In todays world it is almost impossible for anyone to escape the impact of environmental issues, the possibility of resource depletion, climate change, and skyrocketing inflation. Most of us likely feel helpless to do anything about all that is going on in our world.
But the first step is to ask yourself whether or not there is something we can do differently. What can we do as individuals that will have some sort of impact on where our world is going.
But most of us are hesitant to change because we feel as if our individual action will have little impact. If you really want to know more, then listen to this episode which is call Clean, Green and Simple; Give Veggies a Chance.
Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E113 which is called Clean, Green and Simple: Give Veggies a Chance.
Now before we get started you have to know that I have no intention of becoming a vegetarian nor am I even advocating it. I grew up with two working farms in the family. Annette and I raise chickens and turkeys for the meat and the eggs. We have about 200 pounds of meat in our freezer and about 50 quarts of canned meat in our cellar. I have been raising animals for food most of my life and even do all of the processing myself because it save a considerable amount of money.Obviously I love eating meat. But between raising our own and purchasing animals from local farms and ranches, we rarely buy supermarket meat anymore.
But I also have to say that during the time that I’ve been producing this podcast my thinking and approach to sustainability has changed. This is mostly because the more I educated myself on the topic the more I realized there were so many areas in my own life where I could make considerable improvements.
For example, we started growing even more of our food than we did before. We slowly started going plastic free. We have almost completely eliminated the use of paper products. We never purchase single use products of any sort. We have gotten a lot more creative with home cooking. I even went so far as to change how and who I was working for and I was able to reduce my commuting by 50%. And this past year I added a sun room on the south facing side of the cabin so we could take advantage of passive solar heating which increases the efficiency of the cabin.So, we have made considerable changes over the past 2 years.
In the end I never expect everyone to take things as far as I do. I have this over achieving mentality that is both a blessing and a curse. What that means is if I am determined to accomplish something I stick to my guns and get after it. I also think that if I am going to do something then I am going to do it right. That is why I feel so strongly about the fact that there are so many changes we can all make in our lives in order to live more sustainably. And one of the major areas where we can all have a significant impact is what and how we eat.
Even though I go to great lengths to raise my own meat and buy local, there is one fact I can never escape. Raising meat as a protein source has a significantly greater environmental impact than a plant based diet. I compensate for a lot of that by raising my own and buying local. However, with our trend toward urbanization in our modern culture, most people are either not willing or not able to do that.
What I have decided to do is start experimenting much more extensively with plant based recipes and protein sources. It helps of course that I already love to cook and try many different recipes. It also helps that I work with a lot of vegetarians and vegans so I get plenty of tips on a regular basis.
At the end of the day my underlying goal is to reduce my meat consumption by at least 25%. But speaking from a cultural perspective, as Americans we already consume almost three times as much protein as we need. Even if everyone reduced their meat consumption by 25% we would still be eating too much protein. Consequently, it is possible for most of us to make some very dramatic changes and still be eating the meat we love.
Environmental Perspective
But let’s first take a look at things from an environmental perspective.
There is no doubt that human activity has completely reshaped our planet. Approximately 75% of the land on Earth and 66% of ocean areas have been “significantly altered” by human activity. And this alteration is driven mostly by the production of food. Agricultural operations currently utilize about 50% of Earth’s land surface and 75% of its freshwater resources. Of the land that is utilized for agriculture, 77% is used for livestock.
Yet livestock only provides 18% of the world’s calories and 37% of the total protein.
What this means is that meat production, in particular beef, is by far the most destructive to the environment. Sheep are next in line and chicken and pork production are at the lower end of the scale for being the least damaging.
Furthermore we also know that our agricultural activities by far have the largest impact on ecosystems that people depend on for food, clean water and a stable climate. The consequences of all of our human activity is a massive loss of habitat and species extinction. What most people do not realize is that this loss of species and habitats is as much a danger to life on Earth as climate change. The end result is that we are eroding the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide because we insist on producing vast quantities of meat especially beef.
The take away here is that our present means of producing our food, especially meat, is simply not sustainable. If we simply maintain the status quo, also considering the fact that we have to continually increase our production due to a growing population, eventually we are going to be in trouble.
Health Prospective
But besides the obvious environmental affects, what about the affects on our health because of the way we eat and how did we get to this point?Truly over the course of thousands of years humanity has experimented with various food processing methods to meet the needs of an evolving culture. As time has passed we have become much more sophisticated in our methods. That said, the evolution of food processing was driven by many factors.
The loss of British and French seaman during the Napoleonic Wars lead to the production of tinned food. Margarine was actually developed due to shortages in edible animal fat in the 1860s. The very popular chocolate spread Nutella was developed due to cocoa shortages during WWII. During the early 20th century domestic situations in the American home began to change. This was because many people were drawn to well paying factory jobs which meant the responsibilityfor cooking as well as other domestic chores were expected to be taken care of by more middle class women. There was a rising niche for convenience food. Thus the dawn of canned soups, canned biscuits, powder ingredients, as well as many other products.
Believe it or not in the 1950s, C.A. Swanson & Sons came out with the first frozen ready-made dinner on the market. They had actually over estimated their turkey production for Thanksgiving and had to do something with the surplus.
So, as you can see, there have been a variety of factors that have driven innovations in food processing from hunger, poverty, wars, shortages, surpluses, new legislation, and even simple changes in domestic living situation. As you can most likely conclude the innovation in food processing is not always a bad thing.But again, the question becomes have we gone too far.
Our greater sophistication to our food processing means there are many additives to our foods to improve flavor, texture, and to preserve and sweeten food. There are roughly 5,000 substances that get directly added to our food. The FDA has absolutely no knowledge of an estimated 1,000 of those additive. Of the remaining 4,000, only 50% of those substances have ever under gone any sort of testing. What this means to me is that much of our processed food is nothing more than a laboratory experiment.
We are at the point where roughly 57% of the calories in our diet is from ultra-processed foods. It should therefore be no surprise that almost 40% of adults, and one in five adolescents worldwide are over weight. In the U.S. that is as much as 75% of the population,nearly half of Americans have some form of heart disease, 10% of us have diabetes, there is roughly a 7 % prevalence of depression and 1 in 6 Americans is on some sort of psychiatric drug. Furthermore, there is a lot of science that supports the fact the chronic, low-grade inflammation is truly a silent killer that contributes to cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and well as many other adverse health conditions.
Hopefully by now you see the obvious reasons as to why we should be changing our diet. If you do not feel any particular responsibility toward the environment because it is out of sight out of mind then at least take responsibility for yourself and your family and change your diet.
A Plant Based Diet
But as I clearly stated above, I have do desire to be vegetarian or vegan and that is not what I am advocating. But what I would propose is a less meat, better meat strategy. I spoke previously about my two year evolution of changes to make my life more sustainable. Now I am at the point where I truly realize I need to take a critical look at how I eat. I truly think it is worth making changes that will help the environment in light of what I now know. But people often shy away or even cringe if you mention vegetarian or vegan. But so often all it takes to make some much needed changes in our lives is simply a change in perspective.
After a little research on alternatives to a diet so heavily based on meat as the primary protein source, the concept I came across is what is called a plant-based diet. Obviously a plant based diet includes being vegetarian, vegan, or pescatarian. But this concept does not exclude meat. It simply means you eat more plants. Think in terms of 2/3 of your meals being plant based and 1/3 being meat instead of making meat the main course. And making meat the main course is what I have so often done for most of my life and that is the consequence of how I was raised.
This type of diet is based on eating a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains as well as seeds, nuts, and beans. The high protein portion of your meal should be a lean meat such as chicken, fish, or a plant based source. If you have access to lean game meat like I do that is a good choice as well.
Think of a plant based diet as placing a higher priority on plant-derived foods as opposed to meat. Think in terms of consuming food that is as close as possible to its natural state, which means preparing them from scratch. Furthermore you have to realize there are many other healthy sources of protein and we have to stop equating protein with meat.
Why a Plant Based Diet?
Advantages
One thing is for sure, whenever I come across some concept that is different from what I am accustomed to, the first thing I ask is “But why?” Where is the science? Show me! So that is the big question. Why should be change to a plant based diet? What are the benefits?
It is known that plants have essential nutrients that support our immune systems. Two important components in plants are phytochemical and antioxidants.
Phytochemicals are compounds produced by plants that produce resistance to bacteria, fungi, and viruses and also help to prevent consumption by insects and even animals.
Antioxidants are molecules that fight free radicals. Very simply put, a free radical is an unstable molecule that is formed during normal cellular metabolism. If free radicals build up in our cells they can damage other vital cellular components. We naturally have antioxidants that our bodies use to keep free radicals in check. However, antioxidants are found in much higher levels in foods such as fruits, vegetables, as well as other plant-based whole foods. Certain foods are known to increase the formation of free radicals in our systems. For example, fats and oils, alcohol, as well as cooked and processed meats.
These same chemicals in plants also helps to reduce inflammation by neutralizing toxins from bacteria, viruses, processed foods and pollution.
Plants are also naturally high in fiber, which is the substance that makes up the structure of the plant. Fiber is present in all unprocessed foods. Eating more fiber lowers cholesterol, stabilizes your blood sugar, improves your gut healthy which helps you to absorb more of the nutrients in foods that support your immune systems and reduce inflammation. Prolonged inflammation has long been proven to increase your risk of cancer, arthritis, as well as many other diseases. Maintaining a diet high in fiber also promotes weight loss.
The bottom line is that the primary benefits to a plant based diet is it boosts your immune systems, reduces inflammation, increases your intake of fiber, promotes weight loss and reduces your risk of cancer.
A plant based diet also brings some other benefits such asan enormous variety of food, meals can be prepared quickly, it is far less expensive than a meat-based diet. Further, eating less meat also aids in the prevention of the exploitation and cruelty to animals.
At the end of the day, what we really need to do is stop equating meat to protein. There are plenty of plants that are excellent sources of protein.But once again, it is truly about balance and moderation.
Disadvantages
Now, despite all the benefits of a plant based diet, as you would expect there is also a down side.
Fresh produce is much more perishable. You have to be careful to purchase only what you need for a couple of days in order to avoid food waste.
Plant based diets, such as vegetarian and vegan, have the potential of being protein deficient. A lot of plant-based proteins are incomplete, meaning they do not have a full compliment of aminos acids. On the other hand, meat-based proteins are complete. So, if you lean heavily toward plant based proteins be sure to eat a combination of things in order to balance your protein sources. Things such as quinoa, lentils, and chia seeds are complete proteins and can supply the appropriate quantity and combination of amino acids.
Plant based diets can be deficient in certain nutrients such as iron, calcium, and B12. Plant based iron is not as bioavailable as animal based iron. This means you body does not absorb it as readily. You can improve this by eating foods containing vitamin C, vitamin A, meat, fish and poultry. To increase your calcium from plant based sources, pair foods with things high in vitamin D such are dark leafy vegetables. Also, plants do not contain vitamin B 12 so you have to consume foods fortified in B12, consume nutritional yeast or take a B12 supplement.
And one final thing, I did come across a research article published in the British Medical Journal that focused on the risk of heart disease and stroke in meat eaters, fish eaters and vegetarians. The conclusion was that vegetarians and vegans have a 20% greater risk of stroke compared to meat eaters.I do have a link to this article in the resources section of the transcript for this episode. But know that it is an article intended for medical professionals so it is loaded with medical terminology.
Tips for getting started on a plant based diet
Now if you have ever considered a considerable change in your diet then you know just how hard it can be at times. I think the key point here is to do this slowly. It does not have to be all or nothing and it does not have to happen over night. As I stated earlier, once I realized all the things I needed to change I did this transition over a 2 year period.
For example, as your refrigerator and cupboard start to get empty simply replace things with items with fresh vegetables and produce, things from the farmers market, plant based proteins and whole grains. Sometimes it is a matter of finding a happy medium.But to help you get started, add the following foods to your diet:
-Vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach and kale.
-All kinds of fresh fruit
-Whole grains such as quinoa, oats, barley, and brown rice.
-Legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, beans, and peanuts
-Whole and unprocessed nuts
-Multiple types of seeds such as flax, sesame, chia, and pumpkin
-A large variety of spices
-Unsweetened beverages such as tea, coffee, sparkling water.
Foods to avoid
Now in my opinion if you want to maintain a balanced healthy diet, these are foods you should avoid anyway,
-Fast foods and supermarket conveniences foods
-Highly refined grains such as white bread, white flour, and white rice
-Packaged baked goods such as cookies and chips
-Highly processed meats such as bacon, sausage, lunch meats
-Sweetened beverages
-Highly refined cooking oils,
Maintain a Healthy Balance
I truly think that at the end of the day, like so many other things, it is about maintain a healthy balance. I also think that is the key to sustainability. Whatever diet you choose, it is still possible to go about it in an unhealthy way. I have personally known plenty of vegetarians and vegans that were thin and very unhealthy because they did not properly manage their diet. The same is true for those of us that eat meat.
Whatever diet you choose, there are some common factors that will keep you healthy.
-Cook at home;
-Cook from basic ingredients.
-Avoid deep frying.
-Use low fat cooking methods such as boiling and steaming
-Minimize the addition of sugars and sweetness
-Avoid cooking at high temperatures and browning food
-Avoid consumption of processed foods
-Add plenty of vegetables and fruits
-Cook with olive oil and canola oil
-Replace refined grains with whole grains
-Reduce your salt intake. One way to do this is replace the salt with a variety of herbs and spices. By doing so you can vary the taste and work in some great antioxidants.
Summary
Clean, Green, and Simple/Give Veggies a Chance
You know when it comes to producing this podcast, I love doing the research and reviewing studies on various topics because I always learn something.
Like so many other things when it comes to transitioning to renewable energy, or shifting the focus in our lives to something more sustainable, or in this case changing our diets, it always takes a little bit of time to shift our habits. For me at least, quite often it helps if I gain a little insight and learn the “why” portion of the equation. Why should I do this or that? Why should I purchase this and not that? Why should I change my diet? Learning the answers to such questions gives you a different perspective and most likely gives you a little motivation.
Hopefully this episode has done just that. My goal with the information I have presented here was to give you a different perspective. The environmental and health benefits for changing our diets are quite obvious. Perhaps a different perspective is all that is needed to get you motivated to do just that.
Clean, Green and Simple/Give Veggies a Chance.
This weekend I am going to do just that. I am going to try a new recipe which is a Mexican Quinoa dish using a vegetable based broth and of course with no meat. It is not needed because Quinoa is a complete protein. Then I am going to find a second recipe to try out mid week. So I challenge all of you this week to do the same. Try some plant based meals and give veggies a chance.
Well that’s about all I have for this week folks. Don’t forget to download the transcript for this episode because I have referenced 8 difference sources for some rather interesting and informative reading.
I hope you have enjoyed this episode.If you have then please take the time to leave me with a review and subscribe to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast as well as my companion blog Off Grid Living News.
And don’t forget to join me next week for another exciting episode. Until then, this is your host Patrick signing off. Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future.
