His point was that we cannot realistically sustain the level of meat that we are currently consuming. His argument isn’t against eating meat entirely, it’s against the current manner in which our meat is produced – 99% through factory farms.
I'll admit that I haven't read this book or any of the other "biggies" about factory farming. I've gleaned enough from the snippets I've read or other commentary to make the purposeful choice NOT to read them. That may sound weird, but let me explain.
I'm at the first step of what I plan on being a MAJOR, and therefore, lengthy conversion of my diet. I feel like if I were to read the "biggies" about factory farming, particularly as relates to meat, I would be forced to make sweeping changes for which neither my family or bank account is ready. So I'm actually sticking my head in the sand for now. And I'm okay with that.
I haven't really thought about the actual steps per se, but maybe it's time to do that. First, I wanted to improve the quality of the foods I'm eating. While my diet is not perfect and nor will it ever be, I can say without a doubt, that it's probably 100% better already. I've quit the fast foods almost entirely and also quit the frozen dinner lunches. I think my foods are now fresher, have more nutrients, and are more whole.
Second, I want to drastically cut down on the amount of meat I'm eating and replace it with plant based proteins. I've been eating quinoa and beans like no one's business. Admittedly, my colon complained a little bit at the beginning, but after about a week, it settled down too. So far, I suspect I've cut down my meat intake by about 40%. I'm starting to think of meat as more of a garnish, something to be added to soups or other meals for flavoring, but certainly not the star of the meal.
Circling back to my link to Emily's post, I had begun to get a feeling that our American obsession with meat was a unhealthy in a lot of different ways. The quantity of meat and the quality of meat that we're eating cannot be good. I feel confident in that even if I haven't read all the literature. Yet. So today when I picked a veggie patty at Subway (hey, sometimes circumstance forces your hand), I felt that I was making a better choice for me, but also for the environment. It's win-win.
I think step 3 will be incorporating more vegetarian meals into our family meals. As part of this, I'd like to cut out some of the admittedly crappy meat we've been feeding the kids. So my plan is to introduce vegetarian Tuesday dinners. Hubby cannot cook on Tuesdays, so the menu on these days is pretty much up to me. Also, he hates to eat a big meal before his soccer games on those nights. So a light, veggie-concentrated meal would be perfect, no?
Next steps will include eating better quality meat, better quality cheese, eating locally grown produce, growing my own produce(eek!), better eggs, stricter adherence to the dirty dozen/clean dozen rules and who knows what else. Or in what order.
It's a process, baby.
Circling back to my link to Emily's post, I had begun to get a feeling that our American obsession with meat was a unhealthy in a lot of different ways. The quantity of meat and the quality of meat that we're eating cannot be good. I feel confident in that even if I haven't read all the literature. Yet. So today when I picked a veggie patty at Subway (hey, sometimes circumstance forces your hand), I felt that I was making a better choice for me, but also for the environment. It's win-win.
I think step 3 will be incorporating more vegetarian meals into our family meals. As part of this, I'd like to cut out some of the admittedly crappy meat we've been feeding the kids. So my plan is to introduce vegetarian Tuesday dinners. Hubby cannot cook on Tuesdays, so the menu on these days is pretty much up to me. Also, he hates to eat a big meal before his soccer games on those nights. So a light, veggie-concentrated meal would be perfect, no?
Next steps will include eating better quality meat, better quality cheese, eating locally grown produce, growing my own produce(eek!), better eggs, stricter adherence to the dirty dozen/clean dozen rules and who knows what else. Or in what order.
It's a process, baby.
No comments:
Post a Comment