I got pissed the other day because I realized that my dish soap was actually owned by a parent company that tested on animals.
So. Pissed.
Why, Seventh Generation?! Whyhyyyhyy?? (Seventh Generation was acquired by Unilever in 2016. Yeah, I was a little late on the news.)
I consulted my vegan friend about it and she shared that
it’s a double-edged sword: avoiding the brand puts less money in the parent
company’s pocket, but purchasing the brand you like can show the parent company
what their customers really like, so they would be more likely to invest in
furthering that product line.
For me, though, I just have a hard time supporting evil
parent companies. So I stopped buying Seventh Generation products (I also
bought their toilet paper in addition to their dish soap).
Did you know about these other five brands that were owned by evil parent companies?
1. TOMS of Maine
When I first started using fluoride-free toothpaste one of
the first brands I tried was TOMS. In fact, when I got my lip
pierced and my tongue re-pierced, I even used TOMS mouthwash.
I was sad to find out that TOMS has been owned by Colgate since 2006, which was years before I even picked up that first tube of toothpaste. So sad. I now really like My Magic Mud toothpaste or Earthpaste!
2. Urban Decay
I don’t use makeup, but I don’t need to be makeup lover to
know that Urban Decay, the popular makeup brand, got bought by our friend
L’Oréal in 2012.
L’Oréal tests on animals, so remember that when you think you’re buying Urban Decay, you’re really just giving your money to this huge corporation that tortures and kills bunnies.
3. Mrs. Meyers (Caldrea Products)
My husband and I were on our elopement and honeymoon in North Carolina when I found some Mrs. Meyers soap on sale in Asheville. I was excited!
I had been a fan of Mrs. Meyers but typically haven’t purchased these products on a regular basis in the past because they can be a little expensive.
I found out that S.C Johnson had acquired Mrs. Meyers line of products, which is also called Caldrea Products, in 2008, which was, like TOMS, years before I even knew about Mrs. Meyers.
4. Burt’s Bees
I used to love Burt’s Bees’ cherry lip balm. It came in a tin
and I used to buy it when I was 16. I LOVED IT! IT WAS MY FAVORITE!
I found out not too long after that Burt’s Bees was acquired by Clorox in 2007 and have since stopped buying Burt’s Bees’ products.
5. The Body Shop
I was never a huge fan of The Body Shop, but a girl I
partnered with in my college Chemistry class worked there. She constantly
talked about her boyfriend’s baby mama and being on acid with her boyfriend.
The last time I saw her, she was about eight months pregnant
and handing out samples outside The Body Shop at the local mall. I ran away.
The Body Shop itself doesn’t test on animals, but it’s owned by L’Oréal and has been since 2006, which was about three years before acid girl and I were in Chemistry class together.
This Isn’t It
There are so many other brands out there, especially make-up
brands, which are owned by huge parent companies that participate in animal
testing.
In fact, I was shocked to find out that OPI nail polish and Victoria’s
Secret—two brands I had supported for years—sell their products in China
which means that they’re required to test their products on animals there by
law.
I know. It sucks.
But the cool part is that you can make a difference.
Choose not to purchase from companies that are owned by evil parent companies. Do your research—your money is often your voice, and it makes an impact. So choose not to give your dollars to some fucking creep torturing bunnies for a living.
I promise you’ll feel better when you make more informed
decisions!
What to consider when getting a tattoo is a personal question and not one to be taken lightly.
As someone with six tattoos, I speak from experience. While I may not be a full-body girl, I know a thing or two about advising someone whether or not they should get a tattoo and what to consider when getting a tattoo.
So what to consider when getting a tattoo? There are several things to take into account here:
Black and White or Color?
What to consider when getting a tattoo starts with considering whether or not you’d like it to be in black and white or color.
Consider that color will fade over time (as will the black, but not as much) and you’ll need to try and coordinate it with everything you wear for the rest of your life. Unless you get it somewhere people won’t see.
I don’t have any color tattoos (yet); they’re all in black. It’s easy to coordinate and simple when thinking about what to consider when getting a tattoo.
Design Trends
This is a big one to be wary about when it comes to what to consider when getting a tattoo. What’s trendy today will not be trendy forever—and your tattoo is forever!
So just because you’re obsessed with roman numerals or that Florence + the Machine song doesn’t mean you can get tattoos of them.
What you love now will change in the future. Remember when stars were super popular? A tattoo should be timeless—not trendy!
Location on Your Body
This is one of the bigger questions about what to consider when getting a tattoo. Remember that you can’t move it once it’s there.
You can add to it or have it removed—but it’s pretty much stuck there.
Consider your job. Will your boss love your new forearm tattoo? Maybe you have a really casual place of work, and that’s awesome. But if you don’t, consider getting one on your back, torso, upper leg, or inner arm. Something you can easily hide should the occasion call for it.
Also, remember that certain locations hurt more than others—your back will be a killer! Places like arm and leg aren’t bad. Ankle kills. Ribcage kills. Keep that in mind when it comes to what to consider when getting a tattoo!
Your Design or the Artist’s?
If you want something crazy for a tattoo, you’ll need to decide whether or not you’d like to design it yourself or work with the tattoo artist to design it.
I’ve designed all my tattoos myself so that I can control exactly what goes on my body. However, tattoo artists are called artists for a reason. If your design is getting complicated, talk with them about it when thinking about what to consider when getting a tattoo.
They’re usually pretty cool people and will tell you what they think looks good and what doesn’t. Finding a tattoo artist that you really mesh with is awesome!
Which Shop?
So yeah, you need to go to a good place. This is probably the most important thing with getting your tattoo so you don’t get HIV. DO YOUR RESEARCH.
Call shops. Visit them. Talk to the artists. A shop should be clean, friendly, and get good reviews. Even better if you know someone who’s been there and gotten some great ink done. Can’t beat an in-person review!
Which Ink?
All inks are not created equal, so think about this when thinking about what to consider when getting a tattoo.
SOME TATTOO INKS ARE NOT VEGAN AS WELL AS TEST ON ANIMALS. Yes, it’s true.
Call the shop and ask which inks their artists use. Again, do your research. Personally, I don’t really want crushed up animal bones being inked into my skin. Nor do I want tattoo inks that have been tested on puppies.
Timeline
Spontaneous tattoos can be a lot of fun. However, I do encourage you to THINK about what you want, where you want it, etc. for several months at least before actually getting the tattoo.
Choose your design, the location, etc., then just think about it. Remember, this thing won’t go away. You’ll have to see it every single day and so will your significant other. Make sure it’s something that again, is timeless, not trendy, and that you love.
IT Hurts
Getting a tattoo hurts. A LOT. If you don’t handle pain well, this probably isn’t for you.
I’ve gotten tattoos unwillingly crying because they’ve hurt so much. So think about this when thinking about what to consider when getting a tattoo.
It’s not like a piercing where they shove the needle through your ear (or lip or face or whatever else) and it’s over. This needle KEEPS jabbing you. Sometimes for hours, depending on how big your tattoo is.
Size
This is also really important! If you’re unsure about what size you can get, your tattoo artist can help you choose the size that’s best for the location on your body, your size, your design, etc.
While there are some crook tattoo artists out there, remember that most artists are cool people and they’re not trying to get your money—they just want you to be happy with what they deliver. Nothing sucks like an unhappy customer.
The main thing to think about here is to not get it too big—I feel like you’d rather have a too-small tattoo than a too-big one. This is an important thing to think about when it comes to what to consider when getting a tattoo!
That’s about it for what to consider when getting a tattoo. Just remember that this thing is for life, so you should spend time thinking about it, and don’t get something trendy. Choose the best location and size for you, and it’s super important to get a clean and reputable shop/artist to do the work.
Get inked!
The Truth About “Humane”, “Free-Range”, and “Cage-Free” Meat and Eggs
I know some of you nice people out there think that you’re doing good by buying only “cage-free” or “humane” or “free-range” eggs and meats.
While I will agree that this is the lesser of the two evils that come with harvesting food from animals, I will also argue that these are just marketing claims and are still not ok. The truth about free range is different than what these advertisements claim.
The Marketing Behind Organic or Humane Products
There’s a huge market out there for organic, free-range, cage-free, and humane animal products. People want to feel that they are making better, smarter choices by choosing these products.
The truth, however, is that these products aren’t too much different from conventionally-raised meat.
I’d like to begin with some excerpts from Michael Pollan, an author, journalist, and activist who I dearly love and admire. In his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, he talks about “Big Organic” and what he found out it really means.
“I enjoy shopping at Whole Foods nearly as much as I enjoy browsing a good bookstore, which, come to think of it, is probably no accident: Shopping at Whole foods is a literary experience, too. That’s not to take anything away from the food, which is generally of high quality, much of it “certified organic” or “humanely raised” or “free-range”. But right there, that’s the point: It’s the evocative prose as much as anything else that makes this food really special, elevating an egg or chicken breast or bag of arugula from the realm of ordinary protein and carbohydrates into a much headier experience, one with complex aesthetic, emotional, and even political dimensions. Take the “range-fed” sirloin steak I recently eyed in the meat case. According to the brochure on the counter, it was formerly part of a steer that spent its days “living in beautiful places” ranging from “plant-diverse, high-mountain meadows to thick aspen groves and miles of sagebrush-filled flats”. Now a steak like that has got to taste better than one from Safeway, where the only accompanying information comes in the form of a number: the price, I mean, which you can bet will be considerably less. But I’m evidently not the only shopper willing to pay more for a good story.
With the growth of organics and mounting concerns about the wholesomeness of industrial food, storied food is showing up in supermarkets everywhere these days, but it is Whole Foods that consistently offers the most cutting-edge grocery lit. On a recent visit I filled my shopping cart with eggs “from cage-free vegetarian hens,” milk from cows that live “free from unnecessary fear and distress,” wild salmon caught by Native Americans in Yakutat, Alaska (population 833), and heirloom tomatoes from Capay Farm ($4.99 a pound), “one of the early pioneers of the organic movement.” The organic broiler I picked up even had a name: Rosie, who turned out to be a “sustainably farmed” “free-range” chicken from Petaluma Poultry, a company whose “farming methods strive to create harmonious relationships in nature, sustaining the health of all creatures and the natural world.” Okay, not the most mellifluous or even meaningful sentence, but at least their heart’s in the right place.
I also visited Rosie the organic chicken at her farm in Petaluma, which turns out to be more animal factory than farm. She lives in a shed with twenty thousand other Rosies, who, aside from their certified organic feed, live lives little different from that of any other industrial chicken. Ah, but what about the “free-range” lifestyle promised on the label? True, there’s a little door in the shed leading out to a narrow grassy yard. But the free-range story seems a bit of a stretch when you discover that the door remains firmly shut until the birds are at least five or six weeks old–for fear they’ll catch something outside–and the chickens are slaughtered only two weeks later.”
—From Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, pages 134-140 (pub. 2006 by Penguin)
The Food and Drug Administration’s Policy for Free-Range, PAsture-Fed, and Grass-Fed
This doesn’t mean that the animals are required to spend any time outdoors or even that they have gone outside at all during their lives. So while you might be purchasing chicken thinking that the chicken lived its life in a peaceful meadow, the reality is often far from this idea.
So for these types of meat, pasture-raised means that the animal has been provided access to the outside for a minimum of 120 days a year while grass-fed means that the animal was fed a diet consisting solely of forage its entire life after being weaned off its mothers milk, but not necessarily that the animal was ever outside, just that they were fed grass and not grain (which, from a consumer standpoint, is healthier, but not really humane).
The Local Difference
I advocate for LOCAL meat and eggs. This does not mean you trust a supermarket to tell you the truth about free range, where this animal has lived, what it ate, or what its lifestyle was.
I do believe that buying organic (according to the USDA’s definition) is better even though I don’t necessarily believe it’s the most humane or sustainable way to enjoy meat and eggs.
You need to look for small grocery stores (and I mean really small) if you truly want local or humane meat. Some of these meat and egg products might not even be humanely raised or handled, just local, so you’ll need to find out for yourself how the animals are treated.
You need to go find these farms and actually see them for yourself. And if the people don’t let you see the farm even after you offer them money for their meat or eggs, you know there’s a problem and something disturbing is going on there and that they don’t want you to know the truth about free range.
If you want to buy your eggs and meat from the supermarket, going to a place like Whole Foods and buying products that say “humane” or “free-range” might not be any better than going to Wal-Mart.
How You Can Make a Difference
I would advocate for you to buy locally or just kill and skin that animal yourself.
Afraid of doing that?
You probably shouldn’t be eating meat then. If you’re not willing to go through with the actions that brought you your meal, what sense does it make to eat it?
You can make a difference by choosing to purchase truly local foods that ensure animal welfare and healthier products.
Oh, and “cage-free”? This term, according to the FDA, means that the chickens are usually packed so tightly into barns that they live in their own feces, get their eyes and feathers plucked on by other chickens, and are more prone to disease.
Listen, I’m not into slaughtering animals. My diet is mostly plant-based and I rarely eat meat. If I do eat meat, I know exactly who killed it and where it came from and what kind of life it had.
So why am I doing this post?
I’m doing this post because I recognize that people like meat. People think meat is a cultural thing and that they’re entitled to eat it. If you want to kill and eat an animal, I’m ok with that.
BUT, it’s HOW you kill the animal that I have a problem with. This is why I only eat meat if I know who killed it and how—aka local beef.
Local beef is great, but before you purchase local beef, you need to figure out a few things. I’ve compiled a list of questions you can and should ask your local beef provider.
1. Do you have one location or several?
Best answer: one.
The reason you want to ask this question is because this will be the easiest way for you to determine if you’re dealing with a legit local beef farm or an industrial farm masquerading as a local one. If they tell you they have several locations, that should be a big red flag—aka not local beef.
2. How often are the cows outside?
Best answer: always.
You want to ask this question rather than “are they given unlimited access to the pasture” because they could very well be given unlimited access to the pasture, but they may not actually be going into the pasture for whatever reason.
The cows should be outside pretty much all the time when it’s real local beef.
3. Do you provide shelter for the cows outside?
Best answer: yes, but they are not contained in this shelter.
If the cows are outside all the time, you want to be sure they have some adequate shelter for inclement weather.
4. Do you raise both male and female cows? If so, how do you regulate breeding?
Best answer: yes, we do our own breeding and regulate breeding with castration.
The reason you want this answer is because this way you know they are not bringing in cows from somewhere and that the farm truly is local beef.
5. Are the male cows castrated? If so, how? Is anesthesia used?
Best answer: yes to the anesthesia!
If they don’t castrate their cows, that’s great. The problem is that most places do, so hoping they’ll say “no” might indicate that they engage in unethical practices to inhibit breeding.
You want them to say that they use local anesthesia and that they simply cut them off. Look up more about these practices to find out why you want them to use anesthesia.
If you speak to the actual farmer and he or she says they do it themselves, that’s even better. That’s true local beef, where the farmer takes care of his cows.
6. If the cows get sick, are they treated and how?
Best answer: yes, they are treated.
The farmer should tell you exactly how the local beef cows are treated and if they have an on-site vet that comes as needed.
7. How is the pasture maintained?
Best answer: organically.
Chances are your farmer won’t actually say “organically”, they’ll just tell you that they don’t spray the pasture with anything and the cows simply maintain it by grazing. Yay, local beef cows!
8. Are the cows purely grass-fed or are they fed supplemental grains?
Best answer: mostly grass-fed.
Some farmers feed their local beef cows a bit of supplemental grains to take the “gamey” taste out of the meat like you get with deer or squirrel, but ideally, you’d like the cows to be almost purely grass-fed. Ask what the supplemental grains consist of and if they are genetically modified (corn and soy).
9. Any growth hormones used?
Best answer: no.
If a farmer tells you they use growth hormones, you should just hang up right then, unless you want an enlarged prostate, acne, and overweight children. That’s not local beef, peeps.
10. Are the cows tagged/branded? If so, is anesthesia used?
Best answer: yes.
Sorry, but most farmers will at least ear tag their local beef cows, like the cow you see in the above picture. If they say they brand, you should probably just end the call, because if they are cruel enough to brand an animal, chances are they are not using anesthesia.
NOW. It is time for the slaughter questions. Brace yourself.
11. Do you process your own beef?
Best answer: no.
Unfortunately in the United States, if you want to sell your meat, your animals have to be killed at a USDA approved slaughterhouse.
So chances are if you are buying this local beef meat, it will need to be killed at a slaughterhouse. If they tell you that they process their own beef, it’s technically illegal for you to buy it.
12. Where is the slaughterhouse?
Best answer: close.
Have them give you the name of the slaughterhouse and the exact location. Look up how far away it is from the farm. It should be less than an hour away if it’s for local beef.
13. How are the cows transported to the slaughterhouse?
Best answer: by me.
If they call a company to come and take the cows, that’s not really local beef and chances are they probably don’t care about the cows and how they are transported. The more details they can give you, the better.
14. How many animals does the slaughterhouse kill per day?
Best answer: less than 10.
If this is a really local place, you’ll want them to have minimal slaughtering going on. The more animals they slaughter, the less humane they treat them.
The answer to this question will also tell you how large the slaughterhouse is. If they tell you that they slaughter hundreds of animals per day, this is a commercial slaughterhouse and chances are your cow is not dying humanely.
That’s not local beef for you.
15. How do they slaughter the cows?
Best answer: they shoot them with a gun.
This is the better option, as terrible as it sounds, because this means your local beef cows are not getting stunned and tortured before they die.
If the farmer tells you he doesn’t know how the cows die, you can contact the slaughterhouse, but I would most likely end the call. If the farmer doesn’t care how his cows are being killed, what else doesn’t he care about?
You want to make sure the cows are killed quickly and not being dismembered while they are still alive.
16. Can I visit the slaughterhouse?
Best answer: yes.
The farmer may not know the answer to this question, and that’s fine. You can always contact the slaughterhouse. But, if he tells you they let people in and that you can go see it, this is great news. You’ll want to confirm with the slaughterhouse though. Commercial slaughterhouses will not let you in there.
17. How are you sure that you’re getting your cows back?
Best answer: I’m sure.
The farmer should tell you a detailed process for how he knows he’s getting his cows back, such as he knows the people at the slaughterhouse personally, his meat tastes distinct from all other meats, etc.
If he says he has no idea, then this is not someone who is very informed.
18. Can I see the farm?
Best answer: yes.
Any farmer who is proud of his animals and the way he treats them will welcome you to his farm to check out his local beef.
After you ask all these lovely questions, schedule a trip to see both the farm and the slaughterhouse. This is local beef for you! You’ll feel so much better and more conscious purchasing and eating this beef if you know exactly where it came from, how it lived and died, and what it ate. Support humane cow farms!
Do You Really Know What’s Been Done to the Animals You’re Eating? Take This Quiz!
Today I’ve been feeling depressed about the meat, egg, and milk market in America. I can’t speak for other countries, but this industry in America is really messed up.
But just how depressing is America’s meat, egg, and dairy industry? Think you know what’s happening behind those closed “barn” doors that the “farmers” won’t let you see?
Let’s take a little quiz to see how informed you are, you educated thing.
Animal Industry Quiz: What Happens to the Meat, Eggs, and Dairy before We Eat It?
Disclaimer: may be depressing.
1. Before pigs are killed, they are:
a) given a farewell hug, then their throats are slit
b) Ushered into a room with other pigs, where they all are shot
c) stunned with a taser, thrown in a giant tub of scalding water, then skinned (they may still be alive at this point)
2. Male chickens do not lay eggs. What happens to the male chicks after they are born in the egg industry?
a) they are sent to happy local farms where they will become roosters and peck away at their hearts’ content
b) sent to another farm in the meat industry where they will be raised with hormones, then killed for some American family’s dinner
c) they are ground up alive
3. Veal is some tasty beef (I’ve never had it, but I’ve heard this). What happens to veal before you pick it up at the store?
a) the baby cow has played happily in a field with its mom
b) the baby cow lived on a giant factory farm with other baby cows, being fed unnatural grains before it was slaughtered
c) the baby cow was tethered to a post in a dark stall all by itself where it never saw daylight or moved much, and then it was killed
4. Male cows are neutered in the meat industry. How is this process accomplished?
a) with anesthesia, a vet comes to administer this and remove the testicles
b) without anesthesia, a qualified individual simply cuts off the testicles and stitches up the area
c) without anesthesia, someone ties a rubber band around the testicles to cut off the blood flow. The testicles turn black and then fall off
5. How are female cows able to keep producing milk?
a) female cows just naturally produce milk all the time
b) they are injected with hormones to keep them producing milk
c) they are impregnated time after time by having sperm injected into their vaginas. Immediately after they give birth, their calves are taken away to farms where they will be injected with hormones, raised for meat, and slaughtered at a young age
6. A specific breed of chicken has dominated the meat industry. Why was this chicken bred?
a) it tastes better
b) it looks better
c) people in America want chickens with bigger breasts, so the chickens are bred so their breasts grow so big that many of them cannot walk
7. When pigs are transported to the slaughterhouse, they are:
a) put in sturdy cages so they don’t fall or hurt each other
b) put into trucks where they have room to lay down and are given water and a snack
c) packed into trucks so tightly with no food and water for many miles; many die from heat exhaustion or freeze to the side of the trucks, where, if they are still alive upon arrival, they are cut off the side of the truck and their skin is removed
8. What happens to chickens at the slaughterhouse?
a) they are given baths before their throats are slit
b) they are gassed to death
c) hung upside down by their legs and dragged through water with electricity run through it, which paralyzes them, and then their throats are slit while they are still conscious. Although, some of them miss the blade and end up being dumped in scalding hot water still fully conscious
9. Cows at the slaughterhouse are:
a) comforted before they die
b) get their throats slit and someone is there to ensure that every cow dies quickly
c) they are shot in the head with a bolt to stun them, their throats are slit, and they are dismembered. Some cows are not properly stunned or do not immediately die after their throats are slit, and they are dismembered while still conscious
10. Egg-laying chickens:
a) sit on pillows while laying their eggs
b) are in individual cages where they don’t have much room to move
c) are so tightly packed in cages with other chickens that they do not have room to move or clean themselves. With cage-free chickens, they are usually packed the same way on the floor where the spread of illness is more likely and they still do not have room to do much
I’m going to make this super easy for you guys: the answer to all of them is c.
Shocked? You shouldn’t be.
This stuff is happening right now all over the country. If you guessed c for most of them, then you’re well informed and know your stuff, and hopefully, you aren’t still buying commercial meat and dairy and eggs.
The great thing about this is that you DON’T have to stop eating meat, eggs, and dairy to stop supporting this industry. You just need to get local meat, eggs, and dairy. This means that you need to find small local farms where the farmers are actually farmers and they let you see and pet the cow and other animals.
This food is also so much healthier for you too as usually, these local farms let their cows and chickens eat natural food such as grass without shoving unnatural GMO grains down their throats.
Finding local farms is not easy, depending on where you live. And when you do find them, you’ll need to make sure the animals are happy and healthy before you choose to support them by buying their meat, milk, or eggs.
It’s ok to be depressed about this stuff but don’t be angry or depressed without reason—act on this! Stop buying commercial meat, milk, and eggs and pack on the veggies!
Healthy skin care is so essential to your beauty routine! I’ve found some wonderful natural things (plants, not products) that are just downright bad at making your skin supple, shiny, and healthy. And by bad I mean awesome. Young people lingo, right?
Here are some amazing things for healthy skin care!
1. Shea Butter
I just recently started using shea butter for healthy skin care. I picked up shea butter at the store because I needed it to use in my homemade sunscreen recipe. I did use shea butter in my sunscreen recipe, but I’ve also been loading heaps of it onto my skin.
I bought the organic unrefined version, which smells a little like barbecue sauce to me. Yeah, it’s also gray… Really odd… (obviously you can tell this picture is not the one I bought, ha).
I love it because I don’t mind smelling like a walking pork chop when my skin looks amazing. And you get used to the smell for healthy skin care. It just has a smoky smell to it.
So far, this is my favorite thing to use. I love it too because it stays put where aloe absorbs into your skin so quickly and the coconut oil will just rub off on your clothes or sheets before it absorbs properly. I would recommend a naturally-scented version for your healthy skin care to avoid toxic synthetic fragrances.
2. Coconut Oil
I will always love coconut oil, and no one will ever tell me that I can’t love it.
I do love it for skin use but also for cooking and putting in my tea. I use coconut oil as a moisturizer for my face and body. I ditched regular lotion about a year ago after finding that most brands had paraben and other weird things in them.
Choose organic, especially to put on your skin, otherwise, your skin will be absorbing the pesticides. Yuck, right? Healthy skin care involves coconut oil!
3. Vitamin C
I don’t care where you get it from, you have to have this for healthy skin care.
I take a supplement every day in addition to eating foods rich in vitamin C just because it’s hard to get the amount you need from just food alone. A long time ago, our bodies made vitamin C, but somewhere along the way, they stopped. So now we need it from external sources.
Load up on the oranges, lemons, limes, peppers (seriously, peppers have more vitamin C than oranges!) and get yourself a proper supplement for healthy skin care.
Fun fact about vitamin C: most supplements are synthetic. Ascorbic acid is the thing that your body has to turn vitamin C into in order for it to be absorbed properly. The good news? Your body apparently can’t tell the difference. This doesn’t mean that you can skip out on a quality supplement, though.
P.S—Watch out for cheap supplements, they may contain GMOs!
4. Aloe Vera
I was buying big leaves of this stuff at my supermarket, breaking off pieces, and rubbing that clear gooey stuff on my skin for healthy skin care. It was wonderful.
It absorbed quickly and yet left my skin feeling supple and smooth. This is also great for scar tissue. Perfect for when you need something that dries really quickly and will yet keep you feeling refreshed and fabulous.
Downside: sometimes digging your fingers into that cold, clear gooey stuff just got old.
Another huge part of healthy skin care is protecting your skin. All of these things will help protect your skin but sunscreen is also important. My next post will be about homemade sunscreen. For reasons you will soon find out (or may already know about if you know about animal testing), you may want to steer clear of that stuff at the store.
Why are local eggs better? Let’s take a look, shall we?
What is the difference between these two eggs? Anyone?
Ok yeah, the colors. Also the size and shape. These are things that you can see in the picture.
The things that you can’t necessarily see in the picture are the more disturbing things.
The Shells Are Different
The egg on the left’s shell is thin and brittle.
The Yolk Is Different
The egg on the left’s yolk also contains more cholesterol, because it was from an unhealthy chicken who was fed things that she was not supposed to eat. She also didn’t get any exercise. This chicken was probably contained in a cage that she could not even turn around in.
The Life of the Chicken Was Different
EVEN if the package says “free-range”, the United States’ standard for free-range ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.
What does this mean? As one of my favorite journalists Michael Pollan says, it means that for the last two weeks of their life, the chickens are allowed access to a little door on the side of a giant barn that houses thousands of chickens restricted to tiny cages. This door is opened for the last two weeks of their life, and the chickens are allowed outside (outside meaning a tiny fenced-in area that has a dirt ground).
Problem is, by that point, the chickens have lived their whole life in a tiny cage in a dark barn. They probably know their life is bad, but they have no idea what is on the other side of that door and they aren’t particularly eager to find out.
Cage-Free Is Not Better
“Cage-free” eggs also tend to be another marketing scam.
Most of the time this means that the chickens live in severely confined spaces where they are more prone to disease due to being on the ground and in contact their own feces and other chickens, who are probably sick too.
This is sad, right? This egg could have been purchased at any supermarket in America.
So what about the egg on the right?
The egg on the right’s shell is firm and hard to crack. The chicken (who I saw) lived a life outside on the ground, pecking away at grass and bugs. This chicken was occasionally chased by a walking 18-month-old or a small dog. She lived her life with other chickens and was lovingly put in a safe, comfortable barn every evening to protect her from foxes and raccoons. She did not eat genetically modified food. She was not sick. She was never in a cage.
Why Local Is What You Want
The egg on the right is a local egg and belongs to a true free-range chicken, aka LOCAL chicken. Why are local eggs better?
1. You know where they came from.
2. You are eating healthier, lower-cholesterol, natural yolks with more beta-carotene.
3. You are not supporting those sad tortured chickens in tiny cages managed by industrial farms out for a profit.
4. You reduce your risk of getting sick from those nasty commercial eggs.
Finding local eggs can be difficult depending on where you live.
Finding healthy local eggs is even more of a challenge.
How do you know that the person who owned those chickens wasn’t feeding them genetically modified grains, antibiotic feed, or Wonder bread? You just have to ask questions, or better yet, go and see the farm for yourself.
If they have nothing to hide then they shouldn’t deny you access. Most people would be happy to give you a tour if they know you are eating their chickens’ eggs and therefore supporting their existence.
Finding local eggs was very easy for me when I lived in Pennsylvania. Finding local eggs is very difficult for me where I live now.
You can find natural food stores but beware of industries trying to masquerade as healthy, friendly companies. There’s a market for this, people. There’s a reason that gluten-free products and Whole Foods are so expensive–because there is money to be made from people who are trying to eat better.
Your local eggs should come directly from a farm (meaning YOU get them directly from the farm, not Whole Foods) or from a small local store that carries eggs from local farmers. The farmer’s name and contact information should be directly on the carton. And don’t be afraid if these cartons are mismatched or seemingly from Giant—farmers recycle donated egg boxes to save themselves from having to purchase any.
Commercial eggs completely gross me out now and I don’t trust the United States Department of Agriculture to tell me what’s good and what’s not when it comes to eggs.
Cooking the Eggs
Let’s have a look at the inside of these eggs, shall we?
I was so grossed out by this commercial egg that I couldn’t even bear the thought of putting it in my beloved cast iron. I had to borrow a Teflon pan to cook this sucker
Looks like a normal, American egg, right? And it is! From a sick hen who was not allowed to live a natural life and confined to a cafe. Look at that bright yellow yolk. And then compare it to this:
Can you see how much darker in color these yolks are? Natural, really healthy chicken yolks from local eggs are very dark orange. That’s because they are chock-full of beta-carotene and other healthy vitamins.
Naturally lower in cholesterol, these eggs have really firm yolks that are difficult to break and they tend to stick together after they are broken. Look at them after I broke the yolks (because I can’t stand my yolks runny!)
And then let’s look at our disgusting commercial egg after the yolk has been broken and the Teflon has fried it to a crisp:
Eww, it just runs right out of there. The egg’s shell is brittle, the yolk and egg white are thin and runny, and the yolk is bright yellow. Sounds like a pretty sick hen to me. No way was I putting that in my cast iron.
So obviously I made two of the local eggs because they are delicious and healthy so I ate them. I am very sorry for wasting this commercial egg, I figure if the chicken went through all that suffering and sickness to provide this one egg, I should eat it right? But alas, I cannot.
Do a little bit more thinking the next time you buy your eggs. Lots of unhealthy chickens depend on your purchases. You can make a difference if you stop buying! You’re one person, but so am I! Together we can influence, educate, and change. Buy local eggs!
4 Legitimate Reasons to Stop Being Speciesist Right Now
Being speciesist separates you from the innate connection you share with the world. You and every animal, plant, and other life forms have something in common—you share life together on this planet.
Here are four legitimate reasons to stop being speciesist.
1. Animals Have Feelings
If you’ve ever had a pet, you know that animals have feelings.
They feel pain and sorrow. They feel excitement and joy. Many thrive with companions, others love to be solitary. You don’t need to be a scientist to recognize and understand that these majestic creatures feel.
Animals feel scared. They feel threatened. They feel happy and loved. Although you can’t always communicate to an animal how you’re feeling with words, you can by your actions.
2. We Are Not Superior
Ok seriously, how are you superior to some of the most beautiful and intelligent creatures on this planet? This turtle has been around for 150 million years and can hold its breath for five hours.
Your ancestors existed for what, 6 million years and you can eat a Big Mac? Big woop.
How can we be superior to other life forms when we all share the same life and planet? When you become conscious of the life that you are, you realize that you are superior to nothing and to no one. You are one with all life. We are not superior.
3. Become Conscious of Your Impact
When you stop being speciesist, you begin to understand more about your impact on the world.
If you are not superior, you must be the same. If you are the same, then how can you show such disregard for a life that you share with other species?
Recognize that others are impacted by your presence. The planet is impacted by your presence. Forget about being better or more or superior, be one. Realize how huge your impact is and what a difference you can make simply by shifting your worldview and making a conscious choice not to support animal torture.
4. Create a Better World
You don’t need to be in a position of power to make an impact.
For example, the food you buy. Where is it coming from? Is it from places that treated their animals with love and care? Is it from a place that began dismembering the animal before it was even dead?
The purchases you make have a huge impact on the planet. The realization that you are no better than other life forms changes the way you perceive and interact with the world. We can make a better world when we stop being speciesist.
Are You Speciesist?
Since we have a right to be humans, animals have a right to be animals too. Even bugs. Are you speciesist? Let’s find out:
Do you discriminate against other life forms that you perceive to be lower than you?
Do you smash beetles or spiders when you see them for no reason?
Do you never stop to pick up worms when they absently crawl onto pavement and sidewalks after a healthy rain?
Do you think it’s totally fine to torture and kill animals for the sake of pharmaceutical products?
Do you believe that animals were made for people?
Do you believe it’s ok for animals to be used for entertainment purposes?
If you answered yes to four or more of these questions, you are probably speciesist. Being speciesist is being prejudiced against other life forms.
Why should we treat animals differently? Why should we discriminate against different kinds of animals? People also have a right to their opinions, but consider how you impact others and the planet.
Give animals a little leniency. Be aware of your behavior as well as the animal’s behavior. I get that some people have had bad experiences with animals that they testify to. I’m just saying that we shouldn’t be so quick to judge and we should love and accept all animals and creatures without smashing them upon first sight or assuming they’re aggressive without giving them a chance.
Wouldn’t you do the same with people?
5 Reasons to Avoid Animal Testing That Will Help Create a Better Planet
If you’re looking for reasons to avoid animal testing, you’ve come to the right place.
Animal testing kills 100 million animals each year. Before you begin to say that these animals would overpopulate the planet if left alive, let me assure you that many of these animals are specifically bred for animal testing purposes.
Not only is animal testing inaccurate and unreliable, it’s completely unethical. Animals like those in the pictures you see here are tortured so you can have mascara that won’t make you go blind or perfume that won’t cause skin rashes.
It’s not just the cosmetics industry—cleaning products, pharmaceutical drugs, even food is tested on animals. There are so many reasons to avoid animal testing. Here are five of them.
When you stop buying products that support animal testing, you are saving these animals from a life of pain and torture. Imagine your dog or cat being injected with a carcinogenic drug just so researchers can see what happens.
Look at what happens to innocent animals who are subjected to toxic substances so we can enjoy things like makeup, cleaning products, and drugs.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to feel like I’m responsible for that. The truth is, you’re responsible every time you pick up a tube of Crest toothpaste, spray your house with Febreeze, or put Neosporin in your grocery cart.
Anything that you buy at a supermarket has been tested on animals unless noted on the packaging. Here’s how it works: companies are not really about marketing the fact that they’ve tortured puppies and kittens and monkeys to bring you this “wonderful” product that they’ve made. So, if the product has been tested on animals, it won’t say anything about animal testing on the packaging.
You can stop being a supporter of the millions of animals that are suffering right now because you didn’t know what else to buy besides Tide.
2. Help Create a More Sustainable Planet
If the company or product does not test on animals, they’ll brag about this fact on the packaging.
Know why?
Because not testing on animals costs a lot more than testing on animals, so the product will be more expensive. Ever wonder why some of your favorite products are so cheap compared to the “natural” brands? It’s because your products have been created at the expense of animals suffering.
Your purchases have an impact on the planet. When you choose to avoid animal testing, you’re not only saving animals but helping to create a more positive planet.
Of all the reasons to avoid animal testing, helping to create a healthier planet is undoubtedly one of the most significant. You can invest in healthier products instead of toxic chemicals that are polluting the earth. You’ll eliminate unnecessary breeding of animals for torture.
You are an essential part of stopping the cycle of animal testing. The more products you buy from companies that test, the more of a supporter you are.
Stop being a supporter. Look at the reasons to avoid animal testing. You can create a better world by making more informed decisions.
Think about it. If something needs to be tested on animals before you come into contact with it, don’t you feel a little weird about that? The world would be a simpler place if we just used natural products to begin with.
Instead of using lotion filled with toxic artificial fragrance and hormone-disrupting parabens, why not use coconut oil or shea butter? Instead of taking a pharmaceutical drug for blood pressure, why not just eat garlic? Instead of using toxic perfume, why not just use essential oils?
One of the best reasons to avoid animal testing is that you can be healthier by making better choices.
4. Feel Better
Buying (or making your own) products that have not been tested on animals can be challenging.
However, making your own products can actually be really fun and cultivates self-sustainability. It requires some researching and lots of label reading but compared to how you feel when you find out that you’ve been supporting this industry for years, it feels as light as a feather.
Feel better about what you support and what you put on your body as well as in it. When you’re not taking drugs, chances are you’ll feel better. When you’re not inhaling toxic chemicals, you’ll probably breathe easier.
When you’re looking for reasons to avoid animal testing, consider that you’ll feel better once you stop supporting this industry and choose better, healthier products.
5. Invest in Better Research
There are other methods we can use to ensure our products are safe.
If it’s fine for a mouse it must be fine for a human. Right?
This is not a logical train of thought. Yes, mice and humans are both mammals. However, we share different DNA. How could a creature other than a human dictate whether something is safe for humans?
When you stop supporting animal testing, you help invest in better research. This includes more ethical means of testing if dictated to be necessary, such as in vitro testing. Shouldn’t we use human cells if we’re doing human research?
For those who would argue against the reasons to avoid animal testing by saying that dog eye drops or medications require a dog, think again. Most medical ailments can be treated naturally. For those that can’t, we could utilize alternative testing methods rather than making the animal suffer.
What You can Do
Think you’re not torturing animals?
If you live in the United States and pay taxes, you’re actually contributing about $16 billion towards unethical animal experiments through government-funded research.
Also, if you use any of these products, you’re supporting the animal testing industry with cold hard cash:
Windex (anything from SC Johnson tests on animals)
Loreal
Febreze
Dawn
Vaseline
Lysol
Arm & Hammer
Snuggle
Tide
Rimmel
Maybelline
CoverGirl
Noxzema
OxyClean
Nair
Orange Glo
Trojan condoms
Clorox
Glad
Pine Sol
Soft Scrub
Speed Stick
Colgate
Palmolive
Softsoap
Murphy’s Oil Soap
Band-Aid
Bengay
KY
Neosporin
Neutrogena
Garnier
Purell
Kleenex
Cottonelle
Huggies
Kotex
Pull-Ups
Playtex
Lancome
Dolce & Gabbana
Gain
Head & Shoulders
Gillette
Listerine
Crest
Mr. Clean
Old Spice
Puffs
Secret
This is not a comprehensive list. This list goes on and on. For a more comprehensive list, check here. For a list of companies that don’t test on animals, click here.
When you’re looking for products that have not been tested on animals, you need to look for a label that says, “Not Tested on Animals.”
Some products say they are “Cruelty-Free”. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they have not been tested on animals. It could mean that they still test but consider their animal testing techniques to be “humane”. You should always question and ask the company if you need to!
Also, some companies are “parent” companies, meaning bigger, more unethical brand names such as Unilever own brands that would otherwise appear to be ok such as Seventh Generation.
It’s a jungle out there, am I right?
But you can do this.
Let’s consider the reasons to avoid animal testing next time we make a purchase. It’s so important for our health, our planet, and our animals. Thank you for considering the reasons to avoid animal testing!
