Thinking about becoming a vegan?

By Angela Waters Bamford

M.Div., M.A.C.E.

Have you ever been to an event that changed your whole way of thinking about the way you have been living your life? I am not speaking of a religious event but one that seems to haunt you when you close your eyes to try to sleep. I attended the meet and greet of Pittsford Town Board Candidate Pearl Brunt this past weekend. Over the summer, I had the opportunity to sample some of her delicious vegan food at the Pittsford Market during a free demonstration. While I am not a vegan, I did find the food to be healthy. I understand that it may take some time to acquire some of the different tastes and textures. I am also aware that it will require a conscious change in my daily food choices. I believed that the health benefits to my body would be long-lasting and positive.

At the event, a film was shown that provided the numbers and mounds of evidence of the health risk of meat. A logical thinking person would have to ask themselves, why are we destroying ourselves, especially since there are meat alternatives? The information I saw was overwhelming and has caused some restless nights since obtaining it. It has felt like watching a traumatic experience and being held accountable. I did not know about the cruelty that was inflicted upon the animals from birth to the slaughter. The amount of land it takes to produce the grain to feed the animals increases with the demand for meat consumption. Not to mention the cost of our precious natural resources it takes to be replaced. I wonder what would happen if everyone had the same information. What changes would others make and how would those changes impact the planet?

I wonder what would happen if more political candidates practiced this lifestyle. How much of an impact would it have on the world? I am a firm believer that we cannot teach what we do not know. We cannot lead where we will not go. It is encouraging to see someone help people look at our behavior and equip us with information to help make changes that will impact the world.