Category: Health News

It’s not often that I get the chance to watch Oprah. But as “luck” would have it, yet another snow storm was raging through New England today. And while that meant slippery roads and more shoveling, it also meant that for once,  I was home early enough to catch her show this afternoon. I can honestly say that I was so happy I did. Today’s episode was all about Oprah’s Vegan Challenge. In case you missed it, the basic premise was that Oprah challenged all her employees at Harpo to go vegan for an entire week. In addition to highlighting some of their experiences, the episode also talked about the meat industry, our food system, and a basic introduction to veganism. (You can watch select clips from the show on Oprah’s site.)

To avoid being redundant, I’m not going to go into a lot of detail about the show itself. But I did want to share some overall thoughts about it from the perspective of an {almost} life-long vegetarian. And I’m interested in hearing your thoughts as well.

Before I go into The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, here are a few interesting facts:

• We eat about 10 billion animals a year; 33 million of those are cows
• Heifers at the Timmerman Feeding Corp (a feed lot in CO where cows live to get fattened up before slaughter) stay there about 200 days
• The cattle gain 3+ pounds per day, and will weigh about 1200 lbs before being sent to slaughter
• Cargill is the biggest meat producer in the world — they bring in 4,500 cows per day

The Good

• I really liked that Oprah had both Michael Pollan (author of books like In Defense of Food, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and Food Rules) and the General Manager of Cargill on the show. It made for some respectful, educational dialogue.
• The show was informational without being preachy. Along with Kathy Freston, author of The Veganist, Oprah provided some general information on veganism, and shared stories from those who are sticking with it even after the challenge has ended (along with those who aren’t). Maybe it was all in the interest of being politically correct (or avoiding a lawsuit!) but no one was really pushing the vegan lifestyle, or talking poorly about the meat industry.
• The producers focused on many of the health benefits you can achieve from eating less animal products. Even including the fact that it made many people more, shall we say, “regular.” ….though honestly, I’m not sure what these people were eating to make them so stopped up before!!
• They touched on the fact that being vegan doesn’t necessarily mean being healthy. It’s very possible to be a “junk food vegan” (or vegetarian). There are a lot of animal-free processed foods that still aren’t good for you. If you’re not really careful about eating a balanced diet, you could easily gain weight after giving up animal products.
• Overall, there was a big emphasis on just being aware of where your food comes from. Lisa Ling went into a slaughterhouse and yet still eats meat. But now at least she has an appreciation of how that meat gets to her table. I think that’s a very important lesson for all of us.

The Bad

• Besides the fact that the entire episode seemed to be sponsored by Kashi, there also seemed to be a huge push for meat substitutes. Now don’t get me wrong, I really like fake meats. Believe me — I used to live off of those things! But as with any highly processed foods, eating too much of them is not good for you. Plus, they are expensive! Those Gardein products that were highlighted on the show cost around $5 a package — and they only serve one or two people. Instead of focusing on how you could replace a real meat with a fake one, I wish the show had talked more about how you can make delicious, protein-rich meals with just vegetables, nuts, legumes, whole grains, etc.
• Similarly, there wasn’t a big focus on eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. Yes, I realized how important it is to show consumers that you can find a substitute for any animal-based product you want. I appreciate the educational aspect of that. But the reality is that the majority of people in the US do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. And one of the great parts about giving up meat is that it encourages you to find new, creative ways to incorporate produce into your everyday meals!
• I’m sorry, but there’s no such thing as “vegan-ish.” You either eat a vegan, or you don’t.  (Confused? See this post.) I’m not trying to be a stickler here. But let’s be real about it. You can say you don’t eat red meat, or are trying to eat more plant-based foods, or even that you limit animal products. But the truth is, if you eat any meat, dairy, etc, you’re technically not vegan.
• Veganism shouldn’t be presented as a “diet.” It’s a way of life. If you choose to eat vegan, that’s your lifestyle. Just as if you choose to eat meat.

The Ugly

If you watch at least one part of the episode, I highly suggest you watch the clip where Lisa Ling goes into a slaughterhouse. Yes, it is a little graphic, and yes, you may find it disturbing. But as Michael Pollan says, it is important to at least be aware of where your food comes from. This is a completely un-glamorized view of what goes on — a straight-forward, matter of fact tour where the general manager explains the steps and the reasons behind them. For me, that view alone would be enough to stop eating meat (if I hadn’t already). But, I know that’s not true of everyone. Like I said before, Lisa Ling reports she is still eating it.

Anyway, at the end of the show, Michael Pollan (who is not in support of a completely vegetarian/vegan lifestyle I should add) talks a little about responsible farming. He is a huge proponent of free range farms, where the animals have a supposedly “happy” life….and “one bad day.” I have to admit I take some issue with this. It’s really easy to love the idea of a wonderful place where happy cows and chickens are allowed to wander about eating as they please instead of being cooped up in a pen all day. And I’m sure that is a much nicer experience for them. BUT (and this is a big but), if these animals are ultimately being raised for human consumption, does any of that really matter? Sure, it may be easier for us to swallow, but honestly — if a cow is born into the world with the sole purpose of being fattened up to become someone’s dinner, does it make that much of a difference how happy his life was?**

Finally, one of the last remarks made by the General Manager of Cargill was “We love vegans too!” Now seriously…as much as I appreciate the fact that they allowed the Oprah show into the slaughterhouse with their cameras, I found this statement a little hard to believe. Do you really love vegans Cargill?? Because if the whole world were vegan, something tells me you wouldn’t be all that excited about it.

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Overall, I thought the episode was a good one. I love that Oprah brought information about veganism and the food industry to a mainstream audience. And now I’m very interested to hear your thoughts.

What did you think of the show in general? It’s portrayal of veganism? And do you think the whole emphasis on the slaughterhouse “respecting the animal” and “showing it dignity” is true or a bunch of media-hogwash?

**(I realize that eating meat is probably going to be a part of our normal culture forever — it’s a bit unrealistic to expect everyone to take up a plant-based diet. And of course I’m not advocating for animals to be mistreated since they’re going to be eaten anyway. So it’s important that the industry change and adopt humane standards for the livestock they’re raising. But, this is still something that I admittedly struggle with.)