What’s on YOUR Plate today?

And as so often happens when you put a fair bit of thought into a thing, I find I’ve begun to look at it all a little differently.

You see, when you plan your meals and eat mindfully, you change your entire point of view about food. You’re no longer stuffing anything into your face just to satisfy a craving or suppress a feeling, you’re actually making a conscious choice about nourishing your body.

There are 20 times more farm animals than people in Canada but a drive through the countryside doesn’t give you that impression.

A weight loss journey can be very helpful in this regard. As you track your daily food intake, you begin to pay attention to the constituent parts of your food – grams of protein and carbohydrates and fats – and you notice how the interplay between these parts contributes to your fullness, satisfaction and energy levels.

Pullquote Text. Pullquote Text. Pullquote Text. Pullquote Text. Pullquote Text. Pullquote Text.

But it’s become more than just this. As I’ve focused more and more on what foods I choose to put into my body, I’ve also begun to ask myself: where does that food come from? There are a ton of issues you can obsess over here: organic, locally-sourced, non-GMO…the list goes on. But I just happen to be an animal lover, and so my attention has naturally been drawn towards the condition of farm animals.

Most Canadian farm animals spend their lives crammed into tiny pens, battery cages or crates inside windowless barns.

According to the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), most farm animals live in extremely cramped conditions. There are 20 times more farm animals than people in Canada but a drive through the countryside doesn’t give you that impression.

Most Canadian farm animals spend their lives crammed into tiny pens, battery cages or crates inside windowless barns. Anyone who’s ever driven by one of Alberta’s cattle feed lots can attest to this first-hand.

So what’s a meat-loving gal like me to do? Well, by making more humane food choices when I shop and eat (such as choosing pasture-raised animal products, cage-free eggs, etc.), I can use my purchasing power to change the conditions in which farm animals live. After reading some sobering facts about the conditions of farm animals in Canada, I took a moment to take the WSPA pledge and commit to making life better for farm animals. As a thank you for taking the pledge, I was able to “Farmify” my face, et voila!

“Farmify” my face.

I am now a cow. When you “Farmify” yourself, you can elect to become beef, pork or poultry, but I chose to go bovine for three main reasons:

• I live in Alberta, widely known for its delicious beef.
• I love beef. It is my biggest weakness. I once followed a completely vegetarian diet for over six months until I was undone by recurring thoughts of burgers.
• I wanted the horns.

Anyway, le moo.

If my pathetic mug doesn’t make you change your mind about ILOs (intensive livestock operations), then you should really read the WSPA’s report: “What’s on Your Plate”. It’s a real eye-opener.

This blog post is sponsored by WSPA. At the World Society for the Protection of Animals, we have worked to expose animal cruelty and prevent animal suffering for more than 30 years. Working with individuals, organizations and governments across the globe, our campaigns range from ending the mass suffering of industrially farmed animals to protecting animals in disasters. Consultative status with the United Nations means we have a unique international platform to prove that the lives of animals are inextricably linked to our own, and now more than ever is the time to stop their suffering.