I've gone veggie!

Yes, the rumors and twitters are true. I, Alison Hunt, have become a vegetarian.

You may be asking why on God's green earth would I give up yummy steaks, awesome cheeseburgers, and fabulous chicken. The answer is simple:

I cannot in good conscience eat meat from abused animals.

You may or may not know that most of the animals that are slaughtered for food are raised on factory farms. Factory farms are places that breed animals for food. They keep animals in cages slightly bigger than their bodies, medical needs go untreated, they are injected with growth hormones...do you want me to keep going? I could, you know.

I do understand that not EVERY farm treats their animals, but how can I guarantee that the meat I buy at Publix is not from one of these farms? I cant. Not even organic meat is guaranteed to be "factory farm free". [side note: my friend Angela grew up on a farm that had their own cattle slaughtered for food for the whole family. I would DEFINITELY eat meat from her farm! Their animals are treated as God intended them to be treated and they aren't injected with all sorts of unknown chemicals.]

I've known for a long time how animals are treated on these farms, and happily kept eating meat on a regular basis. A few weeks ago that all changed though. Out of nowhere (well, from God) I started feeling conviction about eating meat! This was more of a shock to me than how the animals are treated.

I started praying and asking God to show me why I should be convicted about eating meat because at this point I had not connected it to the factory farms. I also began researching vegetarian diet needs, and saw some pictures of factory farm animals. Then God hit me like a ton of bricks and basically told me "I never intended for the animals to be treated that way. Not even food animals."

To be honest, I didn't stop eating meat right away. I had to sit on that word for a time, I read Genesis, thought about how shepherds took care of their flocks throughout the Bible, and prayed some more. As the days wore on, I began feeling nauseous just looking at meat, both cooked and uncooked. I knew I had to make a decision and be obedient to what God was asking of me. So, I gave up meat as a faith based decision. I didn't go veggie because it fashionable, or because I value animals higher than humans, or just to lose weight. I went veggie because eating meat crosses my conscience, and I'm responsible before God for the decisions I make. One thing I am committed to is to not go on a "Veggie Crusade" to convert all my friends. However, I will freely talk about all of the reasons I based this decision on, and what people do with that information is up to them. I am very fortunate to have several vegetarians in my life. They are helping me, along with my own research, to know what to eat to get all of the nutrients I need, and how to safely transition. Don't worry, I'm not going vegan.....that's too extreme. If you want to know anymore about my decision to go veggie, please feel free to contact me! -A