More ethical diet under constraints
March 6, 2017 12:44 AM Subscribe
I'd like to eat in a way that, compared to my current omnivore diet, reduces suffering for animals and the environment. I have the following constraints: PCOS (best under control with a low-carb diet, possibly affected by too much soy), hypothyroidism (not sure this is relevant), and being a parent of two little kids (generally overwhelmed, willing to eat differently from them if it's not too much work).
What are small-ish steps that have the greatest positive impact?
Should I start by ditching meat? Milk? Cheese? Eggs? Can I eat low-carb and ethically and keep soy within limits (if that is indeed a concern, is it?) and keep things simple, or is that too much to ask? Am I right in thinking that taking small steps, biggest-impact substitution first, is the way to go for me or is there a better approach?
I'm not at all up to date on what to keep in mind when going toward a vegetarian or eventually vegan diet, explanations are very welcome, especially those that take into account my wacky hormones.
Should I start by ditching meat? Milk? Cheese? Eggs? Can I eat low-carb and ethically and keep soy within limits (if that is indeed a concern, is it?) and keep things simple, or is that too much to ask? Am I right in thinking that taking small steps, biggest-impact substitution first, is the way to go for me or is there a better approach?
I'm not at all up to date on what to keep in mind when going toward a vegetarian or eventually vegan diet, explanations are very welcome, especially those that take into account my wacky hormones.
Taking small steps is definitely a good idea. I gave up meat two years ago, and I think that doing it while trying to stay low-carb would be challenging. You might even try doing one or two meatless days per week until you've built up a nice collection of easy, go-to vegetarian recipes for days when you don't have much time or energy to cook. Also, if you're not in the habit of tracking your calories, carbs, and proteins, it might be a good idea to start now; beans and lentils are good sources of protein when you're avoiding meat/dairy/cheese and soy, but you would probably want to track your amounts closely because of carbs.
posted by neushoorn at 2:54 AM on March 6, 2017
posted by neushoorn at 2:54 AM on March 6, 2017
I too have been thinking a lot about this, and arrived at the same conclusion as jrobin. Currently we are eating a pig that my kids have seen happily frolicking in the mud this summer, and we only eat free-range and organic eggs and dairy products from grass-fed cows. I think it is important to support those farms that raise animals ethically, if we didn't there would only be factory farming. Right now, more and more people are seeing that there are alternatives and they are sustainable.
(Also, since sound products are more expensive, this leads us to eating more vegetables too)
posted by mumimor at 3:03 AM on March 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
(Also, since sound products are more expensive, this leads us to eating more vegetables too)
posted by mumimor at 3:03 AM on March 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
Have you heard of Vegan Before Six? My husband is trying it right now and is really happy with it.
posted by CMcG at 4:13 AM on March 6, 2017
posted by CMcG at 4:13 AM on March 6, 2017
I belive that lack of iodine can affect the thyroid and that iodine can only be found in animal products, and this is similar to B 12. There are found a lot in seafood products i think.
I have thyroid issues and when i was vegan for ethical reasons i felt the most exhausted i ever have in my life unfortunately. I felt better when i added back meat. For ethical reasons i still stay away from red meat mostly, and i try to buy eggs, poultry and seafood that is humanely raised. (But can't always, honestly)
posted by bearette at 4:14 AM on March 6, 2017
I have thyroid issues and when i was vegan for ethical reasons i felt the most exhausted i ever have in my life unfortunately. I felt better when i added back meat. For ethical reasons i still stay away from red meat mostly, and i try to buy eggs, poultry and seafood that is humanely raised. (But can't always, honestly)
posted by bearette at 4:14 AM on March 6, 2017
While it's great to make choices that won't contribute to further harm, just know that you won't be making any measurable impact. Remember to donate the money you save not buying meat or dairy to causes that effectively lobby for ethical treatment for animals.
posted by greta simone at 4:17 AM on March 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by greta simone at 4:17 AM on March 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
there are no ethical individual consumers in late capitalism; consumer choices rarely have measurable impact, it's true.
that being said, people i know with hormonal issues or PCOS generally follow low carb diets and eat meat, and when they eat more carbs they tend to feel worse and can't wait to get back on the low carb wagon once again. if you need iodine in your diet for thyroid function, remember to use iodized salt.
concentrate on eating food that is grown or locally produced in your area, and eat in season. soy products and imported produce might be vegan or vegetarian, but if they have to travel hundreds or thousands of miles to get to you, then they're generating plenty of greenhouse emissions. if you have farmers in your area look into into community supported agriculture for produce, or meat shares i.e. when you buy a share in the harvest or a portion of an animal (butchered and vacuum packed). in my experience this has been the most cost effective way to go about getting local good quality food. if you can't do farm shares, then max out the farmer's markets in season!
posted by zdravo at 4:26 AM on March 6, 2017
that being said, people i know with hormonal issues or PCOS generally follow low carb diets and eat meat, and when they eat more carbs they tend to feel worse and can't wait to get back on the low carb wagon once again. if you need iodine in your diet for thyroid function, remember to use iodized salt.
concentrate on eating food that is grown or locally produced in your area, and eat in season. soy products and imported produce might be vegan or vegetarian, but if they have to travel hundreds or thousands of miles to get to you, then they're generating plenty of greenhouse emissions. if you have farmers in your area look into into community supported agriculture for produce, or meat shares i.e. when you buy a share in the harvest or a portion of an animal (butchered and vacuum packed). in my experience this has been the most cost effective way to go about getting local good quality food. if you can't do farm shares, then max out the farmer's markets in season!
posted by zdravo at 4:26 AM on March 6, 2017
Response by poster: One more constraint that seems relevant: I live in Sweden. I haven't looked deeply into this, but it looks like agriculture is quite centrally organized and it's not easy to find something like farm shares or buy directly from farmers. Farmers' markets are also not really a thing as from what I can tell, there's a very limited range of fruits and vegetables that grow in this climate. There are some certification labels on food ("krav" for example) that promise ecologic/organic origins, and we're already buying them when possible, but I'm not sure this is doing much.
posted by meijusa at 4:37 AM on March 6, 2017
posted by meijusa at 4:37 AM on March 6, 2017
That article (posted by greta simone) Is really disingenuous - ethical choices aren't a zero-sum game, it's not as if you are banned from supporting good politics if you eat organic vegetables. You can do both. Easily. Consumer choices and political incentives combined can change market behaviour and they do. Within the EU, many dairy farmers are changing to organic and grass-fed because consumers are willing to pay the extra price while farmers can get governmental and EU support for the transition.
If you buy certified organic food within the EU, the regulations cover ethical farming as well as freedom from pollutants and GMOs.
In Sweden, it seems COOP has a strong focus on organic and ethical food products, including meat and dairy. (Link to COOP.se article on expanding choice of organic products, mentions ethics)
posted by mumimor at 5:13 AM on March 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
If you buy certified organic food within the EU, the regulations cover ethical farming as well as freedom from pollutants and GMOs.
In Sweden, it seems COOP has a strong focus on organic and ethical food products, including meat and dairy. (Link to COOP.se article on expanding choice of organic products, mentions ethics)
posted by mumimor at 5:13 AM on March 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
Especially if you can't buy locally from small farms, this chart which shows the average greenhouse gas emissions of various products may be helpful.
Nuts, sunflower seeds, and seitan are good animal-free, soy-free, lower carb choices. Adding them in gradually may help you decrease animal products. The carbohydrates in legumes don't affect me the same way as in grains; YMMV. The nutritional yeast sauce in this broccoli rice casserole is weirdly good and can be used on lower-carb foods like cauliflower.
posted by metasarah at 6:23 AM on March 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
Nuts, sunflower seeds, and seitan are good animal-free, soy-free, lower carb choices. Adding them in gradually may help you decrease animal products. The carbohydrates in legumes don't affect me the same way as in grains; YMMV. The nutritional yeast sauce in this broccoli rice casserole is weirdly good and can be used on lower-carb foods like cauliflower.
posted by metasarah at 6:23 AM on March 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
I live in Sweden. I haven't looked deeply into this, but it looks like agriculture is quite centrally organized and it's not easy to find something like farm shares or buy directly from farmers.
If you are concerned about the ethics of the food you eat, it would be a good idea to closely look into the welfare of agricultural animals in Sweden. A lot of the information about animal welfare is very specific to the US. A lot of the horrifying farming practices you see on Facebook and online like calves in crates on fields and pigs on conveyer belts and chickens tethered in cramped cages are specific to the US, which has horrific animal welfare to support vast industrial farming. Farming in the EU is different. Within the EU, we have guidelines but each country's farming practices will differ. In Ireland, for example, all of our cattle is pastured and grass fed. dairy cattle here are living the dream. On the other hand, I buy organic chickens because the chicken issue and import clarity is not great here.
I am suggesting this because while I am not a nutritionist by any means, I think the stated goal of no meat, no, dairy, and low carbs and wisely avoiding soy would for me make it extremely challenging to get enough protein without making eating my full-time job.
posted by DarlingBri at 6:30 AM on March 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
If you are concerned about the ethics of the food you eat, it would be a good idea to closely look into the welfare of agricultural animals in Sweden. A lot of the information about animal welfare is very specific to the US. A lot of the horrifying farming practices you see on Facebook and online like calves in crates on fields and pigs on conveyer belts and chickens tethered in cramped cages are specific to the US, which has horrific animal welfare to support vast industrial farming. Farming in the EU is different. Within the EU, we have guidelines but each country's farming practices will differ. In Ireland, for example, all of our cattle is pastured and grass fed. dairy cattle here are living the dream. On the other hand, I buy organic chickens because the chicken issue and import clarity is not great here.
I am suggesting this because while I am not a nutritionist by any means, I think the stated goal of no meat, no, dairy, and low carbs and wisely avoiding soy would for me make it extremely challenging to get enough protein without making eating my full-time job.
posted by DarlingBri at 6:30 AM on March 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
I agree that if you want to eat animal products in a more humane way, your best bet is going to be contacting Swedish vegetarian and environmental groups. In the US, labels like "humane" and "free range" are basically meaningless, but that might not be true in Sweden.
Environmental issues are endlessly complicated and can be really counterintuitive. "Buying local" can often be less environmentally sustainable. A thousand individual farmers driving to local markets can use more fossil fuels than giant trucks coming from a distance with an equivalent amount of produce. Pasture-raised beef, while somewhat better for the animals, is actually less environmentally sustainable than factory farmed meat. The documentary Cowspiracy explains some of this. If you live in a cold climate, the energy spent on heating for production of agricultural products can be more than the increased fuel used for transportation from warmer climates that are far away. If you live in England, it's actually more environmentally friendly to buy lamb from New Zealand than local lamb. I am not saying there aren't other reasons to try to buy local - but there is no guarantee that it is better for the environment, and it is often worse.
If you are getting enough calories and not eating junk, protein is a complete nonissue even on a vegan diet. It is impossible to be protein deficient (again if you are getting enough calories and not just eating Oreos and Coke). If you ate only white potatoes, you would get enough protein. You do not need to worry about combining proteins - that is based on old science. If you go completely vegan, you will need to supplement B12. The Vegan RD is a good place to start for vegan nutrition. I don't contest that some people didn't feel well on a vegan diet - I am just saying that it wasn't because they were protein deficient.
As far as the best way to go about making change, that is very individual. Some people do really well making a complete change all at once. Other people do well taking small steps. I have been taking small steps toward veganism for a long time. Right now, I am vegan in my house and at work, but I sometimes eat meat when I eat out. Some people prefer to give up one thing at a time. Some activists suggest giving up chicken first because you will be responsible for fewer animal deaths that way, since chickens are so small. I have heard some who say that it's best to give up eggs first because the egg industry is so cruel (again, this is in the US). A lot of people don't eat veal because it is cruel, but don't realize that the veal industry is a byproduct of the dairy industry.
I really like the No Meat Athlete for a small step approach. He actually has some information on what he calls paleo vegetarian. If you want to try to make a big change all at once, the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine has a 21-day Vegan Kickstart program. Vegan.com is a good general website.
I know a lot of other resources, but I don't want to write a book here. If you have questions, feel free to MeMail me.
posted by FencingGal at 7:00 AM on March 6, 2017 [5 favorites]
Environmental issues are endlessly complicated and can be really counterintuitive. "Buying local" can often be less environmentally sustainable. A thousand individual farmers driving to local markets can use more fossil fuels than giant trucks coming from a distance with an equivalent amount of produce. Pasture-raised beef, while somewhat better for the animals, is actually less environmentally sustainable than factory farmed meat. The documentary Cowspiracy explains some of this. If you live in a cold climate, the energy spent on heating for production of agricultural products can be more than the increased fuel used for transportation from warmer climates that are far away. If you live in England, it's actually more environmentally friendly to buy lamb from New Zealand than local lamb. I am not saying there aren't other reasons to try to buy local - but there is no guarantee that it is better for the environment, and it is often worse.
If you are getting enough calories and not eating junk, protein is a complete nonissue even on a vegan diet. It is impossible to be protein deficient (again if you are getting enough calories and not just eating Oreos and Coke). If you ate only white potatoes, you would get enough protein. You do not need to worry about combining proteins - that is based on old science. If you go completely vegan, you will need to supplement B12. The Vegan RD is a good place to start for vegan nutrition. I don't contest that some people didn't feel well on a vegan diet - I am just saying that it wasn't because they were protein deficient.
As far as the best way to go about making change, that is very individual. Some people do really well making a complete change all at once. Other people do well taking small steps. I have been taking small steps toward veganism for a long time. Right now, I am vegan in my house and at work, but I sometimes eat meat when I eat out. Some people prefer to give up one thing at a time. Some activists suggest giving up chicken first because you will be responsible for fewer animal deaths that way, since chickens are so small. I have heard some who say that it's best to give up eggs first because the egg industry is so cruel (again, this is in the US). A lot of people don't eat veal because it is cruel, but don't realize that the veal industry is a byproduct of the dairy industry.
I really like the No Meat Athlete for a small step approach. He actually has some information on what he calls paleo vegetarian. If you want to try to make a big change all at once, the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine has a 21-day Vegan Kickstart program. Vegan.com is a good general website.
I know a lot of other resources, but I don't want to write a book here. If you have questions, feel free to MeMail me.
posted by FencingGal at 7:00 AM on March 6, 2017 [5 favorites]
I have a 3yo in my house, I decided to go vegan-ish in August, and my husband is an omnivore who is the main cook/buyer of groceries. Here is what helped us get started: find the fake meat/cheese that resembles your current lifestyle of cooking, and try replacing it. For us, in the US, this meant Gardein Chikn fingers and "fish" fingers. The 3yo likes the "fish" but not the "chikn", but I really love the "chikn". Similarly, we really liked breakfast sausage in the morning. I'm a big fan of the Field Roast brand vegan breakfast sausage now. It takes some trial and error - especially with dairy-free cheese - but finding the right replacement helps make the change go easier.
So a common evening meal during the week at our house is baked sweet potato puffs, baked chikn or "fish" (usually on the same tray), and then we have a bag of frozen mixed veggies (corn, green beans, peas, carrots, broccoli) we throw in the microwave. Done! Or baked potato in the microwave or toaster oven.
Some things that I loved like cheese spread has been an indirect replacement, like sliced avocado or nut butter. I try to think of what it is I am really craving - usually something fatty - so I think of some other savory fatty thing to eat.
Then also try experimenting with cooking a solely vegan meal on the weekend. With this, it can help if you start from a meal that was made originally vegan, like some Indian, Thai, Chinese, Mexican, etc, dishes. A fun read has been Mango & Mint: Arabian, Indian, and North African Inspired Vegan Cuisine. Of course, this depends on the age of your kids and their willingness to try new things, too.
If you are on facebook, the "What Fat Vegans Eat" is a great group to follow. Folks from around the world posting some of their favorite vegan meals and finds. This spans the gamut of the latest Oreo haul from the grocery to full on gluten free raw vegan wedding cake masterpieces. And it is well moderated with no shaming allowed, just positive feedback and questions. By immersing myself in that feed in my regular social media consumption, it helps reinforce my decision to go vegan.
What also helps is having a few trusted role models to help support you, as, at least in the US, going vegan or vegetarian has a bit of push-back. The lady behind The Vegan Tailor has been my role model and has helped me talk through some stumbles and some situations where I wasn't sure what the best path would be.
When I made the decision, the first thing I noticed was that I couldn't sleep. I hadn't added a B12 vitamin to my diet! Once I added that a couple times a week, with some sprinkling of "nooch" (B12 fortified nutritional yeast) on things I'd sprinkle parmesan or salt on, I sleep quite well.
Good luck and feel free to MeMail me.
posted by jillithd at 7:50 AM on March 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
So a common evening meal during the week at our house is baked sweet potato puffs, baked chikn or "fish" (usually on the same tray), and then we have a bag of frozen mixed veggies (corn, green beans, peas, carrots, broccoli) we throw in the microwave. Done! Or baked potato in the microwave or toaster oven.
Some things that I loved like cheese spread has been an indirect replacement, like sliced avocado or nut butter. I try to think of what it is I am really craving - usually something fatty - so I think of some other savory fatty thing to eat.
Then also try experimenting with cooking a solely vegan meal on the weekend. With this, it can help if you start from a meal that was made originally vegan, like some Indian, Thai, Chinese, Mexican, etc, dishes. A fun read has been Mango & Mint: Arabian, Indian, and North African Inspired Vegan Cuisine. Of course, this depends on the age of your kids and their willingness to try new things, too.
If you are on facebook, the "What Fat Vegans Eat" is a great group to follow. Folks from around the world posting some of their favorite vegan meals and finds. This spans the gamut of the latest Oreo haul from the grocery to full on gluten free raw vegan wedding cake masterpieces. And it is well moderated with no shaming allowed, just positive feedback and questions. By immersing myself in that feed in my regular social media consumption, it helps reinforce my decision to go vegan.
What also helps is having a few trusted role models to help support you, as, at least in the US, going vegan or vegetarian has a bit of push-back. The lady behind The Vegan Tailor has been my role model and has helped me talk through some stumbles and some situations where I wasn't sure what the best path would be.
When I made the decision, the first thing I noticed was that I couldn't sleep. I hadn't added a B12 vitamin to my diet! Once I added that a couple times a week, with some sprinkling of "nooch" (B12 fortified nutritional yeast) on things I'd sprinkle parmesan or salt on, I sleep quite well.
Good luck and feel free to MeMail me.
posted by jillithd at 7:50 AM on March 6, 2017 [3 favorites]
According to this source (which I think is pretty reliable, and I've seen similar numbers elsewhere), if you want to reduce your food-related carbon footprint, the most important things to cut out would be beef, lamb, cheese, pork and farmed salmon. If you still ate turkey, chicken, other dairy products, various different fishes and eggs, do you think that would be a workable situation?
Calculating the environmental cost of various food production methods is extremely complicated. There are some people who believe that organic food has a lower environmental impact because it uses fewer chemicals that are known to be toxic and occurs on a smaller scale (i.e. less mechanization, more human labor). However, I've actually seen reasonably strong arguments for "advanced conventional" methods having a lower carbon footprint because of the efficiency of modern farming methods. People on this side of the argument often point out that the impact of both organic-approved and non-organic agricultural chemicals aren't particularly well studied. Point being, choosing which is "worse" is hard and depends on which variables you care about the most.
The calculations regarding whether you should "eat local" can also be somewhat complex. Obviously if you grow your food in your own backyard, there are no transportation or middleman costs associated with it, and this is clearly the case with uber-local food purchased directly from farmers. But depending on HOW local "local" is, you might again run into economy of scale issues when comparing local food from 100 miles away, brought by an old truck, to conventional food that's in season from 500 miles away brought in 100x larger volume. You get the idea. It's really hard to figure out.
However, when it comes to meat, it's absolutely true that cows, sheep, etc., eat a LOT of food and consume a LOT of water in order to produce a relatively small amount of meat. Especially if that food is grain, grown on fields which could instead be used to grow plants for human consumption, or if the water has to be brought from elsewhere, the raising of these animals has a huge cost. Their poop also releases a ton of methane.
After more than a decade of wrestling with this stuff pretty much constantly, and fiddling with carbon footprint calculators all the time, here are my best recommendations for your situation. It goes without saying that many modern farming methods are breathtakingly inhumane, so I'll factor that in.
1. Give up beef and lamb, except for holidays, and when you get it, make sure the animals were pasture raised, which likely reduces environmental impact some (because they're not eating grain produced in a different field) and tends to go with better conditions for the animals
2. Limit pork and cheese. Maybe have pork once a week and limit yourself to 6 oz. of cheese per week or so? (We've done this for our family of 3 and it works pretty well.) Similarly, try to buy from ethical producers if possible.
3. Eat more chicken, turkey and fish. If you can manage to buy organic or wild, then this is an easy way to ensure you're not buying the most mistreated animals. Organic doesn't ensure a perfect life by any means, but when you're super busy it's an easy shorthand.
In your shoes, with limited time for fussing over the details, these would be my main goals. If you want to go one step further, only buy dairy from a source which has (non-awful) pictures on its website about its animals and their conditions. Bonus if you can actually visit. Last of all, you could start fussing about the sources of your vegetables.
posted by Cygnet at 8:17 AM on March 6, 2017 [2 favorites]
Calculating the environmental cost of various food production methods is extremely complicated. There are some people who believe that organic food has a lower environmental impact because it uses fewer chemicals that are known to be toxic and occurs on a smaller scale (i.e. less mechanization, more human labor). However, I've actually seen reasonably strong arguments for "advanced conventional" methods having a lower carbon footprint because of the efficiency of modern farming methods. People on this side of the argument often point out that the impact of both organic-approved and non-organic agricultural chemicals aren't particularly well studied. Point being, choosing which is "worse" is hard and depends on which variables you care about the most.
The calculations regarding whether you should "eat local" can also be somewhat complex. Obviously if you grow your food in your own backyard, there are no transportation or middleman costs associated with it, and this is clearly the case with uber-local food purchased directly from farmers. But depending on HOW local "local" is, you might again run into economy of scale issues when comparing local food from 100 miles away, brought by an old truck, to conventional food that's in season from 500 miles away brought in 100x larger volume. You get the idea. It's really hard to figure out.
However, when it comes to meat, it's absolutely true that cows, sheep, etc., eat a LOT of food and consume a LOT of water in order to produce a relatively small amount of meat. Especially if that food is grain, grown on fields which could instead be used to grow plants for human consumption, or if the water has to be brought from elsewhere, the raising of these animals has a huge cost. Their poop also releases a ton of methane.
After more than a decade of wrestling with this stuff pretty much constantly, and fiddling with carbon footprint calculators all the time, here are my best recommendations for your situation. It goes without saying that many modern farming methods are breathtakingly inhumane, so I'll factor that in.
1. Give up beef and lamb, except for holidays, and when you get it, make sure the animals were pasture raised, which likely reduces environmental impact some (because they're not eating grain produced in a different field) and tends to go with better conditions for the animals
2. Limit pork and cheese. Maybe have pork once a week and limit yourself to 6 oz. of cheese per week or so? (We've done this for our family of 3 and it works pretty well.) Similarly, try to buy from ethical producers if possible.
3. Eat more chicken, turkey and fish. If you can manage to buy organic or wild, then this is an easy way to ensure you're not buying the most mistreated animals. Organic doesn't ensure a perfect life by any means, but when you're super busy it's an easy shorthand.
In your shoes, with limited time for fussing over the details, these would be my main goals. If you want to go one step further, only buy dairy from a source which has (non-awful) pictures on its website about its animals and their conditions. Bonus if you can actually visit. Last of all, you could start fussing about the sources of your vegetables.
posted by Cygnet at 8:17 AM on March 6, 2017 [2 favorites]
Not that you need to go vegan (right away), but this subreddit has a lot of resources of low-carb vegan meals that might be useful as you transition to fewer animal products: Vegan Keto
posted by jouir at 8:58 AM on March 6, 2017
posted by jouir at 8:58 AM on March 6, 2017
I just want to agree with jrobin276 and mumimor. Having been vegetarian and vegan for many years, the best I ever felt about my eating choices was when I ate everything while living at a place that kept chickens, fed largely off of other food scraps from the household, and had a big organic garden. On the other hand, google up info on soy production (e.g., soy and deforestation), and know that a lot of animal feed is soy-based. So, I'd think less about what you eat than about where it comes from. In my experience, that's also far more rewarding. It adds a lot more to your quality of life (family outings to the local farm, if ones exist? a family trip on a sport fishing boat and then learning to use a smoker to preserve the fish, and meeting ethical small-time fishing folks?), making it less about restrictions and more about embracing something else.
posted by salvia at 10:13 AM on March 6, 2017
posted by salvia at 10:13 AM on March 6, 2017
I think there is a case to be made for not eating meat if you do not want an animal to have died for your meal, even knowing your individual choice may not have halted meat demand or improved farming practices.
I think you'd be in moderate carb territory if you're vegetarian and especially vegan. Folks are very black and white about carbs these days but I have lost weight, improved just about every measurable aspect of my health, and just plain feel good as a moderate-carb vegetarian. I eat eggs and dairy from farms as they are affordable and accessible to me.
posted by kapers at 10:36 AM on March 6, 2017 [2 favorites]
I think you'd be in moderate carb territory if you're vegetarian and especially vegan. Folks are very black and white about carbs these days but I have lost weight, improved just about every measurable aspect of my health, and just plain feel good as a moderate-carb vegetarian. I eat eggs and dairy from farms as they are affordable and accessible to me.
posted by kapers at 10:36 AM on March 6, 2017 [2 favorites]
I think the best thing you can do to make the biggest impact is teach the kids to like and find fun to eat all different kinds of vegetables, and when they're old enough, teach them to like and find fun the cooking of all different kinds of vegetables all different kinds of ways. Maybe you can plant a few things--windowsill herbs might be a good start--and let the kids help plant, harvest, and make things with the food you grew. Compost, if you can. Start small and get more into it as you learn. Maybe they will grow into adept gardeners and seed savers and zero-carbon-footprint composters: anything's possible for them!
posted by Don Pepino at 12:22 PM on March 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Don Pepino at 12:22 PM on March 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jrobin276 at 2:10 AM on March 6, 2017 [8 favorites]