Becoming a Vegetarian

As a part of my health curriculum I watched a documentary called Food Inc. Food Inc. examines food corporations in the United States. They talk about the abuse animals have to go though when they live in industrial farms, and how these companies are environmentally harmful. I saw baby chickens getting their eyes stapled shut and also the chemicals they use on the farms are dangerous and go out into the air. I learned that the meat they package is filled with hormones, antibiotics and more toxic chemicals. Once I watched the whole documentary I didn’t have a craving for chicken of beef any more. When I saw those animals in Food Inc. get abused, I wasn’t able to eat them. That is how I became a vegetarian.
Becoming a vegetarian was difficult at first but my mom helped me by becoming one as well. We went shopping at special food stores so I could have special vegetarian meals. We still went to the same restaurants but we just had vegetarian meals. My mom and I were eating more fruits and vegetables. I even created new recipes. I was reading more vegetarian and vegan cook books and that helped a lot with changing my diet. It was a big change for us and we think it made a little change in the world.
As I changed my eating habits I saw changes in my body. I started to have more energy and my skin was brighter. I would have better sleep by not eating dessert before bed and drinking tea instead. I was also introducing myself to a healthier state for my mind and for my body.
When I became a vegetarian there were only a few people who supported me. Many of friends and family wanted me to eat meat and I couldn’t. This change was one of the hardest but I had to keep faith in myself and never give up. This was the accomplishment that was most important to me. I wasn’t going to let temptations of friends stop me from making a change. This was most important to me because I knew I was helping a lot of things: the Earth, animals, and my body.
I wish people would become vegetarian because they would be healthier. If people can’t become vegetarians they can start out with four things so they can be healthier. First, you shouldn’t eat foods being produced from a large industrial farm. Choose small family farming. Second, stay away from fast foods. Fast foods are just high in calories and low in nutrition. Third, eat organic foods. Organic foods aren’t sprayed with pesticides. They don’t fill meats with hormones or antibiotics. Fourth, make foods at home instead of eating out. You always know what you put in your food at home, not like restaurants.
Overall I decided to become a vegetarian because I was disgusted with the way the large industrial farms were treating animals and our Earth and I wanted to do something about it.

All Life Matters!

Hi it’s me and I’m back blogging again! I’ve been away for the summer doing many fun things. I traveled around the country visiting different cities, and went to my New Afrikan Scouts camp in Mississippi. I hope you had a wonderful summer just like I did.

But what I want to talk to you about right now is something that came up when I was recently with my mom’s friend. She told us about how people who live near the Brooklyn college she attends, torture cats. She’s seen cats with their legs purposely broken just laying there and crying. That’s horrible! I am an animal lover and a lover of all life so this really concerns and hurts me.

People shouldn’t be harming any living thing. It worries me because killing any type of animal can lead to its extinction or endangerment. This has happened to a lot of fish in places where humans over-fish. And if you are a kid hurting animals, I’ve read where it can lead to you being a killer as you get older. Kids who torture animals become less sensitive to suffering, which makes it easier for them to kill as adults. This is a big problem that we need to solve.

My big question is: why somebody would hurt animals in the first place? I think it’s because people want to feel powerful as if they need to control something. Little cats and dogs are easier to control then somebody older than you (or even a very big animal like a lion). This is just being a bully and bullying is always wrong. If you’re a kid, it might also be because you have felt peer pressure from a friend. Either way it is wrong and we need to do something about it.

Here it what we can do about it. If you see someone hurt an animal, do something about it. Tell your parents or tell them to stop. Get help. Don’t just watch it or ignore it. Also, you can get a parent or friend to help you join a group where people are trained in fighting animal cruelty. Whatever you decide, stand up to bullying wherever you see it!