Going Vegetarian
How do you get enough protein if you do not eat meat? This is a question I get ALL the time. My answer is that there is protein in almost every food that I consume as a vegetarian, a concept that is sometimes hard for people to understand. We have unfortunately been taught that we can only get protein from meat and dairy, and our bones will only be strong if we drink cow’s milk; this is far from correct. That being said, I also want to be clear from the start that I definitely understand the financial and cultural reasons why people eat meat. I think it’s important, though, to simultaneously recognize the inhumane practices of factory farming, which allows us to criticize the conditions that allow them to thrive and, therefore, make their food options cheaper than other, more healthy and less destructive foods.
I decided to give up meat and become vegetarian in January 2015 for a combination of reasons: I wanted to save animals from living their entire lives in cramped cages, decrease my carbon footprint by eating lower on the food chain, and just generally make my diet healthier. The transition was relatively easy for me. For one thing, I was never a big red meat eater. And I live in vegetarian-friendly places.
I now get my protein from vegetables, fruits, grains, beans, legumes, kale, spinach, spirulina, and the list goes on. Plant protein is a much more reliable source of protein because it comes directly from the plant, whereas the protein we receive from meat is a secondary source of protein. The only reason we get protein from meat is because cows, chickens, and turkeys are fed plant protein, which is absorbed into their systems. When we consume meat, therefore, we are consuming that plant protein but at a much lower energy-intensive level than if we eat plants directly.
There are also environmental reasons to eat less meat. A recent study showed that in an average American diet, beef consumption annually produces 1,984 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. By replacing beef with plants, you would reduce that figure by 96 percent, bringing it down to 73 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually. With the environment in mind, cutting factory meat and dairy out of one’s diet seems to be among the smartest things one could do. That being said, we must not put the onus on individuals and, instead, push to end the mass production of inhumane meat farming, which takes up so much agriculture production that could, instead, be eaten directly by humans.
On a personal health level, red meat is one of the leading causes of heart disease and other illnesses. It is not only high in fat but also cholesterol and calories. Eating meat puts you at a higher risk of foodborne illness, and most meat is filled with hormones.
I am by no means telling you to completely cut meat out of your diet, but I instead wanted to share with you the reasons why I decided to do so, given that I get asked about it a fair amount. I definitely recommend trying to go vegetarian a few days a week if you can and seeing how you feel!
