I’ve decided that, in addition to posting a day’s worth of meals each Wednesday, I’m going to start doing one of these link round-ups each week.  I read a fair amount of articles throughout the week on a wide range of topics and will pick my favorites to share here.  Obviously a lot of them will be oriented toward animal welfare and plant-based recipes/nutrition, but I’ll also include others that I found especially fun/interesting/thought-provoking.  Sunday seems like a good day for this, so here we go!

I Saw Pasture-Raised Chickens Crammed So Tightly They Could Barely Breathe
This is quick but good article from Gene Bauer of Farm Sanctuary explaining why labels on animal products that proclaim better animal treatment aren’t always telling the whole truth.  And for those of you who aren’t familiar with the name, Joel Salatin is a vocal champion of “ethical” meat, so it’s especially significant that his farm is mentioned in this piece.

How Plant-Based Eating Made Me Healthier and a Better Athlete
But where does he get his protein?!  I kid, I kid.  Seriously, though, a great plant-based success story.  His photo alone should dispel any myths about what “real men” eat.

Can You Face the Reality of Factory Farming?
This moving video shows the reactions of people watching footage of what happens on factory farms.  Watch the first part of it at the very least; it’s literally just the people’s reactions, which alone speak volumes.  After that, text will be displayed to let you know that the upcoming content will be graphic and you will then have the opportunity to watch the video that the people in the first part saw.  You can stop here, but I also recommend watching the second portion if you’ve never seen factory farm footage before.  It’s important to know, especially if you eat meat–this is where your food comes from.

Lasting Relationships Come Down to 2 Basic Traits
This is an interesting read.  I feel like the idea of supporting or rejecting someone’s “bids” is something that nearly everyone in every kind of relationship can probably improve upon.

American Restaurant Granted Permission to Sell Dog Meat
Okay, not really.  The article is satire.  But what was your reaction to that title?  Read the article–how does it make you feel?  The lines we draw between which animals we choose to love and which we choose to commodify are completely arbitrary.  If it’s acceptable to eat a pork chop, then why not a rack of dog?

Unbelieveable Photos Show Factory Farming Destroying the American Countryside
These photographs are all at once horrifying, grotesque, and strangely beautiful.  Once you’re able to look away from the colorful manure lagoons, take note of the barren brown rectangles around them.  All those little dots are animals.

Vegetarian diets and glycemic control in diabetes
This meta-analysis published last month provides even further evidence that “consumption of vegetarian diets is associated with improved glycemic control in type 2 diabetes.”