Why meatless?

What benefits are there to “meatless” meals? Well, besides improving your health, cutting down on meat consumption actually has significant impacts on the environment.

If each family in the United States cut out meat just once a week (i.e. Meatless Mondays) that would be a 14% reduction in meat consumption, times that 52 weeks of the year, and the impact would be significant. In fact, it takes approximately 1850 gallons of water to produce and process one pound of meat compared to 39 gallons for a single pound of vegetables. That’s A LOT of water saved!

In addition, the carbon footprint of animal products is significantly higher. Just looking at the production of greenhouse gases is enough to make us all stop and think about what we are consuming. According to the Earth Day Network, if the entire country eliminated meat and cheese for one day of the week, it would be the equivalent of not driving 91 billion miles, or taking 7.6 million cars off the road.

Where do I get protein if it doesn’t come from meat or animal products?

This is a common question among meat-eaters. Believe it or not, we do not have a protein deficiency in our country. The average female needs 46 grams of protein and the average male needs about 56. Most Americans today get double of what they actually need according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

But the good news here is that protein IS found in almost all of your plants anyways (where do you think cows, elephants or rhinos get their protein from?). Beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds are the best and most efficient sources of plant protein. And there’s plenty of delicious ways to mix up these plant proteins so you won’t even miss the meat (or cheese!).

Here’s an excellent recipe that provides an easy and tasty way to get the protein you need without animal products.