Domino Effect

  After reading Eating Animals, readers may want to choose to be conscious of what they are eating. Foer gives graphic details on practices of the farming industries and how unethical they are towards their livestock. His detailed description of the factory farming makes readers uneasy and gives them an idea of practicing vegetarianism. This well written book from Foer makes it a lot less challenging to convert to vegetarianism. I believe that Foer does make valid arguments; however, a solely vegetarian nation would be unsustainable. The United State's economy will not survive if we were all to become vegetarians. 

    Foer has valid arguments for being aware of the farming industry and being aware of what we eat. The details and statistics of the cruelty these animals suffer is alarming. Having a diet without eating meat tends to be healthier and less damaging to the environment. I've tried going vegetarian multiple times, but I haven't been able to sustain it. The longest I've lasted without meat is 5 weeks, but then I caved in. I know its healthier for me and better for everyone, but it's tough.
    Foer does a great job in touching the ethical, moral, and compassionate feeling of people. He is able to connect with everyone on the subject of meat. Foer goes from the eye of a farmer, to a consumer, and to a parent. He touches all bases of his audience. In the chapter, Hiding/Seeking, Foer displays views from the factory farmer, the line worker, the Jewish guy, and a poultry farmer. He even discusses the organic and free range chicken industries.
    I understand Foer's point of morality and ethics when discussing factory farming, but farming industries and restaurants around the United States will be devastated if everyone were to convert to vegetarianism. Our economy is too large to stop producing meat. Millions of people are employed by some kind of food industry. Sadly, the meat industry will not be able to continually employ people if everyone becomes a vegetarian. I'm positive vegetarian restaurant industry will not be able to survive on a large scale. To my knowledge, there is no vegetarian restaurant chain. Sure there are some restaurants that serve vegetarian dishes, but not solely.
    Because of the economic casualty created if the meat industry were to go down, I don't think it is a wise decision to put hundreds of millions of people out of business. These people work hard to put food on the table; even if that food is filled with antibiotics and growth hormones. It's better to have food on the table than nothing at all.  

Go Hard or Go Home

We currently live in a society with the mentality of, ‘go hard or go home’. As Americans, we are proud to say that everything we do is to the extreme. We stuff our faces in what seems to be an endless supply of food, drink until our livers give out, and party hard 'till the break of dawn. Americans live in the fast lane and are damn proud of it. USA! USA! USA! Compared to other nations, it seems as if America does things and takes theme to extreme measures. This fast paced lifestyle is a cause for concern. People in the United States are continually diagnosed with cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Even though a majority of these illnesses can be avoided, we tend to ignore it until it becomes a full scale problem. Americans need to realize that they are the cause for their illnesses and-overall, just poor health.

America is notoriously known for being overweight and unhealthy. Why does America, a first world country, have a life expectancy of only 78 years when a third world country, like Singapore, has a life expectancy of 81 years? It can be traced back to our lifestyle. Americans are the biggest consumer in the world. We know no moderation. We continue to consume-whether it be food, gasoline, or product. The 'American lifestyle'  has given us the false impression that the more we consume, the happier we will be. 

 It is actually quite the contrary. We hear of credit card debt-caused by overspending. We hear of obesity-caused by overeating. We hear of global warming-caused by the same negligence and ignorance. And once we realize that we’re sick, we start to panic and wonder, ‘why me?’

The climate change crisis is my favorite example of procrastination. When you fly over a large city like Los Angeles, you will not being a city of sunshine and buildings. What you see a cloud of brown shit floating around the city. Without any scientific evidence, I can tell you that the brown ‘shit’ is not natural. We tend to put things off and wait for somebody else to deal with it. I guarantee you, once cities start flooding and hurricanes become the norm, people will realize that they have continually fed into the destruction of mankind.

The Fast Lane

            As Americans, we live in a fast-paced society that demands a significant amount of time and energy. We often times don’t have enough hours in the day to take care of ourselves. As a result of fast food and lack of exercise, our overall health begins to decline. Often times, we don’t realize that we are continuously feeding ourselves with synthetic and processed food. We don’t stop to think about what we put in our mouths; don’t stop to think about what goes into creating the food we eat. This is America’s dilemma. The problem America has is finding the balance between a 21^st century lifestyle and a lifestyle of completeness.

            After a long day’s work, cooking a full, complete meal is the last thing on many people’s mind. I beg you to reconsider. Home cooked meals are often times healthier than the typical salt saturated, deep fried, takeout food. People may argue that eating has nothing to do with nutrition, but more about the economics. The common misconception is that fast food is cheaper than food prepared at home. Not only is restaurant food more expensive, the medical bill often time gets ignored in the whole calculation. Obesity is unhealthy and expensive. According to the National Institute of Health, the total cost of overweight and obesity to the U.S. economy in 1995 dollars was $99.2 billion.

           People who are overweight are diagnosed with more issues than a healthy person. People suffering from obesity are more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease, and cancer just to name a few. Data from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention center found that 33.8% of American adults are obese while 17% apply for children and adolescents. If you think about these statistics for a moment, you then realize that 1/3 or Americans adults are obese. It's also no surprise that the United States leads the world with the nation having the most obese people. 

            Think twice before entering a drive-thru. Understand the consequences of continuously eating out. You may ask yourself, “Why should I have to eat healthy? I’m an adult and I’m able to make my own decisions, damnit!” This is true. Nobody is forcing you to make healthy choices, but if you want to keep your wallet fat and your belly slim, go home and enjoy a nice home cooked meal.