Day 18

Freston dedicates a few chapters in her book to the importance of a plant-based diet, which is more time than she spends on any of the other four items - alcohol, gluten, caffeine, or sugar. I don't normally get on my soap box about animal rights, but I wanted to mention just a little bit of what I've learned from the Cleanse - and from 6 years of vegetarianism.

I just read an article recently that human beings are naturally herbivores. Not until the Ice Age were humans forced to become hunters due to lack of vegetation. But the human body is not a carnivorous one. Humans don't have claws or canines (the teeth we call canines are not even close to what actual carnivores have) to rip flesh. Instead, they have hands and molars that are better suited for picking and chewing fruits and grains. Our intestines are long, like other herbivores - not short like carnivores. Carnivores have shorter intestines so that the flesh they eat can pass through their systems more quickly. We let rotting flesh sit in our systems and kill us. I won't go on and on . . .but statistically and historically - it's not a good idea to eat a lot of meat. We waste a lot of our resources on growing crops for factory farmed animals - when we could be growing crops that could feed the entire world.

In terms of the meat we do eat, the way we manufacture it in the United States is disgusting. The animal agriculture industry is killing our environment, torturing innocent animals, and jeopardizing our health. I don't want to rant . . .but it breaks my heart to think of any living thing suffering through a life like that of a factory farmed animal. All life is sacred. And I want to honor that.

I think a great introduction to what factory farming is all about can be found at this website: http://www.themeatrix.com. It's a cartoon that's not too graphic and just explains what happens on a factory farm.

That's it! I just wanted to spend one day lobbying for animal rights. Back to the Cleanse - and only three days left!