What if I told you that every time you sit down for a meal you have the ability to change the world?

That seems pretty farfetched and abstract, but it’s actually true. What we choose to eat says a lot about who we are. What we put into our bodies actually has a lot of political and ethical power behind it. What we sit down to consume can bring a lot of compassion into our lives.

Eating food is an emotional experience for me. I draw a lot of comfort and nostalgia from eating my favorite meals. With the holiday season upon us, eating is a huge part of tradition and comfort. But along with those traditional foods comes a lot of suffering and environmental despair.

As we all know the holidays mean favorite comfort foods like stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and for most Americans; the roasted turkey.

In the USA alone 45 million turkeys will be slaughtered for human consumption this Thanksgiving alone. With such a high demand for turkeys the majority of these birds will be raised on factory farms. This means that these inquisitive, beautiful and very social birds will be raised in conditions that are unnatural, unhealthy and environmentally damaging. Overcrowding on these farms leads to unnatural behaviors and inability to spread their wings or move comfortably.

The unnatural living conditions lead to fighting and excessive pecking. Instead of allowing more space for these birds, the industry finds it easier and more efficient to cut off the ends of the turkeys’ beaks and toes, practices known as de-beaking and de-toeing.

How is this allowed? How is this acceptable? Sadly the meat industry calls this “standard practice.”

And along with these horrible living conditions also comes the horrible and inevitable transport to slaughter. Thousands of birds can be crammed on a single transport truck. Often these trucks travel for days on end in all weather conditions. The birds are given no comfort, water or heat. It is common for many birds to not survive the trip to slaughter because of the stress and extreme conditions. And those who survive the transport have a horrible fate awaiting them.

From and environmental stance we now know that factory farms are damaging the planet. The UN has even stated that animal agriculture appears to be one of the most damaging factors of global warming. Feeding and raising animals on today’s farms takes up so much our resources especially our water resources.

It is all so overwhelming to think about. When I first learned about factory farms I felt helpless. But I realized that I didn’t have to buy into this system anymore. The less people buy into this system the fewer animals have to be raised on factory farms. The more we shift our awareness to these horrors, the more we can help animals, the earth and ourselves.

“You are what you eat.” That statement really resonates with me now more than ever. How can we eat beings that want to live and want to be free? And how as a society can we support these farming practices. All that fear, that pain, those hormones are all going into our bodies and becoming a part of who we are.