I
do not necessarily subscribe to a specific diet. I do not claim to be
vegetarian or vegan even if most of my meals meet those requirements. I guess
you could call my diet plastic free. It sounds strange but that is the goal
when I go shopping for food.
I was really inspired after reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael
Pollan. His book really focused on being in touch with the food we consume. So
much of what we eat today is highly processed with added sugars, emulsifiers
and stabilizers. Our great-grandparents probably would not recognize most of
what America is eating today as food. Pollan’s advice for a healthy diet is,
“eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”
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It is well understood that the meat industry in the US is a major environmental problem. Beef production requires a significant amount of natural resources, more than any other form of food production. However, a vegan diet may not be the
most sustainable choice. Research by several universities concluded that the
most sustainable diets are vegetarian diets that include dairy and eggs as well as omnivorous diets where twenty percent or less of their calories comes from meat. The reason for this, researchers say, is because there are areas of land where
crops will not grow, but animals can graze.
One thing I would like to note; this
is where I get the greatest push back from friends and family. In America meals
center around meat. Go to any restaurant in the US and you will notice that the
menu is organized by the type of meat. I have been told dozens of excuses for
eating meat. I will tell you; my favorite excuse came form a law school
classmate, who told me, “in ‘Merica we eat meat.”
In sum, I do eat meat. Though the
occasions are few and far between. I would advocate that everyone eat a little
less meat. Not only would it reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it is better for
your wallet.