I am an animal lover, to extreme levels sometimes. I save mice from my cats and if there is a spider in the room, no one will squash it on my watch. I can't even go fishing because I feel so bad for the fish, even if they're being thrown back in, I just feel bad that they had to be out of the water, struggling to breathe for any amount of time.
I care for animals so much but there's one part of my life that doesn't reflect that and it has always bothered me. I eat meat and eggs and I drink milk. I'm sure a lot of people have the same dilemma. So I started researching and there are so many ways to help animals in the food industry without having to give it all up.
1. Buy Cage-Free eggs.
Pexels
Look on the label next time you buy eggs and make sure it says Cage-Free or Free-Range. Pasture-Raised eggs are the ideal chose if you can find it. The best types of eggs come from chickens who can roam freely and eat insects and plants. The nutrients from this diet will transfer into the eggs, which is better for you than chicken who are fed grains.
Buying eggs that aren't Cage-Free means that you're supporting companies that keep their chickens in a cage that is half the size of a sheet of paper. They are fed a processed diet in a warehouse that never sees any sunlight. These chicken are so close together that they claw and peck at one another. If they didn't already have their beaks removed, which often happens so that they can't fight with the ones smashed beside them. This is animal abuse and is no way to live.
2. Switch to almond milk.
Pexels
Almond milk is lactose-free and has 50% more calcium than dairy milk. Best of all, no cows are hurt in the process of making this milk!
Cows living on dairy farms have it really bad. They're all cramped together in one large shed, where is it easy for disease to spread. To produce milk these cows are injected with hormones and antibiotics while eating a processed diet. Not only is this horrible for the cows, but it can transfer to the milk you buy and drink.
3. Avoid buying foods or any products that contain palm oil.
ABC
Palm oil is in a lot of products ranging from packaged bread to laundry detergent. You might not have ever thought it was a problem, but how these companies get the palm oil is truly devastating to the environment and all the animals in it.
Palm oil plantations have cleared out entire rainforests, leaving all of the animals either dead or lost without a home. It is driving orangutans to extinction, along with many other animals close to being gone forever.
Palm oil isn't even that good for you and you can find all the products you want that don't contain it. It is high in saturated fats and can increase your cholesterol levels.
4. Buy "Grass-Fed" beef.
Pexels
Local Pasture Grass-Fed beef is the best kind. If you can't find it in stores, you can always find it online. A lot of people think Grass-Fed and Grain-Fed are the same thing, but they are actually completely different. Grass-Fed is just real meat. These cows have happier lives, living in a pasture and getting to graze as they please.
Grain-Fed cows are held in dirty outdoor feedlots and are pumped with hormones and antibiotics, which will transfer to the meat you eat. They live horrible lives, so don't support these companies.
5. Buy fish caught or raised in America.
Pexels
There has always been a debate over whether Farm-Raised fish or Wild-Caught fish is better nutritionally and environmentally. From what I have researched, both of them are good as long as they are from America. Both contain about the same amount of nutrients, along with similar mercury levels because frankly, you can't find any fish without it.
America has certain regulations when it comes to both catching and raising all kinds of fish, shrimp, and other sea creatures. For example, in the U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration regulates wild-catch fishing, enforcing standards that protect the marine environment and fish populations.
Fish farming operations in the U.S. are also strictly regulated. Any water that is released back into the environment must be as clean or cleaner than it was when it came in. Because of these regulations, these sea creatures are healthy to eat and little damage is done to the environment, allowing other animals in the ocean to be healthy too.
These regulations are not the same in other countries, so make sure to buy American.
