Have you ever wished that there was a resource available that summarizes the reasons for a vegan diet but didn’t involve sorting through scientific studies or reading lengthy books? Such a resource is out there. Its called “Eating” and it is one of the best videos I’ve seen in a while.
“Eating" begins with outlining the health reasons behind a plant based diet, highlights key environmental issues pertaining to meat consumption, and finishes with a compelling call for an end to the atrocities of factory farming. The video contains startling images and pertinent facts regarding a plant based diet.
The main focus of the video is the RAVE diet. RAVE stands for:
No Refined foods
No Animal foods
No Vegetable oils
No Exeception + Exercise
RAVE is a pure vegan diet designed to prevent heart disease, the number one killer of Americans today. “Eating” points out that heart disease wasn’t even mentioned in medical textbooks before 1900 simply because it didn’t exist. It wasn’t until animal foods became so affordable that Americans began to suffer diseases of affluence like heart disease and diabetes in such epidemic numbers.
Another area in which “Eating” excels is in explaining the environmental costs of meat eating. With images of feces clogged lakes and deforestation to facts like “12,000 gallons of water are required to produce one pound of beef.” The viewer is able to fully grasp the toll that a meat centered diet takes on our limited natural resources.
However, the most disturbing part of “Eating” involves graphic images and descriptions of animal cruelty. The images of male baby chicks being fed alive into a meat grinder turned my stomach. This part of the video is excellent for showing skeptics how very badly farm animals are treated.
My favorite part of “Eating” concerned the politics behind America’s dietary dependence upon meat and dairy. I found out that the reason fresh raspberries are more expensive than ground beef is due to the fact that America’s cattlemen receive massive government subsidies in return for their support in campaigns. Obviously, the government does not give the same subsidies to raspberry growers.
I highly recommend “Eating.” I wish that it could be mandatary viewing in every school across the nation.
