On this day, five years ago, I cut meat out of my diet. By some coincidence, today is my birthday and the World Vegetarian Day. Becoming vegetarian was my birthday wish which meant no contribution to animal suffering. I’ve always loved animals and I could never understand the contradiction of having a dog as a friend and a calf on your plate. Why would I get grossed out from seeing footage from the Yulin dog meat festival, but thought that slaughtering a pig was part of life? I realized that the line we draw between the animals we love and the animals we eat is what we are taught from a very young age, so it becomes a habit which is hard to break later in life. I had these reflections for years but what was stopping me from changing my lifestyle were obviously customs, tradition, the fact that meat is the most accessible food, the myth that it’s the most affordable and healthy. Any vegetarian or vegan who managed to ignore all these myths has certainly only one regret: not doing it earlier. The result is better than expected when we have a balanced diet. After a quick nutrition education it is obvious that meat nutrients can be easily replaced. In fact, there is nothing that can go wrong with a plant-based diet. We can only be healthier and happier (and fitter !).
When I started being a vegetarian, I was trying to make it less evident and to keep my views to myself. I even despised activists who would make fools out of themselves by trying to impose their values on others. I stopped eating meat mainly for ethical reasons and none of the arguments I heard against it could ever convince me I was wrong. However, I was always afraid of “imposing” my views on others. Today, I don’t think sharing your thoughts is the same as “imposing”. On the contrary, I believe that sharing ideas and education are the first steps in making the world a better place. Plant-based diet is much more than a simple diet. It’s more ethically and environmentally orientated, as meat production is responsible for the global greenhouse gas emissions as well, contributing to climate change.

Regarding the ethical issue, here’s what the activist Gary Yourofsky says:

“The problem is that humans have victimized animals to such a degree that they are not even considered victims. They are not even considered at all. They are nothing; they don’t count; they don’t matter. They are commodities like TV sets and cell phones. We have actually turned animals into inanimate objects – sandwiches and shoes.”

If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we’d all be vegetarian.

Paul McCartney

As humans, we are lucky to have a choice, but with choice comes responsibility. We must choose wisely.

This is the best choice I’ve ever made and only now do I truly understand why peace begins on your plate.