From the Canadian news this week, we get a story about some men risking life and limb to free dolphins that had been trapped in ice.  On the surface, this is a heartwarming story and the men should be commended for their bravery. It also made for an interesting juxtaposition to the seal hunting that is just getting ready to commence in Newfoundland.

But there is something about it that puzzles me. These men were fishermen by trade. They regularly kill and harvest animals for a living. They have no qualms about hauling in fish with nets and hooks day after day. So what is it that made them want to help the dolphins?

Several news reports mentioned that the dolphins were crying, that the sound is one thing that drove villagers to action. So is it this human-like emotion that saved the dolphins? I hear others talk about how dogs and cats are different from animals slaughtered for food because they show personality and affection, so maybe it’s a similar sentiment?

Is it their perceived intelligence? If so, then why doesn’t this caring extend to other animals that are similarly smart and show signs of human behaviour, like pigs? It’s one thing that I find so disingenuous, this caring for animals on one hand, while killing them with the other.

I’m not going to knock people that help animals. Anything done to spare the suffering of a living being is a good thing. I just struggle to understand this perspective and realize that one day soon our son may be asking questions on this topic that I’m unprepared to answer.

We’ve RSVP’ed to attend a vegan Thanksgiving potluck, to be held the evening before the holiday. I’m quite excited about it, and know the gourmet in our family is already agonizing about what to bring that will best show off his amazing cooking skills. Since going vegan, we’ve never been to an event outside our house where we’ll be able to eat anything served.

Despite the fact that neither of us are big social butterflies, we’re putting ourselves out there for this in part to integrate ourselves into the local veg scene. The organizer has promised they drew other families with kids last year, so I think we will fit in OK.

I’m sure at his young age our babe doesn’t notice or care that what he’s eating is not exactly what everyone else is having, but as he grows I am predicting this will change. From reading messages on veg parenting lists, it seems many kids get to a point where they don’t want to be the oddball out. I am thinking that it will help if he can see as he grows that there are others that eat the way we do.

Not that we need to have the approval of others, but there’s something about being around like minded individuals to enliven the spirit and reinforce commitment to decisions. Even when your choices are different from 95% of the population, you at least know the remaining 5% are with you. (Or at least pretending to be, wonder if the FBI will be there? 😛 )

Hopefully the evening goes well. If so, we look forward to attending additional events like this in future. As the babe grows, perhaps he’ll come to develop friendships with some of the other kids. And if not, at least the event shows there are others out there that follow the compassionate eating model that we do. Plus, it may give us some fabulous suggestions to freshen up our menus.

I wrote the most fantastic post, one of the most emotive things I’ve written in a long time, and then it was spirited away as my laptop mysteriously shut off. This post seems downright clinical in comparison, but I felt it was an important enough topic to try again.

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I had never really thought much about how milk production worked until I was pregnant and nearing time to breastfeed. Now that I’ve been at it for over a year, I understand a bit more about how it all happens. Still, until recently I hadn’t considered the similarities between human production and that of dairy cows.

A campaign from Viva! called Mothers Want Their Babies Back!, timed to coincide with Mother’s Day in the UK, captured my attention. In addition to the research I’d already done on dairy consumption, this prompted me to take another look at the milk industry from a lactating mom’s point of view.

In order to produce milk, a cow must go through a full pregnancy and birth her child just as a human mother would. To capture the milk for human consumption, the calf is taken away from the mother within hours of delivery. By that point the mother’s bond with her baby is already strong, and just as any mother would be she is devastated when it is taken away. (Little does she know that more cruelty is right around the corner for the babe as the male calves are either killed straightaway or raised as veal, a short but torturous existence, and the females kept for future milk production.)

Since mother and babe have been separated, production must be maintained via pumping several times a day. This doesn’t take place in a cushy corporate mother’s room, but instead in a shed crowded alongside other “working moms” that may never see the light of day. To make sure she has a strong supply, the cow will likely be given a galactagogue. Instead of the oatmeal or fenugreek you or I might use, she’s given something like BGH instead.

To increase profitability, the mother cow is pushed to oversupply, often to the point her udders sag so low they drag on the ground. Plugged ducts and mastitis occur as in humans, but on a more frequent basis due to the filthy conditions — a very painful ordeal often treated with antibiotics but meaning a death sentence for some cows.

Since the milk producing period is only meant to last as long as the baby needs it to grow, each year the cow will be artificially impregnated. This viscious cycle repeats until her supply dips to the point where she’s no longer profitable. Long before her life would naturally end, sometimes pregnant, she’s slaughtered. (As seen in recent news, even this doesn’t always mean quick relief from a miserable existence.)

The cruelty in the dairy enterprise is astounding and I can no longer play a part. I have decided to permanently adopt the near vegan diet I’ve assumed since we found out pur babe was sensitive to cow’s milk. Not only will it be good for my health and the environment, I’d like to do it for the moms.

While I was pregnant I often got questions about being vegetarian. Almost every one focused solely on my protein intake. What I always considered questioning in return was, how is your protein intake? Better yet, do you know how much vitamin C you got today? How are your folate levels?

Where we live a vegetarian diet is still somewhat rare. Some of the questions are based in ignorance (I find many people believe that meat is necessary and aren’t even aware protein is also found in vegetables and other foods), but I can also tell that others are being intentionally judgemental. Some see vegetarianism as a personal attack on their values and bring it up attempting to start an argument. (If I was allergic instead would it still be an issue?)

I can’t say for certain, but I’d hazard a guess that pregnant/nursing/parent veggies are often as or more aware of their nutritional status than omnis. While I was pregnant I tracked my diet pretty closely, sometimes every single thing I ate all day (including the stray piece of candy) was recorded to make sure that I was hitting at least 100% of the RDA for most things and more for key things such as protein. I regularly hit 80+ grams every single day and could tell you (or look up) the numbers for any number of the other nutritional requirements. I had done extensive reading on the topic, as well as received professional advice. I’d venture this is a lot more work than the average person puts into their diet.

Now that I’m nursing the babe (a whole separate point of interest that draws nearly as many comments!), I’m starting to get questions about whether or not I’ll feed him meat or let him have it if he shows interest. I like to think that not eating meat is a value for our family, in the same way that relgion or abstention from alcohol may be a value for theirs. We’ll teach him our position, and then once he’s out on his own he can make a determination about whether he wants to continue. Some have postured that it’s not fair of us to deprive him of the chance to eat meat. I’d like to counter with the same argument considered in the context of smoking. If your child shows an interest in smoking, would it be unfair for you to consider depriving him of this act?

We have been thinking our lad is sensitive to milk protein, so I recently went about attempting to eliminate dairy in my diet. We’d previously discussed going vegan, but determined it would be hard. I figured there’s no way I’d be able to give up cheese, ice cream, etc. Turns out its not been so bad after all. There are lots of replacements and it forces me to eat more fruits, vegetables and unprocessed food in general. All good, right??

Truth is that my biggest worry is that I’m going overboard with the self limiting diet, making eating choices more difficult, and setting myself up for hardship. It creates an extra burden for our family, even my coworkers. The goal is to strike a balance, find a point at which I’m doing the right thing both for myself and the world.