How to Shop With Your Heart

I talk a lot on this blog about clean eating, with or without organic food, but there is another topic I want to share with you: the humane treatment of animals.

In the U.S., we raise almost 9 billion animals as livestock for meat and dairy products. Unfortunately, most of those are raised in inhumane factory farms. Why should this matter to you? Besides the concept that I believe we should be good (if imperfect) stewards of all we have been given on this earth, the fact is that animals treated poorly can produce foods that are dangerous for us humans.

Inhumane factory farms can be breeding grounds for dangerous pathogens, which then leads to animals being treated with antibiotics. That, in turn, can lead to them developing drug-resistant bacteria in their bodies. These animals then need stronger antibiotics to heal and are more susceptible to viruses and infections. It’s not pretty and it puts your family’s health at risk.

The good news is that the free market is leading the way. Many organic and clean food companies understand that happy animals provide better food and are devoted to the humane treatment of animals. If you are concerned that animals treated poorly will get sick and can make your family sick, you can make it easy on yourself by shopping those brands.

The Shop With Your Heart initiative can help. Launched by the ASPCA to improve the lives of farm animals, its mission is provide consumers with resources to help them “recognize, locate and demand meaningfully welfare-certified meat, eggs and dairy products as well as plant-based alternatives.” Lots of companies are getting on board with this initiative.

Want to learn which ones? It’s easy and you can get involved today! Here’s how you can make a difference:

1. Sign the pledge on what changes you’ll make. That will gain you  access to the Shop With Your Heart Grocery List. This exclusive list provides welfare-certified and widely available plant-based brands. It’s nice to see some of my favorite on it!
2. Post a photo of yourself on your social media channels making the “heart hands” to show solidarity with the movement with sample language and using the #ShopWithYourHeart! hashtag.
3. Share the Shop With Your Heart video with your friends and family to spread the movement!
4. Find out what local farms support Shop With Your Heart and humane animal treatment by checking out the ASPCA’s farm list for your state.

It’s easy to make a difference and choose food raised with animal welfare in mind to provide healthier choices for your family! Vote with your grocery budget and support the ASPCA’s Shop With Your Heart initiative today.