Happy Earth Day 2013!
Since everyone’s focus today is on making the world a better place by going green, I wanted to bring to your attention the single easiest and most effective thing YOU can do to save our planet – adopt a mostly plant-based diet or go entirely vegan! It is easy, simple and not only helps the environment, but will also improve your health. Choosing a plant-based vegan diet (or at least reducing your reliance on animal products) is certainly the most “green” thing you can do not just on Earth Day but everyday!
Even if you simply decrease your consumption of animal products (say, minimizing your dairy, egg and meat intake) you can do a lot to help the Earth and yourself! Truth be told, raising animals for food is polluting our lands, our water and our air, not to mention our bodies. Factory farming is the leading culprit of gas emissions, which contribute in large part to global warming and climate change. The chemicals that factory farms emit are a public health hazard and get into both the air and water. Not to mention that the actual animals who are slaughtered are pumped full of hormones and antibiotics that people end up ingesting. And take a moment to think about all the living, sentient animals that are slaughtered just because people like the taste or tradition of eating meat/diary/eggs. These poor animals are needlessly exploited all their short lives and the abuse they suffer is shocking. I could go on at great length about this, but if you’d like to read more about any of these issues all that is needed is a simple Google search to discover the truth.
This can all be changed if people opened their eyes, accepted some responsibility in caring for the Earth, lived more compassionately and took action to save the planet and their health! All that is needed to start are simple dietary changes that will result in helping solve environmental, ethical and health issues.
If you think eating a plant-based diet is too drastic, difficult or just too different, you can always start small. Small is always better than nothing at all! A few ways to do this would be to participate in Meatless Mondays or cut out a few animal products from your diet at a time. Also, there are so many plant-based alternatives out there that easily replace milk, cheese and other animal products. Most grocery stores carry plenty of vegan products as well…once you start on your plant-based diet you’ll be surprised how many products are “accidentally vegan”. I promise you, it isn’t hard and you’ll be on the road to a plant-based way of life in no time! Even if that isn’t your aim, reducing intake of animal ingredients will help a lot – you’ll feel better and will also be helping the Earth.
If you decide to go on this journey, your eyes will definitely be opened to a better and healthier way of living, both for the Earth and for yourself!
Today also kicks off
US Veg Week –
pledge to go veg this week and you’ll receive free recipes!
You can also find tons of vegan recipes, advice, etc. with a simple online search. There are countless online vegan communities, blogs, forums as well as films, documentaries, books, etc. on the benefits of going vegan.
I can also answer any questions you might have about adopting a plant-based diet, so feel free to leave any questions/comments/concerns below! I would be happy to send you recommendations for sites, films, books, etc.
Happy Earth Day and I sincerely hope you consider adopting a plant-based diet for the planet’s health as well as your own!
