Site of the Week

This week Site of the Week is “The Meatrix”. It’s a Flash animated spoof of The Matrix that talks about knowing where your meat and animal products come from and how it’s handled. The main character is a little piggy named Leo who believes where he lives is a nice, big farm where he can run around and frolic all day. That is until Chickity and Moopheus open his eyes to the conditions he and other barnyard animals are actually living in.

Unlike the extreme tactics of PETA sponsored sites that try to shock and disgust you into giving up eating delicious animals forever, this site educates the viewer on things like the benefits of buying from local farms, and the repercussions of companies using shortcuts and unhealthy practices to get you the lowest prices on meat and dairy products while increasing their profits. In actuality, only the companies are benefiting from it and it’s just not worth it. Everyone is hurt by their methods from neighboring town, to the factory workers, animals and even consumers. There’s also a link to a site called Sustainable Table. This site can help you search for stores that sell products from local farms, learn healthy recipes, as well as educational programs and projects. If you live in central or southern NJ, that shouldn’t be too hard.

If you do live near the Trenton area, check out this place called Halo Farms. They sell all sorts of dairy aisle products including ice cream and yogurt. Not to mention their supply of juices including apple cider, bread and snacks. The milk there not only tastes better, it lasts longer. ☺

If there’s anything to learn from the site it’s this:
1. Try to search for products (milk, eggs, etc.) that say “Antibiotic free” on their labels.
2. Eating healthy is good for you but maybe not your wallet.
3. If you have questions about how a company raises its animals, email them. They might actually send you an answer and maybe even some coupons.

And if you do decide to give up meat for good, make sure you get all the missing nutrients such as protein, niacin, and Vitamin A & B12 from other foods.