As I was contemplating what exactly my last Green Change for this challenge should be, it had occurred to me that a stronger, more challenging impact must be made. Sadly for me; a picky eater, I was faced with one of my most daring yet inspiring tests—no meat for one day of the week. This test will question the lengths I will go, to help better my planet and home.
Meatetarian; I bet you have never heard such a word. But in my household this word exists. For meat is an essential part of one's diet, not to mention it’s one of the most delicious too. Personally, I could not live without meat. I’m not sure what it is about my taste buds, but they always seem to disagree with certain flavors. I am constantly trying to incorporate all the food groups into my daily diet, but vegetables just don’t seem to cooperate. By Meatetarian, I mean I love meat; it’s not that I don’t eat any vegetables, just not as much as I should. Lets just say cooked vegetables are by far my worst nightmare, the taste and the texture throw me off completely. Fresh, cold salads or nicely cut raw veggies on the other hand sound perfectly tasty to me.
So, to widen my horizon and to help save the environment, I have decided that my Meatetarian persona must be monitored, and I will eat vegetarian one day of the week.
People choose vegetarianism for many different reasons, some resulting in the way the animal has been killed, the impact the meat has on their body, ones religious beliefs or maybe they just do not enjoy the taste of meat. An article that I had read stated that 27 billion animals are killed each year for human consumption. For many people this number is too high, and they have to make a personal decision. Another result to vegetarianism is the constant worry of where the meat has come from and the risk factors that follow; in the same article I read that 9.8% of food poisoning is a result of infected meat. I mean who wants to digest food that they know nothing about, or perhaps are uncertain where the meat has come from and who exactly handles it.
The reason behind my vegetarian motive stems from the effects that is has on our environment, for without earth we would not be able to survive. What many people do not recognize is that it takes a lot of land mass and transportation to raise the cattle and ship the final product off to grocery stores and markets.
Another website I had come across during my research underlines the amount of CO2 being placed in our air and atmosphere by transportation of food. It was estimated that 9% of carbon dioxide emissions are being released by the transportation of food products. In the UK approximately 19 million tones of carbon dioxide is released into the air and atmosphere and 2 million resulting in transportation. Thus leading to markets and local food stores to become more popular, for the food is fresh and produces less CO2 in our environment.
The last website I had turned to for extra information underlines into further detail the amount of beef that gets produced followed by the impact it leaves behind on our environment. For example, 1 kilogram of beef creates more greenhouse gas than driving a vehicle around the city for 3 hours. Akifumi Ogino, the lead investigator of the National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science was interested to figure out the overall cost of raising the cattle, killing the cattle and transporting the cattle, after his work was completed a shocking number was discovered. A simple kilogram of beef creates 36.4 kilograms of CO2. This number is jaw dropping, I mean I cannot believe the amount of energy and gasses that it takes in order to produce a very small-scale amount of food. Perhaps eating no meat for one day out of the week won't hurt me, and it sure will play its part on our environment even if it’s baby steps at a time. Reducing my own consumption will not only help me protect our environment but it also help my personal determination abilities.
I decided to add a few examples of the different meals and snacks that I had used to replace meat products and start a healthy diet. These are only a few examples:
<< Healthy Yogurt, a nice meat free snack.
I decided to add a few examples of the different meals and snacks that I had used to replace meat products and start a healthy diet. These are only a few examples:
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| Activia Yogourt. 15 Dec. 2010. Personal photograph by author. JPEG file. |
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| Almonds. 15 Dec. 2010. Personal photograph by author. JPEG file. |
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| Peanut butter wrap. 15 Dec. 2010. Personal photograph by author. JPEG file. |
This is a crunchy peanut butter wrap, quick and easy to prepare, yet this also makes a tasty lunch, again this item does not include any meat products.
Celery sticks are another way to stay healthy and eat luscious green snacks. With a touch of peanut butter or cheese whiz this snack is extra tasty. *Salads are also a great substitute for a big, meaty meal, they fill you up and you can eat as much as you want without worrying about how much you consume.
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| Celery Sticks. 15 Dec. 2010. Personal photograph by author. JPEG file. |
Pasta, and rice are yet another way to fulfill your appetite without having to consume meat, and help play your part in our environment. They are very healthy and delicious meals, and lets face it, how bad can one day be?
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| Pasta. 15 Dec. 2010. Personal photograph by author. JPEG file. |
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| Kraft Dinner. 15 Dec. 2010. Personal photograph by author. JPEG file. |
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| Rice-Uncle Ben's. 15 Dec. 2010. Personal photograph by author. JPEG file. |
Here is a grapefruit, fruits and veggies are very important to make sure you incorporate in your diet. This is one example of what I like, but there is also many different types of fruits and veggies that can be purchased. Again these are foods that one can eat in order to stay healthy and avoid meat products.
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| Grapefruit. 15 Dec. 2010. Personal photograph by author. JPEG file. |
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