An omnivore’s definition of a friend

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If an omnivore said that ‘animal-food’ was okay (despite knowing what happens to animals and what it does to our health) they’d look foolish or heartless, or both. Most people like being known for their casual, anything-goes, easy-to-be-with personality but none of us wants to be made to look stupid. And for most of us, we want to keep up with progressive thinking, wanting to be abreast of the latest information and forming an opinion based on that.

We can see that fashions are changing, and for all the popularity of meat-dominated fast foods, for a large percentage of the population they are not considered to be food at all. The writing’s on the wall, trending away from animal protein. And there’s an understandable fear for many people that if they don’t change they’ll be left behind. So far the food industry chemists are still making food taste and look good, and they’re backed up by clever advertising, but the punter is getting suspicious. And the Animal Industry is getting nervous, since there’s not much more they can fiddle with to make their foods more attractive. The novelty of highly salted or sweetened or mono sodium glutamat-ed taste sensations is wearing thin. With over-stimulated taste buds things start to taste like cardboard.

As faith in popular food wobbles it might occur to some to move towards better quality raw materials (organic, home grown) and plant-based foods in general. As the taste buds adapt to a new type of food sensation so the allure of meat and dairy fades.

Maybe you do consider this sort of diet change. But it’s the initial step that’s hard, leaving behind one huge food source and taking up with another, with all the social implications of no longer eating what most others are willing to eat. To abandon animal-based foods requires a leap of faith, that one will find a new type of relationship with food. Instead of the crude explosions of taste and short term stomach-filling satisfaction we might prefer to go towards the satisfaction that whole plant-foods produce.

There are all sorts of psychological and physical challenges to face here. For many they are too difficult to face. And those difficulties can act like brakes on the process of change.

But, as soon as we realise how animals foods betray us (they don’t keep us strong and healthy) we’re safe. We’re then moving away from the unquestioned habits of the past.