Rebirth

As many of you might know, I became a vegetarian the day Asher was born. It probably won't surprise you that I have faced my share of ridicule for this decision. I have experienced everything from being told "you are going to die, you need red meat to survive in this world" to the complete amazement of my parents who acted like my decision was worse than being a drug addict.

My sister got me thinking about my reasons of becoming a vegetarian. When people ask me why I usually say, "I ate way too much meat," which is true to an extent. I decided to post about my decision to become a vegetarian. This post is not meant to become preachy, or condescending to others lifestyles, merely just to clarify reasons for my decision.

Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine."
-D&C 89: 12-13

I grew up in a family that would eat meat all the time. BBQ's are a weekly tradition which consist of meat, meat, and more meat with one salad that nobody really touched. Every member of my family had at least one hamburger and one hot dog, and perhaps a pork chop to top it all off. I like, most people, thought this was normal, and I justified it by saying "it's not too much meat, its only once a week." However, when I would think about a week's worth of food my menu would consist of: meat with about every meal the exception being breakfast. That menu didn't include the hidden meat and animal products that are found in canned food, chips, pop tarts, or treats. So, when it boiled down to it I was eating an animal product/meat with everything I ate.

As I was coming to this realization, I watched a movie entitled, "Fast Food Nation" (the movie is not for everyone, it is extremely graphic), which displayed the evils of the meat packing industry. Sickened by what I saw, I decided I needed to cut down the amount of meat I consumed. I went to the library to check out "The Complete Idiots Guide to Becoming A Vegetarian," more out of curiosity than wanting to become a vegetarian. Upon reading I realized a lot of the book made sense to me (even thought the book is completely biased) and made me think of D&C 89 (see passage above).

I read that Idiot book cover to cover in a few hours and decided I was going to become a lacto-ovo vegetarian because it felt right to me. I did not do it "cold turkey", rather, I gradually faded out animal products; one animal a week over the next month until June twenty-seventh (the day Asher was born).

I was quiet about my decision for a while; only voicing my desire to my wife because I wanted to make sure I could make the lifestyle transition before more people knew. I decided for me, the only way I could continue living a veggie lifestyle was to become more educated on the subject. I read a book entitled "Slaughter House: The ethics of the meat packing industry" which brought to mind the fourth verse in D&C 89.

"Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which
do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I
have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by
revelation."

Slaughter House displayed the unethical treatment of workers and animals in the meat packing industry--animals being skinned alive because the machines are going too fast, horses being stolen off of private property in the middle of the night to be sold to restaurants at a cheaper price than beef, hormones being injected into cattle/chickens to produce more product at a faster rate. The book is written by an undercover investigation with eyewitness accounts, a very thought provoking read. Slaughter House and D&C confirmed my decision.

So the question is, "As a lacto-ova vegetarian what do you eat?" As a lacto-ova vegetarian, I do eat eggs (well only egg whites because I can not eat the baby chick) and some dairy products sparingly. I do not drink milk (soy milk only), but I do eat cheese, mostly because soy cheese is too expensive. I do not eat animal fat; found in most canned products like refried beans (vegetarian refried beans, however, do not contain the fat). I do not eat carmine (ground up insect used for food coloring in most candy or sugary cereals) or gelatin.

For me, becoming a veggie was more then cutting down on my meat intake, although it started out that way. My decision was based on scriptural understanding, and unethical treatment of workers and the inhumane killing of animals in the meat industry. My lifestyle change has not caused me to become fanatic or despise people that do eat meat. After all, I did the eat meat for a good twenty-something years. Do I miss meat? Sometimes. I crave Arby's every once in a while but that can be expected when you change something that has been ingrained in you from the moment you are born.