As I mentioned in my last blog post, another way to reduce the amount of chemicals in your everyday life is to cut meat out of your diet. I think almost everyone these days is aware that packaged meat contains some type of chemicals and antibiotics. By not eating meat, you are not only helping to weed out chemicals in your life, but you are also reducing your negative effect on the environment, aka your "carbon footprint." You can do even more for the environment by adapting a vegan diet-- something that I foresee in my future but I am not quite there yet.
According to this article from the Huffington Post Green, a study that was done to compare the greenhouse gas emissions between people with various diets such as carnivores, vegetarians, and vegans. The study heeded results that show that the green house gas emissions from meat-eaters are almost twice than those of a vegan. Not that the person themselves emits more greenhouse gas, but they help to contribute to the problem. The transportation of livestock, the production of the meat, the burning of fossil fuels at farms, and all the water used in farming livestock contribute to global climate change.
A fact from Body + Soul Magazine cited in this blog from reducefootprints.blogspot.com states that If 10,000 people replaced a beef meal with a vegetarian meal only once a week per year, the planet would save enough water to fill 605 Olympic-sized pools. Wut. I really have no idea how much water that is, but it sounds like a lot, so that makes it crazy. If you are interested, you can read through both of those blog posts for other facts and interesting information about how cutting meat out from your diet reduces your carbon footprint.
You don't have to become a vegetarian overnight-- or even at all. You could just replace one meal per week with a vegetarian meal and you'd help reduce your carbon footprint tremendously. And, it gets easier over time. I love cooking and I love food and I still basically eat whatever I want. Even (fake) chicken nuggets which taste exactly like actual chicken nuggets. More and more restaurants offer vegetarian and vegan options, and if you like to cook like me, you can experiment and make your own dishes. One of my go-to dishes is just a vegetable stir fry that is filling and delicious.Last night I made grilled veggie burritos with rice, beans, cheese, and salsa. I'm just trying to point out that it's really not as hard as it sounds and you can still eat really good food! I never feel like I'm missing out.
I challenge my readers to just try replacing one meal a week for a few weeks with a meatless meal. Comment and let me know about your experiences! I would also be happy to answer any questions you may have! Good luck :)
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