She's a Vegetarian...

I have turned into a very poor blogger. My apologies. I suppose exciting things have happened over the past few weeks and there is no reason why I have only posted a few times in the last month. I promise to be better at blogging from this point on.

I became a vegetarian just over two months ago. I suppose I am really just a "semi-vegetarian" or a "pescetarian", as I do eat white fish and salmon on occasion (as well as eggs and dairy). Why did I decide to stop eating meat? Well, to be completely honest, I never really ate much red meat or pork to begin with. I always liked the occasional piece of steak, and I typically prepared poultry a few times a week, but no more than that. Conor hates pork products and as a result I never kept them in the house, let alone prepared them. Giving up meat was something I could do easily. Although that might not be the best reason to do something, it definitely helped inspire me to do further research. I don't want to bore anyone with my thoughts on vegetarianism, but if you have a second, read through the three reasons why I became a vegetarian.

Reason Number One: Ease
Being a vegetarian in today's world is quite simple. There are so many meat alternatives. Don't like tofu (I absolutely love the stuff!)? Look to other "no-meat" items like sausage, minced meat, and veggie/bean burgers as a substitute. Conor's boss is a vegetarian and a few weeks ago she prepared meat-less spare ribs. They were amazing! Their appearance and texture was incredibly similar to meat ribs and they tasted great. It is very easy to find meat-less items in all grocery stores (and you know what, tofu is much cheaper than chicken or steak!)

Reason Number Two: The Environment
The mass consumption (and therefore production) of meat is unsustainable. I would never lash out against anyone who chose to enjoy a nice filet on occasion. My problem is with people who eat meat every day (and in copious amounts). Animal agriculture produces almost 20% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. That's approximately five percent more than the world's transit. (I won't get started on transit, but those of you eating meat for lunch and dinner and driving distances that are easily walkable, should be embarrassed.)

Cows produce a lot of waste. Cows, therefore, produce a large amount of carbon dioxide. Poop is just the beginning though. Think of all the grain, grass, and water required of animal agriculture. The animals are consuming more vegetables (grass) and soy than the average American. Nevermind the amounts of water consumed and used to grow the grain and grass...

Here's a clip from an article in The Independent:
"The 400-page report by the Food and Agricultural Organisation, entitled Livestock's Long Shadow, also surveys the damage done by sheep, chickens, pigs and goats. But in almost every case, the world's 1.5 billion cattle are most to blame. Livestock are responsible for 18 per cent of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together.

Burning fuel to produce fertiliser to grow feed, to produce meat and to transport it - and clearing vegetation for grazing - produces 9 per cent of all emissions of carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas. And their wind and manure emit more than one third of emissions of another, methane, which warms the world 20 times faster than carbon dioxide."

Reason Number Three: Health
If you don't do it for everyone else, do it for yourself. Cutting meat out of your diet even slightly will help improve health. I will keep this last point short and sweet. Some studies show that those who consume a diet of fish and vegetables and even those who consume fish, vegetables, and the occasional piece of meat have a much lower mortality rate than those who have a diet rich in meat. Vegetarians are also less at risk for some forms of cancer and heart disease.

On a side note, in terms of living longer, studies show that meat-eaters and vegans have similar mortality rates. I'm not preaching vegan, don't misunderstand my reasons for vegetarianism. I think it's extreme and unnecessary. If you are vegan for religious or ethical reasons, that's one thing. Aside from that, I think most vegans deny their bodies necessary vitamins and minerals.

Although I have been busy with work and Conor and I have done some traveling, I have been spending my time reading articles from the New York Times (attempting to keep up with current events in the States) and delving further into the environmental effects of eating meat. Since literature is something that has been consuming my time, I thought I should blog about it. Keep reading Tomorrow Mostly Sunny - I promise I will put the soap box away for my next post.

This Post's Recommendation:
Stop buying/drinking bottled water