|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"I grew up in cattle country - that's why I became a vegetarian. Meat stinks, for the animals, the environment, and your health." K.D. Lang FREE Report! Ten Tips for Beginning Vegetarians
Free Vegetarian Life Coaching:Complete our vegetarian lifestyle survey, and get 30 minutes phone consultation with Coach Judy Kingsbury FREE Expert Advice!Answers to your questions on all things vegetarian Savvy Vegetarian Life Coaching:Whatever the challenges in becoming vegetarian, life coaching will increase your confidence, dramatically shorten the learning curve, and smooth the bumps in the road. Savvy Vegetarian Resource Guide:
Send Us a Resource! |
Ask The Savvy Vegetarian: New Vegetarian Concerned About Animal EthicsSavvy Vegetarian NewsVol. 2, Issue 1, January 2004Get free advice from Ask SavvyBack To Newsletter Indexhello,im a teenager conscious of animal welfare etc, so have decided recently to became a vegetarian, but eat dairy products, eggs, and fish for health as opposed to moral reasons. i am confused as to whether or not i will be completely contradicting myself by wearing leather shoes, woollen clothes, etc. and also drinking milk because i have read that the cows are treated really poorly. What are the basic guidelines and morals on being a vegetarian? I'd appreciate any advice that you could give me. Thanks for your time, Gabi from Down Under Dear Gabi,Thanks for your email, and for visiting Savvy Vegetarian. Congratulations on going vegetarian! I don't believe there is a one-size-fits-all set of rules for being vegetarian - you work it out as an individual. I would just say, take it gradually and take it easy, and enjoy yourself. It's not good for you to be full of guilt and anxiety over your food. Becoming vegetarian is a big transition, and takes time. You are already doing a lot for the planet.
If you want milk, try to get organic - usually organic dairies are kinder to the cows. The smaller
the dairy, the more likely the animals are to be treated well. I'd have some questions about animal
treatment if it's a large organic dairy owned by a big corporation. You could try enriched rice or soy milk.
For an article in SV News about an organic dairy that does it right, go to: Re wool & leather: Of all animal products, wool does the least harm to animals that I can think of, and nothing beats it for warmth, but do what feels right to you. If you can find non-leather shoes that fit your needs and your budget, go for it. Keep in mind labor practices and fair trade for the non-leather shoes.
But please, don't beat yourself up over all this. Life is full of
contradictions. That's one of the things that makes it interesting.
Also,
you're welcome to check out Savvy Vegetarian News on the website from time to time.
For another column about a new vegetarian teenager, go to: All the best,
Judy Kingsbury,
The Savvy Vegetarian
Get free advice from Ask Savvy. |