Eat more compassionately in 2012

1. Eat less chicken (and fewer eggs)
“When you reduce or eliminate chicken and egg consumption, you are helping some of the most abused animals on the planet. Chickens raised for meat are often crammed by the thousands into filthy warehouses and denied access to the outdoors, fresh air and sunlight for their entire lives.

Specifically excluded from the Federal Humane Slaughter Act, chickens are carried through the slaughter process so rapidly that many are injured but not killed, and are instead boiled alive when it comes time to remove their feathers. Gardein and Quorn, two brands widely available in supermarkets, make chicken alternatives that – wait for it – taste just like chicken! Minus the fear and suffering, of course.

Chickens raised for eggs don’t have it much better. They can be packed so tightly in fetid cages that they never engage in basic natural behaviors or even stretch their wings. Millions are starved for a few weeks each year to shock their bodies into another egg-laying cycle. Think about it: is your momentary enjoyment of an omelet really worth making an already depressed and miserable animal go hungry for weeks? If that doesn’t sit right with you, opt for the high-protein, cruelty-free tofu scramble instead.”

2. Replace cow’s milk with a healthy, animal-friendly, non-dairy, calcium-fortified milk made from almonds, rice, oats, coconut, soy or hemp
“It’s complete hooey that people need cow’s milk for calcium. Cow’s milk is for baby calves, and there are plenty of delicious, more healthful and calcium-rich plant-based alternatives we can consume.

The only way for people to consume cow’s milk is to routinely tear newborn calves from their mothers as dairy cows are trapped in an endless cycle of pregnancy and lactation. Pushed beyond their biological limits, they are worn out and sent to slaughter after just a few years ‘in production.’ Have you had an almond milk or soy milk mocha latte? They are fantastic and truly guilt-free!”

3. Avoid foie gras like the plague
“Foie gras, or fatty duck liver, is only produced by the systematic and abusive practice of over feeding ducks via a metal tube that is forced down their throats. Foie gras is in a class with veal in terms of the cruelty inflicted on animals and we should shun it every bit as much.”

4. Resolve to eat vegetarian ONE DAY each week 
“If that seems like too big of a challenge to start, eat vegetarian at ONE MEAL a week. Before long you’ll realize how easy and delicious it is to eat vegetarian, and it will feel effortless to increase how often you eat vegetarian meals.

Using this incremental approach, you may decide to eliminate animal products from your diet all together. Simply decreasing your consumption of factory farmed meat will prevent countless animals from living a life of pure misery.”

5. Eat more plants!
“From salads and pasta dishes to vegetarian meats and cheeses, there’s a new world of flavorful alternatives to enjoy as part of a kinder, healthier eating plan. If you want cheese, try the Daiya non-dairy varieties; for sausage reach for the Field Roast chipotle or apple sage links; instead of a hamburger, try a veggie burger with pickles, tomato, onion and other fresh toppings; when the kids want chicken nuggets, they won’t even realize that Quorn brand nuggets are missing the meat.

It’s 2012 — isn’t it time we stop eating foods produced by industries that treat animals like unfeeling commodities and start eating in a way that reflects the healthy, evolved, compassionate society we aspire to be? Let this be the year you opt out of eating cruelly. You’ll be amazed at how great it feels (and tastes) to eat compassionately.”

via Eatocracy