Do you know what's in that meat you're eating? Pain and suffering - that's what

Even if you don't care about the animals or the environment or rural communities, you'll want to think about the food you are eating and feeding to your family. It's not the things that are in the meat that shouldn't be there; it's the nutrients that are missing because the animals are raised in this way.

SHOOT: Our digestive tracts aren't geared for much meat anyway. Our diets today are way out of sync in comparison to what we should be eating - which is why the greatest cause of death amongst human beings is heart disease. Because what we eat and how we live really isn't good for us. Not the amounts of meat, nor the amounts of fat or sugar. We should be eating more fruit and vegetables - cooking our food more, and caring about what we eat.

clipped from voices.washingtonpost.com Q&A: David Kirby, author of 'Animal Factory' People who pay attention to food are already vaguely uneasy about meat. But as we rev up for grilling season, it's understandable that they'd want to put those fears aside. What would you say to them as we approach Memorial Day? The fact is that for almost everyone, there's going to be something about that animal's life that's going to offend you. It may be the actual conditions, the lack of fresh air, for example. Or it might be the denial of all kinds of things the animals should do but are not allowed to do. Or it might be that you are worried about the noxious fumes, the ammonia, the methane and hydrogen sulfide. Ammonia can rise up from these waste lagoons and travel for miles and miles and be redeposited into a waterway where it feeds algae blooms and kills fish.