As a mother with a son does not fare well without meat, I am very careful regarding where I source the meat we eat. We are blessed to live in a suburban area that has farms within a 30 minute drive. Our beef is pasture raised by a man who truly loves his animals and uses a small slaughterhouse 5 miles away that he has ensured is humane. Our eggs come from local farms where the chickens are used as insect control for the crops. They spend their days outdoors and nights in a large, mobile chicken coop. Poultry comes from these same farms.

I have been gluten free fand mostly dairy free for decades I do eat some cheese but am finding that I feel better with no dairy whatsoever.
Grains and sugar feel almost toxic and I do best without either one – both are very acidifying.

So many people are very concerned about how animals are treated, but plants are sentient in their own way as well, and much of what is available in stores is grown the same way as animals – in overcrowded monocultures; in soils devoid of nutrition but pumped full of chemicals that act like steroids then sprayed with toxic pesticides. It is not about healthy plants or nutrition, or about nurturing the soil, but about plant yield and esthetics. Big and flavorless is favored over odd shaped and delicious, same as with animals. These are not healthy, ‘happy’ plants any more than the animals are.

The food all of us eat – whether animal or plant – is a product of its surroundings; it absorbs the elements and constituents from the air, soil and water. Its vibration matches the energy of the land on which it grows, and emotions are captured within its tissues. The more naturally both plants and animals are allowed to grow, the better their general energy. The closer they are grown in proximity to where I live, the better they match my body energetically and chemically. So I am working on eating as locally as possible and as seasonally as possible. I’m realizing how difficult this can be in an area where not much grows for several months out of the year. Again, I depend on local farmers with cold frames or storage facilities as I have too much shade to grow much, but I’m also preparing and freezing foods to help get through the winter without having to buy food grown in another country.

I don’t eat a lot of meat but do not think I would do well as a vegan. Being as connected as possible to my sources of food, and honoring that food and all involved in its growth and preparation each time I eat it is how I try to do my part to ensure my own health while supporting local family farms who are good stewards of the lands and animals they own.