What do children think?

I often comment on what a bad memory I have. I don’t recall a lot about my early years. I have recently wondered how I easily accepted that eating animals was the right way to behave. I know people go to a lot of trouble to disguise what is being eaten and here are a few examples...


- Most people refer to meat so it bears little similarity to the animal being eaten e.g fillet steak, bacon, chops, mince.... No-one wants to say the name of the animal (notice ‘veal’ instead of ‘calf’). There are exceptions e.g. lamb, chicken wings but people are so desensitised it just passes them by. *
*On a side note I watched a tv program yesterday and a couple were having a first date. The man had cooked and when the girl asked what she was eating the guy replied ‘pigs hooves’ and ‘tortoise’. The girl was horrified only to be reassured that it was only ‘pork dim sum’ and ‘chicken wings’, whereby she hungrily tucked in.... Is it just me?
- Advertisements mislead us – see the happy dairy cows tucking into the grass that most real dairy cows never see, see the happy bouncing lambs in the fields. These creatures obviously live happy and full lives.
- Money. The amount poured into governments by the meat and dairy industries reminds me of the tobacco industries some years ago. We pay you, you promote us. Telling everyone something is good for us doesn’t make it so.


So back to my point. When did I discover that what was on my plate was a piece of rotting animal corpse? The answer is I have no idea. Have I always loved animals? Yes. I used to be a member of all sorts of charities and refused to go to the circus. I even refused to go to Spain on holiday due to the bullfighting culture. Yet all this I did whilst eating meat. I first became aware that I had a choice in my eating habits when I was around 12 and momentarily turned vegetarian, until my mum gave me a beef and tomato cup-a-soup by ‘accident’, then I somehow fell back into the routine. It’s hard trying something like that when you cannot eat with your family as they are all having beef stroganoff and you are having beans on toast. My family were big meat eaters when I was young. Every meal had meat in it or my dad wouldn’t be full. Now they are following a more healthy diet. Infact last time they visited here for a holiday both my parents lost a lot of weight and are trying to keep it off! My dad is constantly surprised when we make a vegetarian meal that is worth seconds! We’ve not seen the folks since turning vegan so keep your eyes out for my New Year posts from the UK!

I wish as a child I had more awareness of the suffering of animals for humans to gobble up their bodies without a thought, I wish I had a stronger character that had stood up for myself in many ways back then but most of all I feel sorry for the animals I ate, whose lives I took. I am truly sorry. Maybe I can make up for it a little by telling my children what the red lumps on the supermarket shelves, why we don’t have animals milk in the fridge and why we feel it is not our right to harm other beings for our selfish habits. Maybe if someone reads this blog and makes a change, making 99 less dead animals per year then my conscience will be lighter.

I believe children should have access to the truth, it’s unfair to them and to the animals to feed them food so far removed from its origin that they have no idea what they are eating. I’m sure fish fingers, sausages and beef paste would lose their appeal if the disguise was removed.

Take care of yourself and those you share the planet with x

Choosing a cruelty free and healthy lifestyle for you and your family

Hi and welcome to my blog. My name is Jill Forrest and I am a new vegan mother. The aim of this blog is to share advice, stories, recipes and tips for a healthier and more ethical lifestyle, free from animal products. Yes, I know it sounds impossible and that's what I thought too until I started to adopt certain things in my life. I hope to offer alternatives which make it easy to transition towards a vegan life. Trust me, you'll feel so much better for doing so!

Don't believe me? Well I'll start by saying that I lost 14 pounds in 3 weeks! Stick with me and I'll tell you just how easy that was.

First I think I should tell you a little about myself. I am English but I live and work in Northern Norway. I have two children, Heidi who is two years old and Miller who is approaching six months, you can see the little rascal here. We have been a vegetarian family for some years and made the change to vegan one month ago after listening to a very informative podcast which I shall tell you more about later (if you cannot wait, then go to www.compassionatecooks.com).

Like many, I used to believe veganism was impossible if you wanted to live a normal life but this is so untrue. Sure, it is what we are led to believe, after all the animal industry relies on our money but I hope in this blog to dispel some myths and raise awareness of just how much of a difference you can make to stop animal suffering in your everyday life.

Posts will be theme based and I hope to post at least once a week. As a mother of two young children, I may sometimes be interrupted by nappy changes and nursing but that goes with the territory. What I hope to produce is an informative and engaging blog and welcome any dialogue with you.

My first issue will be 'How to lose weight whilst eating great food!' as I know it's something many of us new mothers are keen to do without affecting the quality of breastmilk and without feeling tired all the time. The good news is, you can gain energy too. I'm not saying you will spring out of bed for that 3 o'clock in the morning feed but I think you'll be surprised.

So, if you are a new mother or if you are just interested in what I have to say then welcome!

Til next time,

Jill.