Pardon me, pilgrim! This Thanksgiving, how about ditching the dead bird? In today’s farming system, beautiful, inquisitive, intelligent turkeys endure lives of suffering and painful deaths. Here are 10 good reasons to carve out a new tradition by flocking to vegan entrées, along with some scrumptious holiday cooking tips and recipes—and thankfully, none of them require stuffing anyone. But first, a video of your turkey dinner in reverse:
Turkeys are “smart animals with personality and character, and keen awareness of their surroundings,” says Oregon State University poultry scientist Tom Savage. The Atlantic article “Consider the Turkey” reports that researchers “have found that when an individual turkey is removed from his flock, even in domesticity, he’ll squawk in obvious protest until reunited with his posse.” They relish having their feathers stroked. They dance when reunited with a person they recognize. Anyone who spends time with them at farm sanctuaries quickly learns that turkeys are as varied in personality as dogs and cats.
Turkey has long been a centerpiece of holiday meals, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, many people are starting to rethink serving turkey due to ethical, environmental, and health concerns. Here’s a closer look at some of the main reasons why turkey may not be the best choice for your next festive meal.
The Ethics of Turkey Farming
Over 46 million turkeys are slaughtered each year just for Thanksgiving alone – that’s nearly the entire population of California! Most commercial turkeys are raised in crowded factory farms, where they live in stressful, filthy conditions. The turkeys are bred to grow very large breast muscles, which often leads to painful bone deformities and mobility issues.
To collect semen for artificial insemination, male turkeys are sexually violated in a process known as “turkey milking.” The conditions on turkey farms are so horrendous that many workers suffer from respiratory illnesses and PTSD. When their short lives end, turkeys face terrifying deaths – they are shackled upside down while fully conscious and slaughtered. Shockingly, turkeys are not even protected by the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.
Health Risks of Eating Turkey
Besides the ethical issues, eating turkey poses a number of health risks
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Food Poisoning Turkey flesh is rife with bacteria like salmonella and campylobacter, which cause diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps There are over 200,000 cases of salmonella poisoning each year in the US.
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Antibiotic Resistance: Turkeys are fed tons of antibiotics to keep them alive in filthy factory farm conditions. This contributes to antibiotic resistance, which will make infections untreatable in the future.
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Obesity: Turkey skin is full of saturated fat and calories. A serving of roasted turkey with skin has 4.5 grams of fat and 139 calories, while skinless turkey only has 1.8 grams of fat and 125 calories.
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Sodium: Processed turkey like sausage and bacon is sky-high in sodium, which raises blood pressure and heart disease risk.
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Cancer Risk: Cooking meat, including turkey, at high temperatures produces cancer-causing compounds called PAHs. Frying turkey also creates acrylamide, another carcinogen.
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Bird Flu: Packed poultry factory farms are breeding grounds for dangerous influenza viruses like H5N1 and H7N9, which have mortality rates up to 60% in humans. A bird flu pandemic could kill millions.
Environmental Damage
In addition to health and cruelty concerns, turkey production also takes a heavy toll on the environment:
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Raising turkeys generates 391 million pounds of manure each year, which pollutes waterways and produces toxic fumes like ammonia and hydrogen sulfide.
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Over 10 billion gallons of water are used by the turkey industry annually. Producing just 1 lb of turkey meat requires 4,300 gallons of water.
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The carbon footprint of turkey meat is nearly 3 times higher than plant-based protein sources like beans, lentils, and tofu.
Healthy and Humane Turkey Alternatives
If you want to skip turkey but keep tradition alive, there are many delicious plant-based main course options for holidays, including:
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Tofurky or other vegan roasts
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A stuffed and roasted squash or eggplant
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Portobello mushroom wellington
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Lentil or walnut meatloaf
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A whole cauliflower ‘steak’ roast
With side dishes like mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, and pie, your holiday table will still be piled high with familiar favorites. Going meatless for the holidays is a simple way to protect your health, help the planet, and prevent animal suffering. Wholesome plant-based foods will perfectly capture the spirit of giving thanks.
When you look closely, turkey comes with many ethical, health, and environmental downsides. However, you don’t have to give up cherished holiday traditions to reap the benefits of skipping turkey. With so many delicious and creative alternatives, it’s easier than ever to enjoy a turkey-free holiday meal that is good for you, humane for animals, and sustainable for the planet. This year, challenge yourself to try out a new main course that fits with your values – your taste buds and conscience will thank you!
Want Stuffing With Your Supergerms?
Dosing turkeys with antibiotics to stimulate their growth—and to keep them alive in filthy, disease-ridden conditions that would otherwise kill them—poses risks to people who eat them. The USDA confirmed that 80 percent of all antibacterial drugs used in the U.S. are given to animals, and often the animals aren’t even sick. Ralph Loglisci, project director at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, explains that “all low-dose usage of antibiotics can lead to a significant increase in antibiotic resistance.”
An article published by the Natural Resources Defense Council further details the dangers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, explaining, “Drug-resistant bacteria can and do travel on meat but that’s just one of many routes off the farm. These dangerous bacteria can hitch a ride out of animal feedlots on workers who handle contaminated animals or meat. They can travel through water, soil, and air that come into contact with contaminated animal waste.” Furthermore, they can “teach” other bacteria to be resistant. Still hungry? Neither are we.
Let Them Give Thanks, Too
The natural life expectancy of turkeys is up to 10 years, but on factory farms, they are slaughtered when they’re just 5 months old. In nature, young turkeys stay with their mothers for the first few months of their lives. Since Thanksgiving is a time to take stock of our lives and give thanks for all that we have, let turkeys give thanks, too, by keeping them off your plate.
This is the Reason Why Turkey will COLLAPSE!
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