Oprah goes Vegan!

not really...but she and Harpo Studios went vegan for a week, and I heard about it on the show today.

Now before you start scratching your heads assuming that a) I watch Oprah all the time or b) I watch it during work, let me clarify. We are in the middle of a major snow watch and that fluffy white stuff has been raining down on us since my morning commute. Our boss sent us home early today for safety's sake, so I took it upon myself to cozy up in a blanket and doze while watching some good afternoon entertainment. Enter Oprah.

It just so happened that today her show was all about food and what and how we eat. She was interviewing Michael Pollan (you'll remember I read and greatly enjoyed his The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, and plan to read more of his stuff), as well as Kathy Freston, author of Veganist. Then, for real drama, she brought on a guest who runs a slaughterhause (a woman no less! ok, that was really sexist, but when I picture a person in charge of slaughtering I do tend to picture a man. I'll work on this...sorry fellow feminists!). They were all talking and bringing in the high points of their own views and luckily, they all kept from getting into a big cat fight about what is "right" and "wrong" in terms of what and how to eat.

What I liked about it, was that they focused most on "what works for me." Michael Pollan was saying (as he brings up in his book) that he doesn't feel that eating meat is bad. He thinks we need to be able to accept where it comes from and how it got from the farm to our plate (and actually really know this, not just accept the Disney version of happy grazing cattle in big pastures that we see on TV). He also thinks we need to work to change the system to be better, cleaner and more humane, while supporting those hard working farmers. You can't get me to disagree with supporting a local guy who works really hard for a living to produce a good, home-grown product. His family needs to eat and to afford heat in the winter. I get that.

Oprah's staff went on to talk about their vegan challenge, how often they cheated and what it felt like. We discovered a lot of very interesting things. For example, one woman was addicted to fast food and junk food, and after just a few days of not eating it she felt withdrawal symptoms. Another man lost 11 lbs and no longer has to pop antacids and aspirin daily and many of her staff were pooping more! I'm glad to know that Oprah is not above talking about poop on national television. And as we told a dear friend once who clogged another friend's toilet (accidentally, of course) "everyone poops." And really, once a week is just not enough. Aside from the increased bowel movements (that always cheers people up, nothing like constipation to ruin a party mood), everyone interviewed mentioned that, whether sticking with vegan or not, they'd be thinking more about where their food comes from and what they are actually eating. (this is really good)

Now, a quick pause. I must note that the segment was certainly edited to get a certain point across, so there could be several reasons why the weight loss and better energy and increased "movements" happened. For example, if you're not eating meat (even if you're having dairy and eggs), you can't really eat fast food. Cutting processed food out of your diet, on it's own, will aid weight loss, energy and improved "natural functions". I experienced this first hand when I lost weight in the land of rolls, thick layers of butter and really good chocolate (I mean, really, really good). Not only did I lose weight, but my skin looked better, I had more energy, etc. (of course, I walked or rode my bike nearly everywhere and wasn't working 4 jobs while going to school full time, but still...).  My skepticism is there.

But indulge me for a moment while I describe the points I consider when I think about what I will and won't eat (remember, I became a vegetarian a little over a year ago).

1. Politics and Social Responsibility
After reading Eating Animals I was inspired to really think long and hard about the implications of my diet. If you knew me when I was in Middle School (I'm embarrassed to say) I used to argue adamantly that being a vegetarian was silly. I didn't really understand what I was saying, and I think I was still at that point when my opinions were personalized reflections of my parents' opinions, because I still believed they knew everything and that they were right about everything.

A while back I read the Better World Handbook, which talked about companies that have good, bad and so/so social practices, and the importance of making small decisions with your wallet to support causes, practices and companies you believe in. Mr. K and I have always shared this drive to vote with our wallets, and we gladly buy fewer things to spend a little extra on what we know is better for us and the world. No, we're not perfect. But we let our convictions guide us. We won't patronize wal-mart, we don't eat at places that have illegal immigrants working as near slave labor under the table, we actively seek out restaurants that compost and recycle. We try. That's all one can do. Every little step makes a big difference.

So this jump to considering the political and social implications of what we eat (also explored in The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals) wasn't too huge for me. This was a big reason I chose to stop eating meat. At first, it was just factory farm raised meat, because I don't support factory farms. I don't find them to be sustainable, clean or healthy for the workers, neighbors or those who consume their products. I also don't want to eat anything that has excessive antibiotics in it used to promote growth and prevent disease rather than treat it (the US has serious problems with overuse of antibacterials).

2. Health and Nutrition
 I grew up in a meat and potatoes, midwestern style family that believed a good square meal had meat, starch and veggies. I ate incredibly well as a kid (how many others kids knew what standing rib roast was, or how to make hollandaise, or just the right way to make a yorkshire pudding?), and I thank my parents heartily for that. I also thank my dad for teaching me to cook.

But the more I learned I about biology, health and religion, the more clear the evidence was that eating meat twice a day wasn't necessary, and probably wasn't healthy either. When I moved away to college I avoided the meat in the dorms because, well, it was the dorms. But also because it didn't feel right to be eating so much meat. It didn't make sense to me. Even as a collegiate swimmer I would go days without meat, getting my protein from milk, yogurt and a careful blend of legumes and vegetables.  After 3 years of public health school, I'm now even more convinced that eating a lot of meat isn't only "not good," but can also be "bad." Depending, of course, on numerous factors.

So I started a habit of not eating meat more than once a day, and not eating red meat more than once a month. And it went from there...

3. Ethics
Michael Pollan said on Oprah today (and his book) that if you don't really know the details of how your food was "processed," from being alive and kicken' to being a plate of fried chicken (that little ditty was mine),  then you shouldn't be eating meat. And then Kathy Freston read my mind: I can't look an animal in the eye and say that it's dignity, well-being, health and happiness are less important than my appetite.

Now we could argue back and forth about the dignity of the animals. Sure, many who slaughter animals respect those animals they kill. Not all animals remain awake and conscious as their limbs start being chopped off, or as they are dipped in a scalding pool to be defeathered. I appreciate that. But for me it's still too many. And I can't agree that us medicating, genetically modifying, force feeding and brutally slaying living creatures is the "natural order of things." And even if it is, that doesn't make it right. I have emotion and sense and reasoning skills so that I can decide whether to follow along and to make decisions based on what seems right or wrong.

And furthermore, whenever I crave a hamburger (and believe me, I do miss hamburgers) and think of giving in, a little voice in the back of my head reminds me that it's just a want of mine. Am I really willing to sacrifice a life for something I want?

I should pause here again and note that I still share recipes that call for meat. I understand that not everyone wants to or "can" become vegetarian and I'm not about to evangelize. The purpose of this post is to explain the oft asked question about why I made this choice. And that's just what it is, a choice that I've made. And I hope you'll respect it the way I respect that you eat meat. I would just suggest that you think about what is actually in that meat and I have no problem strongly recommending that people cut down on fast food.