At this point in the game, if you’re seriously unaware there’s a full-swing green movement going on, I’d be hard-pressed to believe you even live under a rock — perhaps you’re under a sea of styrofoam packing peanuts, or maybe a stretch Hummer (with some obnoxious personalized license plate, I would assume).
For the rest of us, the question continues to nag: how can we most efficiently make a difference in cleaning up the environment? We’re all busy. But we’d also like to do something. So do the reusable grocery bags cut it? How about taking shorter showers? Buying a sweet new Prius? By all means, these are good, positive choices, and these efforts have good, positive effects. But there’s one solution that truly puts us on the fast track to a more sustainable lifestyle: stop eating meat.
Let’s put the ethics and health benefits of a plant-based diet aside for a moment. A recent major McLeans feature Save the planet: Stop eating meat explains just how extensive the environmental benefits of eating greener really are. Within the article, Ethical Vegetarian Alternative (Belgium’s largest vegetarian organization) explains, “If everyone in Flanders does not eat meat one day a week, we will save as much CO2 in a year as taking half a million cars off the road.” Laying out the full toll of our fleshy fixation, the article continues, “livestock accounts for 18 per cent of worldwide greenhouse gases, more than those emitted by all forms of transportation combined, and is a leading cause of deforestation and water pollution.” And let’s not forget the inefficiency and waste in feeding nutritious plant-based foods to animals raised for slaughter, the disturbingly high amounts of toxic methane emissions released from our digestion-challenged cattle, and the increasing loss of farmland (which if used to grow plant-based nutritious foods instead of housing livestock, could alleviate much of the global food crisis).
Personally, I’m optimistic. Why? Because doing something exceptionally good for the planet lies in one action step that most of us already have immense talent in: EATING. A cleaner environment is as simple as getting some seriously good chow on – with fresh, vibrant foods like portobello burgers, a bowl of cheesy broccoli, or protein-rich quinoa sushi. Swap out cow’s milk for some luscious hemp milk or rice milk in your next recipe. Or take a take a ride on the superfood brownie train and I’ll meet you in the land of gastronomic paradise. Environmentalism was seriously never so easy. And a healthier planet is served.
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For some time now, I have struggled with the idea of eating meat. Ethically, its hard to eat another creature, knowing that it’s life was sacrificed for my own. However, the one thing, that stops me from going totally veg. is the B12 issue. Although some algae and yeast contains B12, even the Vegetarian Society states that these are not reliable sources of B12.
Go here…
http://www.vegsoc.org/info/b12.html
We all need B12, and unfortunately the only truly reliable sources of B12 are meat, eggs, dairy, and fish. Ultimately, I believe we should eat a diet that is natural. Currently, the state of slaughter houses and factory farming is simply deplorable. I think for nutritional purposes, a better option would be to ever so occasionally eat meat that is grown in a sustainable way. A way that nurtures the creatures, and gives them a happy, healthy life. I still struggle with the idea of eating a once living being, but I try to take the approach of Native Americans. Honoring its sacrifice, appreciating, and giving thanks for the creature that will sustain me.
Lauren, I really respect the place where you are coming from – striving to be the most conscious consumer you can be, but also putting your health in the forefront. A B12 deficiency, while very rare, is nothing to mess around with — I think you bring up an important issue, which I may expand into a post at a later point.
I have heard both sides of the argument on the B12 issue — whether or not the plant-based B12 that is found in sea vegetables, fermented foods like tempeh, algaes like spirulina and chlorella, yeasts, and even some organic vegetables, is in fact bioavailable and can actually be digested by the body. There are certainly contradicting studies (see http://www.pamrotella.com/health/b12.html for an excellent article presenting both sides of the coin), though most of these studies agree that the real source of B12 is actually bacteria (whether it is in an animal or in the air we breathe on the subway). I am not a doctor, but from my own experience of being a vegetarian for 15 years and completely vegan for 9 years, I have never had any tests come up showing low or anything but healthy B12 levels.
Outside of eating the above listed foods, concerned individuals can also consume foods which are fortified with B12, as extra insurance — like some juices, bread, cereal, protein powders, etc. Or, there are plenty of vegan supplements which easily provide B12 without having to resort to eating meat. We only need a microscopic amount of B12 each year to keep us in balance (I’ve read our yearly allowance wouldn’t even fill a thimble), and I don’t believe there is any nutritional issue that “forces” us to continue eating animals. Thanks again for your thoughtful comment.
Julie,
Wow! Thanks for all the info. I had no idea that B12 came from bacteria. Thanks for helping clear things up and helping me to make a more educated decision about my diet choices. I love your blog and your recipes, keep up the good work!
Beautiful post Julie. I just found your site today while perusing the Navitas Naturals site. Thanks for all the great info and food for thought. I work at a vegan restaurant and have the opportunity to discuss this issue quite often.
That’s fantastic that your work serves as a great platform to spread the word Jenné. One bite at a time…