Why do we eat meat?

I’m not going to be a hypocrite and state that I hate meat, or have never eaten meat. But have you ever wondered: Why do we eat meat?

I find it very hard to believe how doctors, philosophers, and people are still arguing what our species should or shouldn’t eat. It’s a constant fight between the food companies that pay the most and the very brave ones who state all kinds of nonsense.

As in everything else, moderation is key. And hundreds of generations have lived like that, finding their own way of embracing the culinary trends of the ages. But I believe all this has a role in the long run. Even maybe in the development of our future generations.

As a child, I’ve never questioned my food, or the ethics behind it. What my parents feed me, was good for me. Because parents are the absolute Gods for their children. Mine were.

Some eat dogs and some eat worms

I grew up in Romania, Eastern Europe. Tradition says to eat pig meat for Christmas. It’s an entire ritual and looking back to when I was only a child to witness all that cruelty, makes me sick to my stomach. And yet, the traditions are carried out to this day.

But that’s our tradition. After travelling to different countries, with different religious views, I’ve discovered that some never eat pig meat, and others prefer duck meat for Christmas. And this is happening not so far away from my home country.

The farther away I travel to, the more striving the perspective over food is, for me.

Ask yourself: Why do I eat meat?

The only answer I can give is because we want to. There is nothing someone else can make us do. Maybe they can use force, but that is something different.

What we eat is a choice. We have forever open supermarkets, home delivery, and numerous catering and dining options every second, in every city. And cultivating vegetables and grains takes a lot fewer resources than raising livestock. There are statistics to prove this.

Nevertheless, most claim they cannot live without eating meat. Almost all of them have never tried to live without eating meat. And I must say I used to be one of those people who believed I cannot live if I don’t have a piece of meat in my meal.

Everything shifted in a second. The second I’ve decided to try a different lifestyle.

A while ago I’ve asked my mother if she would eat elephant meat. She said “NO”. Then I asked her “Then why do you eat beef?” She said “It’s not the same thing… I don’t know. Because we have always had.”

Isn’t this the exact same thing?

Get informed and make your own decision if you truly want to eat meat or not

In my day to day life, I almost never bring this topic into conversations. And I never try to convice anyone to change their diet or anything like that. And I don’t mind if I sit at the same table with someone else eating meat.

That’s because I truly believe people are smart enough to make their own, informed decision. I am no preacher and have no persuasion skills.

But all I ask of all of us, is to stay informed (or get informed, if this question never passed though your thoughts).

Here is a list of movies and documentaries I really encourage you to watch, before concluding if you want and need to eat meat and to have animal products in your life.

Watch these to decided if you want to eat meat

• Earthlings (2005)
• Food, Inc. (2008)
• Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead (2010)
• Forks Over Knives (2011)
• Vegucated (2011)
• Speciesism: The Movie (2013)
• Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)
• Lucent (2014)
• Land of Hope and Glory
• Vegan: Everyday Stories (2016)
• Food Choices (2016)
• What the Health (2017)
• H.O.P.E. What You Eat Matters (2018)
• Dominion (2018)
• The Game Changers (2018)
• Eating You Alive (2018)

I strongly believe and urge you to see at least a couple of these documentaries and don’t draw any conclusions while watching. make your mind at the end. And then, go and do your own research. And if you do al these, then you are entitled to an opinion.

Conclusion: Why do we eat meat

Bottom line is we don’t know. That’s the convention, that’s how things are since we can remember. But that also means that things don’t have to be like that. or should be like that.