As you know, I’m a vegan now. And, if it were up to me, my whole family would be vegan, too. But, Josh-O is a carnivore and passionate about his kids (and his wife) eating a mainstream diet.
My kids eat mainly a vegetarian diet. Lunch is often hummus wraps with tomato slices. Both of them LOVE that. I NEVER cook red meat for them. And, they share on average about one or two organic chicken breasts a week. The rest of their diet is lacto-ovo-vegetarian. Not perfection (as far as I’m concerned, obviously), but a fair compromise for the hubby.
Since Rascal’s only one year old, his doctor’s advising that he drink plenty of milk. Though I’m opposed to taking anything from animals who are not treated with the utmost respect and compassion, I still have to give Rascal his milk (because this choice is not mine alone to make). So, I’ve found a compromise that I can live with.
In yesterday’s post at Cheaty Monkey, I got lots of comments asking me “WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING HIM?” — apparently, my little guy is looking HUGE (which is a good thing because Doc said he’s only in the 25th percentile for height, which, IN TURN, is really no surprise because I’m a shorty). In answer to that question, THIS is what I’m feeding him:
“This milk comes to you from cows treated with love and respect.”
You see, FACTORY FARMERS FROM TUESDAY’S OPRAH SHOW? It CAN be done. But, I’m also going to remind everyone that the organic farms on the Oprah show are FAR from the average organic farm — which can be just as brutal as some non-organic farms. There’s MUCH more to be done than Proposition 2. And, remember, EVERYTHING you buy is a vote….
By the way, for those of you who would like to stop drinking milk, I’ll keep you posted on the best nondairy replacements. At this very moment, for example, I’m enjoying YU rice milk in my Chai Tea….
The vanilla one is quite YUMMM…. I choose to drink fortified rice milk instead of soy because I LOVE tofu. So, I like to use up my soy quota on tofu…. I do love a good soy milk, though. It’s thicker than rice milk….
Isn’t this conversation FASCINATING?
Stop YAWNING!
I will say, though, that I feel GREAT since giving up dairy. I don’t miss it one bit. My body is saying THANK YOU in so many ways. But, I don’t do it for my body. I do it for the animals.
Love….
xo Haley-O
LAVENDULA October 17th, 2008 at 10:22 am
haley thanks for recommending that rice milk.and where did you find that cow milk? i want to find milk for mine like that.hugs
Sarah October 20th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
love and respect for the cows, Amen! You know how I feel about that Haley.
Now, do you take a calcium supplement? Or do you think you get enough of it in your vegetarian (oops .. vegan) cooking? I have cut down on milk and dairy in general for other reasons, and I must say I find myself less congested - there IS connection with that?
Haley-O October 20th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Yes! There is a connection. Any holistic nutritionist will tell you to dump the dairy if you have any kind of congestion problem. I’ve heard that a lot, and read it. If you have any digestive issue or allergies, they also say no dairy.
I don’t take a calcium supplement, but I take a multivitamin every day, and I TRY to make sure I eat a lot of greens. And nuts…. I have to look into the calcium issue more. But, I should be getting enough. I also drink a fortified beverage once a day — rice milk in my tea, etc. — and tofu is usually calcium fortified….
:) I can’t BELIEVE how much better I feel without dairy. I NEVER want to touch it again! It’s so much extra fat and calories, really!
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