An Open Letter to My Meat-Eating Brother

Dear Nicholas, 

Let me start by saying how much I really do love you. Growing up, you were always my partner in crime and my confidant. We were around each other (willingly) 24/7. We’d always keep Mom and Dad on their toes.

But there’s something that’s been bothering me for years that I need to get off my chest.

You eat meat. You eat a lot of it.

To me, animals deserve every opportunity to live free and naturally. ALL animals.

I see the way you look at our dog, Bella, with nothing but love in your eyes. You cried thinking about the day she would leave us. You’d protect her with everything in your being. You’d fight to keep her alive.

I hate to break it to you, but in all the ways that matter, Bella is no different from a cow, a pig, or even a chicken. Because all animals, including farmed animals, can feel pain, joy, and suffering.

When I see you chomping down on wings without a care in the world, it pains me because I know those animals were born, raised, and killed in hellish conditions. Don’t believe me? Check out this Mercy For Animals undercover investigation into Tyson Foods, the largest poultry producer in the country:


And it’s not just chickens. Your bacon came from pigs who were crammed for life inside cages so small the animals couldn’t even turn around. Your burger came from dairy cows who had calf after calf torn from them so farmers could steal their milk.

It pains me to know that I’m trying to save these animals and you go on eating them like there’s nothing wrong. Well, there is something wrong. In fact, if someone abused just one dog or cat the way billions of farmed animals are abused every day, they’d be behind bars for animal cruelty.

And it’s not just animal cruelty that upsets me. I’m worried about your health. Meat, dairy, and eggs have been linked to horrible illnesses, like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. I care about you, and I’d hate to see my brother get sick when I know an easy way to drastically cut the risk.

I hope you read this as coming from a place of love and concern. I want to enjoy going out to dinner with you and having a vegan meal for years to come and not feel sickened and saddened by the animal on your plate. I want you to respect the work I’m doing to spare animals’ lives, but I also want you to understand their lives are not yours to take.

So please consider my words. I’ll always be here for you, and I’ll always love you.