The choice to become vegan never really crossed my mind until a few weeks ago. It can be summed up as this. No, I do not support the meat industry and its unfair and brutal treatment of animals. So therefore, I have chose to stop endorsing them by not buying animal products. Pardon me for being blunt, but I do not support senseless killing, beatings, rapes and unethical practice. So why should I give them my money?

I love meat. Yet, when you see how it got from where it started to your plate, it would make you sick. Animals are fed human hormones and antibiotics to speed their growth and keep them from getting sick. They get sick so easily because they are forced to sleep and stand in their own defecation, crammed into tiny cages with hundreds of other animals. They are beaten from birth as they become easier to handle that way.

They are picked up from their limbs and thrown into cages and chains so they can be cut and stripped of their bodies. Baby chicks tumble and flip in machines that sort them and place them on a conveyor belt as a worker removes the bad ones and throws them into a plastic garbage bag. Chickens' beaks are cut off so they can't peck the workers as they strangle them and hand them upside down waiting for to have their throats cut. Piglets are grabbed by their legs and forced into an instrument so a worker can take a knife and castrate them without any medicine.

Don’t believe me? See for yourself, but be forewarned that the nature of these videos are extremely graphic and may be hard to watch.

I do not condone any type of animal cruelty so this choice was simple. Yes, I will get enough protein and yes, I will be just fine. Tell someone you're going vegan and suddenly everyone has a degree in nutrition. I am not trying to change anyone or make them feel bad for buying meat, I am simply making known what might not be known. When you think of their journey, being born a prisoner on death row for never committing a crime, it's hard to agree to support their practices.

I would like to close with this statement. If the meat industry didn’t partake in the actions and practices they do, then I would not feel compelled to become vegan. It is the senseless and brutal killings that hurt my heart too much to consent and be a part of their regime.