Oprah, Veganism, and Jessica's Dairy Farm Trivia

Ok, so most of you know what Veganism is, but if you don't, I've looked up the definition of it on the tried and true Wikipedia.  Well, Wikipedia informed me that Veganism is the "practice of eliminating the use by human beings of non-human animal products.  Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans eliminate them from the diet only.

Keep that in mind while we move into the next phase of this post: Oprah.  Today at 4:09 p.m. (we had an early release day because of...guess why...SNOW!) Stephanie texted me to tell me that Oprah was broadcasting an entire show about the food industry, and more specifically, being a Vegan.  As we watched her experts discuss the positives of not eating dairy (as they walked around Whole Foods) I noticed that they stopped at the cheese aisle and started talking about their favorite non-dairy or Vegan cheeses.  Let me tell you, for the first time ever, even though I know what Veganism is, I was blown away that it was cheese without milk.

Like...you get the cheese, but the cow didn't make it.  While expressing my disbelief, outloud, I commented that cows liked to be milked, because that's what they do.  They like milk and giving us milk.  THEN JESSICA out of no where, with her dairy farm family background (her grandparents really did own a dairy farm in our hometown) said that cows only produce milk when pregnant. In dairy farming, we give them high-protein, high-calorie feed and hormones to make them lactate.  So nothing about cows producing milk is natural, except when they are actually pregnant.

WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!  This blew my mind.  All the dairy in the world is FAKE because cows really really only produce milk the same way the rest of the female population in the human and animal world do...when they are about to give birth.  I checked. I asked about goats and even though Jessica said she wasn't an expert in goats, she had a feeling that was probably the case for them as well.  Then I googled it.  Its true.

I feel like my world has been flipped upside down, inside out, and run over by dumptruck.  In my attempt to be super healthy and eat a little cleaner (as I've been buying mostly organic products and staying away, the besssst I can, from salt as well as refined sugars and carbs) my world has been shattered as it seems that dairy products, in general, are only natural when you have a pregnant cow.

I'm sad.  This makes me really rethink my love for cheese, especially goat cheese. Although I made the switch over to almond milk a little while ago (Dairy milk is so not trendy and soy milk is not that great for you because mass produced soy has a lot of hormones), maybe the Paleo diet, combined with a Vegan party is actually the way to go!

However, without being too dramatic...maybe for now, I'm doing the best I can living in a mass produced chemical party in the USA.  Honestly, I think I'm doing a pretty good job.  I mean, today my lunch consisted of sundried tomato and goat cheese ravioli combined with grilled butternut squash, spinach, mushrooms, onions, and sage for flavor. I'm pretty impressed with myself. Organic products made clean.

Moral of the story?  Its interesting to note that a lot of our favorite food products are in all actuality, not very natural at all, regardless of whether or not they are organic.   Instead, it's all about making good choices about the food you eat.  Try the best you can with the temptations of soda, taco bell, and doritos lurking around every corner.  Trust me when I say you'll feel better eating a healthier and cleaner diet, with an occasional chemical combo for dessert.

And for good measure, I'm going to throw in Lady Gaga's meat dress, because I was just talking about cows.  You're welcome!