AS THE PROTEIN WE GET FROM MEAT ANIMALS. SO YOU CAN SHOW ALL THE BLOOD AND GUTS MOVIES YOU WANT, BUTCHERING AN ANIMAL IS NEVER A PRETTY THING BUT IT IS A NECESSARY ONE.
WoW! Do I ever disagree with that!
Anyone can eat a poor diet - Even those that eat meat can be malnourished. I think it's safe to say you are not a nutritionalist, or a dietician, or a physician... Nor am I. So, I can only go by my own health which has greatly improved since eating an easy and economical plant based diet.
I have more energy and my weight, chlorestoral level and blood work are all on the mark! I also know many, many other vegans who have experienced better health as well...
Therefore your conclusion that the ugly act of butchering animals is a "necessary" one is totally unfounded and untrue.
Gotta love those fruits and veggies! Just like MoM said: They really are good for you! ;)
Yes fruit and veggies are good for you, but so is a balanced diet of all the food groups,including meat and dairy products.Sorry you can't change the food pyramid. I am a dietician.
So... Since you are a dietician - Can you tell me the last time the food pyramid was changed? What was changed? And what is the procedure to enact such changes? Being that "you can't change the food pyramid" - that is.
"It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes. A vegetarian diet is defined as one that does not include meat (including fowl) or seafood, or products containing those foods. This article reviews the current data related to key nutrients for vegetarians including protein, n-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, and vitamins D and B-12. A vegetarian diet can meet current recommendations for all of these nutrients. In some cases, supplements or fortified foods can provide useful amounts of important nutrients. An evidence-based review showed that vegetarian diets can be nutritionally adequate in pregnancy and result in positive maternal and infant health outcomes. The results of an evidence-based review showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease. Vegetarians also appear to have lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than nonvegetarians. Furthermore, vegetarians tend to have a lower body mass index and lower overall cancer rates. Features of a vegetarian diet that may reduce risk of chronic disease include lower intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol and higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, soy products, fiber, and phytochemicals. The variability of dietary practices among vegetarians makes individual assessment of dietary adequacy essential. In addition to assessing dietary adequacy, food and nutrition professionals can also play key roles in educating vegetarians about sources of specific nutrients, food purchase and preparation, and dietary modifications to meet their needs."
http://www.eatright.org/About/Content.aspx?id=8357
Nice try... And if I didn't feel so darned super-duper everyday I'd almost believe you... ;)
Blood tests are a great way to find out if we're feeding our bodies the right way
Mark is a strict vegetarian. Although he eats milk and eggs, no meat.
Harley is an vegan.
Jaime,only eats lean meat about four times a week.
Edwina is all about balance — Edwina eats a combo of meat, fruit and veggies.So whose diet is the healthiest, their blood tells the true story.
We checked their cholesterol for heart health and compared their levels of iron, zinc, protein and Vitamin B12.
The test and was especially concerned about the non-meat eaters:because they are eliminating a large number of food groups, so the vitamins B12, iron, zinc are again at risk, so they're the two that we'll be looking at most closely to make sure they aren't at risk of any nutrient deficiencies. Results:
So how did our candidates do with their blood tests?
Edwina
the good news is everything is completely normal and you're a picture of health according to your blood test.
Jaime
Now remember, he mainly eats lean cuts of meat about four times a week.
Cholesterol is all normal, your iron, your B12, your zinc, as we would expect from a regular meat-eater, again all normal and everything's looking pretty good. He is pretty fit and healthy at the moment.
So it seems lean is clean.
Now it's onto our vegetarians.
Mark
He eats animal products like milk and eggs — it's meat Mark avoids.
The fantastic thing to note with his results is that the HDL cholesterol which is the good cholesterol, the type that clears out the bad cholesterol in the blood stream, is really high, abnormally high, which means that he is pretty healthy.
That's a huge trick for a balanced vegetarian diet, but what of Harley our strict vegan?
Harley
Remember, Harley completely cuts out anything to do with animal products and relies purely on raw fruit, veggies and nuts.
His results have me really worried: My biggest concern is that his vitamin B12 is one of the lowest clinical levels we have ever seen.
Harley's B12 was just 78. That's drastically lower than the normal intake range from 145 to 637 and means our vegan could be susceptible to anaemia, blurry vision and loss of feeling in the hands and feet in the long term.
In the case of vegans, it's really up to them if they decide to supplement with B12. It is primarily from animal-based food so it's probably worth him discussing it with his GP or medical specialist.
Conclusion, Mark, Edwina and Jaime have healthy diets but Mark gets a special mention for having lots of the right kind of cholesterol. In fact, recent studies have shown that a balanced vegetarian diet can often reduce cholesterol levels.
It's a personal preference the way you eat. The key thing is that whichever diet you choose, whether it's vegan, vegetarian,or meat that it's well balanced and ticks off all those key nutrient groups
I believe the current Dietary Guidelines are from 2005 and the new ones will be released in 2010.
Well thanks for the input - I get all my B12 from nutritional yeast which is not derived from animal products... Perhaps Mark just needs to sprinkle 2 tablespoons on whatever meal he chooses and he should be able to make up the deficiency easily. The bonus is - nutritional yeast is very pleasant tasting!;)
So I guess the short of it is that one CAN be very healthy on a plant based diet... So if one IS concerned with NEEDLESS animal suffering - Adopting a healthy vegan diet is a valid choice.
Thanks for clarification. ;)
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