Welcome back to your favorite ethical lifestyle podcast, Know it All with Peggy Bunker.

"Are you a vegan?"

Wow, what a loaded question. It’s similar to "do you smoke?" or "do you drink?" or even "do you NOT drink?!" In fact to many people, “vegan” is practically a dirty word.

These days there’s plenty of social judgement around people’s personal choices, and for whatever reason NOT eating meat can really annoy meat-eaters BUT, the tides are turning as awareness about factory farming, our physical health, and the destruction of our lands continue to dominate headlines. Shoppers understand that their dollar has power, and they are demanding change. The era of ruthless, violent and destructive farming is now facing its biggest nemesis yet: consumer awareness. Consumers are learning what their dollars are supporting and they don't want to be a part of it anymore. They don't want their money to support animal torture, destroyed waterways, or polluted air. They want to know their food was raised organically. Sustainably. Without salmonella, toxic pesticides, or e. Coli. Shoppers are willing to pay for sound mind and conscience, and the suppliers know it.

So what about you? Are you only buying responsibly-raised foods? What are your standards for what you put in your mouth, your kids’ mouths? Have you decided? This quick listen will have you thinking about the main factors to consider before you spend a dollar on food - is that dollar supporting your values........or betraying them? It’s a good idea to know where you fall….. be it vegan, carnivore, or somewhere in between. A conscientious consumer is a smart consumer.

Have a thought or suggestion? - Leave us a comment wherever you're watching or listening! And please rate and review our show as well so that more people can know it all too.

Have your own story about your conscious consumerism journey? Email us at knowitall@peggybunker.com and tell us about some of your favorite products and life hacks to support ethical consumerism.

Is it actually possible to eat meat in an ethical way? According to Nicolette Hahn Niman, it most definitely is. After living as a vegetarian for 33 years, Nicolette fell in love with a rancher by the name of Bill Niman and discovered a way to raise animals responsibly and ethically. She is a wealth of information about the history of factory farming and how we got here, and her perspective is vital to this issue. Because if people are going to continue to eat meat, shouldn't we make sure that we are raising animals responsibly and humanely? If you want to learn more about Nicolette's perspective and methodology, she has written some incredible books and you can find the links to them below.

Righteous Porkchop: Finding a Life and Good Food Beyond Factory Farms
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/righteous-porkchop-nicolette-hahn-niman?variant=32207905685538

Defending Beef: The Ecological and Nutritional Case for Meat
https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/defending-beef-pb/

On a Lighter Note:
To find out more about Owamni Restaurant, check out their website https://owamni.com/