Father’s Day is when we honour those who fulfil fatherly roles in our lives. That father figure is often associated with strength, symbolized by slabs of beef steak on the barbecue — the rarer the steak, the “manlier” it is.

But is perpetuating this version of manliness doing any good for those aging fatherly bodies? What ethics do we reflect when we celebrate by mindlessly eating body parts of animals, arguably more intelligent than our pets, animals who wanted to live every bit as much as our beloved dogs?

Canada has 14 million beef cattle, three million of them killed each year for human consumption. Although their natural lifespan is 20 to 25 years, they are typically slaughtered at just 18 months. In their short lives, they endure third degree burns when branded with a hot metal rod against their skin; they suffer from painful castration, dehorning and ear-notching — all without anesthetic. If we wouldn’t subject our pets to such procedures without anesthetics, why do we support industries which do this routinely to other animals? Why do we even tolerate this?

Cows, in fact, are sensitive, intelligent animals who can recognize up to 100 individuals and form lifelong bonds with members of their herds. At just several months old, the human equivalent of toddlers, calves are sent to feedlots, where they live in crowded, often filthy conditions. To fatten them quickly, they are fed grain and soy instead of their natural diet of grasses. This causes bloating, often resulting in diarrhea, thus making cattle a prime source of pathogenic E. coli.

After a year of gaining weight, they are sent to slaughter. That journey from the feedlot to the slaughterhouse can take up to 52 hours — without food, water, or rest — even in extreme weather. There, they line up to face their impending deaths on the conveyor belt. If improperly stunned — an all too common reality — they may have their throats slit, skin removed and feet cut off while fully conscious. When we throw that steak on the barbecue, inevitably we take part in all of this.

Why do we do it?

Culture, tradition, peer pressure, and palette pleasure. We want to fit in and don’t even want to think of who we are eating. Because when we do, we catch a glimpse of our depravity. Wouldn’t it be manlier to face up to our actions and initiate a change for the better? Why not emulate the best traits of strong male characters depicted in movies by the likes of Clint Eastwood and George Clooney — characters who stand up for what is morally right?

Drop animals from your diet. The results will all be positive: improved human health, dramatically reduced environmental degradation, a reduction in the number of animals killed for food each year (which, shockingly, is 64 billion worldwide).

Some of the largest, strongest animals in the world — elephants, rhinoceros, buffaloes and gorillas — are plant-eaters. In fact, those slabs of meat on the barbecue came from powerful creatures who grew their muscles eating plants! Our guts are much more like those of herbivores than those of most omnivores or carnivores. Humans are capable of getting all our protein from plants. Just ask Germany’s strongest man Patrik Baboumian, bodybuilder Jim Morris, and triathlete winner Brendan Brazier.