Good Morning Steemit Friends!
If we consider the real purpose that food plays in our lives and that is solely for nourishment and energy to be physically productive, then this would alleviate the judgement that gets passed on to both herbivores and omnivores. Don't get me wrong I do also believe that food (in moderation) can be consumed for pleasure as well. After all God did create us with taste buds.
I over the past year and a half have converted into being a vegan. Am I deprived? Absolutely NOT! I have enjoyed more plant-based recipes while being vegan than ever before. Not to say that I do not miss meat containing recipes but deprivation is not hardly something I have experienced.
This blog post was inspired by a passive- aggressive comment that my ten-month old great nephew's (and side-note, look at this handsome BIG and growing ten-month old-does he looked deprived?) grandmother made over the Christmas holiday when my niece took him to visit the other side of his family. My niece has decided to rear him as a vegetarian. His grandmother has known this for a few months now. The comment was made directly to my nephew with hopes my niece would give in to allowing the baby to have some chicken casserole which I am sure was quite delicious, but also to take the opportunity to down-play her choice in how she would feed her son. " Grandson, I know you have been deprived of good food over there...." was the comment. Imagine my reaction first off to the "over there" part-calls for a later post on family perspectives I suppose. Then I reflected back on my nephews earlier meal which I personally prepared for him that morning. Avocado, unsweetened apple sauce and zucchini was on his menu and he could not eat it fast enough as he enjoyed it so. I learned that the quite scrumptious chicken casserole contained enriched pasta noodles, chicken and several different cheeses. Let's compare the two meals, what was he actually being deprived of? Meal number one contained all plant-based ingredients, good fat and carbohydrates, several vitamins and protein packed. AND he thought it was delicious after all his auntie "yours truly" prepared it. Meal number two would have without a doubt appeased my young and developing ten-month nephew's taste buds but would have clearly DEPRIVED him of all of the essentials.