A few months ago, Netflix released What the Health, a documentary by Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn. You may remember these guys from Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret. Both environmental documentaries focus on abusive animal agriculture practices. Basically, they are promoting the vegan lifestyle through “investigative” reporting.
I’ve watched both films twice. It’s easy to get caught up in the their vitriolic causes especially when the film rolls to shots of dead pigs piled in cans and chickens living on top of each other. It’s horrible, but it’s reality. In What the Health, the filmmakers delve into the complicated relationships of animal agriculture to personal health, the pharmaceutical industry, health organizations, the government, and most major health organizations. Each frame is a shocker and some are hard to watch. It moves fast, so take notes.
I am glad these films, and others like them, are out there. They certainly get people’s attention. It’s compelling drama. But I have my doubts as to whether the majority of the facts tossed out by filmmakers are true. I’m certainly not qualified to break down each one point by point, but, from my own personal experience, I can make this generalization: eliminating animal products or reducing consumption of animal products from your diet can improve your health. And it certainly is appreciated by the animals. And, in my opinion, animal abuse should be the primary focus of eating vegan. You may now toss free-range cow bones on my roof. Just don’t break the windows and let my dogs out.
I’m encouraged to see a rise in vegan and vegetarian dining options in Dallas. Somehow this meat-and-potato town has made room for those who prefer plant-based diets. I’m sure barbecue snobs will disagree with me, but truthfully, I worry about humans who spend most of their lives standing over smoking meats and eating barbecue every day. Perhaps this important discussion is best saved for another day.
Whatever your take is on this subject, it will not hurt to listen to the other side. We are all responsible for our food choices and it’s important to learn how your food choices affect the environment. (Cows are perhaps the largest polluters on the planet.)
The number of people choosing the vegan lifestyle is on the rise. Therefore the restaurant and food production industry follows. Vegan options are popping up on menus all over Dallas and restaurants geared specifically to vegans and vegetarians, once uncommon, are now easier to find.
Hampton Creek Foods, the company that sells plant-based foods, is working on lab-grown meat and they plan to have it in stores by 2018. That’s good news for all chicken, goats, cows, and fish. Go wild. Live free. The meat is grown from cell cultures harvested from living animals. This is good news not just for animals, but for our planet.
Hampton Foods sells Just Mayo and several other sauces, cookies, dressings, mixes, and cookie doughs. Earlier taste testers claim that the clean meat engineered in industrial vats tastes “just like the real thing.”
Ed. update: I wrote this post last Saturday. Today I learned that the board members of Hampton Creek, no stranger to controversary, left the company on July 17 over serious disagreements with CEO Josh Tetrick. In late June, Target voluntarily pulled Hampton Creek products from its stores after allegations of food safety issues.
Miyoko’s Kitchen just moved to a 30,000-square-foot-plant in Sonoma, California where they will increase the production of their plant-based cheeses and develop some new items. Their cultured cashew cheese-based products can be found in local Whole Foods stores and online.
Please watch What the Health. I don’t care if you hate it, you might learn one thing you didn’t know. I can guarantee you will have a list of questions you will want to ask after you see it. Be wary of blanketed statements such as “the fat you eat is the fat you wear.” It sounds good to an animal activist, but it’s based in pseudo-science.
If you can’t go meatless or dairy-free, then try eating less of both. Think plants before pigs.
