I don’t like milk.  I never have.  I do like French Toast Bake–but I don’t eat it anymore.  I love ice cream–but I don’t eat it anymore.  Why?  I have watched several documentaries . . . now, I see milk and I think about rape.  I don’t see cream in my coffee–I imagine a man’s arm, shoulder deep inside cow privates.  I know.  Gross isn’t it.  I just can’t get the image out of my mind.  For me, consuming dairy products perpetuates abuse and violence.  I haven’t always felt this way and I may change again.  But for now my idea of living in harmony and living with compassion, excludes me from enjoying ice cream.   

My family still drinks milk.  My kids love ice cream (just as much as I do!).  The whole dairy thing is what I call being a compassionate vegan.  It is something that weighs heavy on my soul.  It is my choice, my soul, my decision.  I ask that my family honor and respect my decision as I honor and respect their decision.  So far it is working.  I eat what works for me and they eat what works for them–no judgement, no high and mighty moral attitudes, just gentle, loving, kind and respectful acceptance.  I extend this acceptance to everyone–not just my family.  

Let’s take a look at a cow’s life cycle and some myths about milk.  These are facts–not hyperbole.  I’m sharing with you a snippet of the information that I have gathered on my vegan journey.  

A cow’s life cycle:

• artificial insemination
• forced pregnancy
• having your baby taken away
• extreme sadness over the lost of a baby (that will no doubt be killed in a few days or weeks for veal)
• the milk supply dried up due to depression
• hormones and antibiotics are given to increase milk production and heal mastitis 
• never see the light of day
• never touch grass
• never eat grass
• die at 5 years vs the normal life span of 20 years

If you aren’t a cow–don’t drink milk!

Don’t butter your bread, have your Greek yogurt or eat ice cream.  Why?  Because you aren’t a cow.  A cow doesn’t produce milk for you–she produces it for her own calf.  Dr. Hyman is much more eloquent–you can read a very informative article about milk here.

I was very naive.  I thought that cows just “gave milk” (no doubt from signs like the one above).  Sadly, I never stopped long enough to think about the entire process.  Now that I have, it seems reasonable for me not to consume dairy products.  I will say that I didn’t just stop.  It took about 2 years for me to stop.  Ice cream was the last to go.  I even thought that if I made my own ice cream with organic milk–I wouldn’t be part of the abuse.  

I know now.  I can’t change the harm that I have caused by my own consumption but I can change what I do moving forward.  I can offer recipes that are dairy free.  I can educate by sharing what I have learned shedding light on the issue.  I can be at peace with my soul.  

Be Blessed.  Eat L.O.V.E.

Renee