Meat
Americans consume a lot of meat. Meat consumption is sometimes viewed as a symbol of our prosperity and strength. This is meat industry marketing. Meat consumption is cruel, devastating to our planet (factory farming is the cause of 18% of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere), and unnecessary. The meat industry is going down unknown paths in the name of creating more plentiful and healthy meat. But their real goal is profit. - how to produce the most at the least expense to themselves, and then convince everyone to buy and eat more of it. We are their unknowing guinea pigs for artificial growth hormones, genetically modified feed, irradiation and massive doses of antibiotics. The last two are necessary due to the filthy, overcrowded conditions where often animal cages are piled one on top of another. All this is legal, and the government has ruled meat companies do not have to inform you that your dinner was produced in such a fashion - shame on the USDA! The same rings true for dairy products and eggs.
What should you do? I don't expect everyone out there to become vegans (I'm not even a vegan), or even vegetarians. Instead, I recommend making a conscious effort to reduce your intake of animal based food. Do you eat meat with every meal? Try limiting it to only one meal a day. Eat it once a day? Go to once every other day. There are many normal, tasty meals you can cook without meat. Pizza and pasta are both as good without meat as with it. Try it! Even these smaller cutbacks can make a huge difference for your health, the planet, and may even be a step toward preventing world hunger. (The amount of food produced by feeding grain to animals for meat is much smaller than the amount of food you could get just from eating the grain). It's been estimated that if Americans cut back their meat consumption by a mere ten percent, we would save enough grain to feed all the starving people in the world. Probably not that simple, but it's something to think about.
What should you do? I don't expect everyone out there to become vegans (I'm not even a vegan), or even vegetarians. Instead, I recommend making a conscious effort to reduce your intake of animal based food. Do you eat meat with every meal? Try limiting it to only one meal a day. Eat it once a day? Go to once every other day. There are many normal, tasty meals you can cook without meat. Pizza and pasta are both as good without meat as with it. Try it! Even these smaller cutbacks can make a huge difference for your health, the planet, and may even be a step toward preventing world hunger. (The amount of food produced by feeding grain to animals for meat is much smaller than the amount of food you could get just from eating the grain). It's been estimated that if Americans cut back their meat consumption by a mere ten percent, we would save enough grain to feed all the starving people in the world. Probably not that simple, but it's something to think about.
