Mario Batali, chef and reigning King of Italian cuisine, really caught my attention with his promotion of what he calls Meatless Mondays.
From both an environmental and a health perspective, being less carnivorous is a good thing.
Not only would this move help people loose weight and be healthier, but it would lighten the burden on the environment.
Mario is one of thousands who pledges to eat meat less by one day per week.
According to the Environmental Working Group’s Meat Eaters Guide to Climate change and Health, if people skipped eating meat and cheese only one day per week, after a year, it would be as if over seven million cars were pulled off the road.
Cutting down oxygen producing forest to make meat producing pasture is not a wise long term solution.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, (UNFAO)about a third of the Earth’s ice-free land is used directly or indirectly in livestock production.
These animal-based operations generate almost 20 per cent of the world’s entire burden of greenhouse gasses.
This is more than from transportation. With greenhouse gases mediated, the side effect of this movement would be less obesity and heart disease.
Sadly, sacrifice of rainforest for meat centered food production will not go unnoticed in our lifetime.
Animals that feed on grain or rely on grazing require more water than grain crops.
Considering it is less efficient than plant based food production, maybe we should rethink our overall dependence on meat.
Doctor Thomas Campbell, author of The China Study, would applaud a food philosophy that includes less meat.
He has been brave enough to suggest that low animal-based diets are healthier than more carnivorous ones.
The vegan diet may even be more protective than previously thought when it comes to degenerative diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Perhaps we should have a “Meatout” like they did in Michigan. Hats off to Governor Jennifer Granholm for declaring March 20 Michigan Meatout Day.
She did it as an attempt to remind people that a wholesome diet rich in vegetables, fruit, and whole grains can significantly reduce exposure to pathogens, reduce risk of disease, and be a cost effective way to have a healthier lifestyle overall.
I bet Mario Batali would be impressed by her stance.
He knows our food choices impact our planet. He says “you don’t have to be a vegetarian to eat healthier.”
Even small changes can make a big difference. You and your family could have tasty meatless Mondays.
Even you can do it. It’s only one day.
Dr. Tara Macart co-owns Opti-Balance Naturopathic Medicine in Qualicum Beach.
