One Bite at a Time: A Beginner's Guide to Conscious Eating

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One Bite at a Time: A Beginner's Guide to Conscious Eating

 

If you read my last two entries, " A Few More 'Inconvenient Truths' "

and " Vegetarian Is the New Prius, " you know that a plant-based diet

is a good choice for the planet, your health, and animals. Of course,

there are other things we should be doing--from cutting down on our

consumption to working for governmental change to buying organic and

on and on--but where diet is concerned, a vegetarian diet is the

hands-down best choice for those of us who care about animals and the

environment.

 

I heard from a lot of people who wanted help in making the transition

to a vegetarian (or mostly vegetarian) diet. Let's face it: If you've

been eating meat all your life, this sort of a change can be daunting

even just to think about, let alone act on. Happily, it's easier than

ever today to make the transition from meat-eater to vegetarian, and

the following suggestions should help even the most die-hard

carnivores make the switch.

 

First: Transition

 

If you're not ready to give up meat completely, start by eating

meatless meals one or two days a week. The Johns Hopkins School of

Public Health, Columbia University's School of Public Health, and

other public health schools have designed a " Meatless Monday "

campaign to help Americans avoid our four top killers--heart disease,

stroke, diabetes, and cancer--by eating meat-free at least every

Monday. The " Meatless Monday " program provides recipes, meal plans,

nutritional guidelines, cooking tips, and more.

 

My only problem with the campaign is that some of the recipes feature

fish, and fish are definitely not vegetables. If you're eating fish,

you're eating meat, and the recent studies on fish are even scarier

than the studies on beef or any other food. The three-part front page

series in the Chicago Tribune about brain damage and other health

problems caused by mercury, PCBs, and the other toxins found in fish

and the front page piece in the Wall Street Journal about the teen

whose fish consumption put him in remedial classes should be enough

to turn anyone off fish consumption. For omega-3 fatty acids, go with

flax seeds, walnuts, and leafy greens.

 

Second: Give Up the Little Animals First

 

Although many people tend to stop eating red meat before they give up

chicken, turkey, or fish, from a humane standpoint, this is

backwards. Birds are arguably the most abused animals on the planet,

and birds and fish yield less flesh than cows or pigs, so farmers and

fishers kill more of them to satisfy America's meat habit. If you

choose to give up meat in stages, stop eating chickens and turkeys

first, then fish, and then pigs and cows. Some will suggest that

cattle are the worst for the environment, but that seems like

hair-splitting to me. As I discussed in my previous post, the Amazon

rain forest is being cut down to grow soybeans to feed chickens; it's

chicken and pig farms that are poisoning the Atlantic Ocean, and

vastly more energy is required if we eat the chickens who are fed

grain rather than eating that grain directly.

 

Third: If You Can't Give Up One Particular Animal Product, Give Up

All the Other Ones

 

One friend told me that he just loves burgers too much to give them

up; I suggested that he give up all animal products except burgers.

Some of my friends can't give up ice cream or cream in their coffee

or whatever?so give up everything but that. That's a huge step

forward, and I suspect that after eating mostly vegetarian for

awhile, you'll decide that those burgers or that ice cream aren't so

tasty anymore. And you'll probably find that you enjoy the faux meats

and dairy-free options just as much.

 

Fourth: Examine Your Diet, and Substitute

 

Take a look at the meals that you and your family already enjoy, and

you'll probably notice that many of them can be made without any meat

or with mock meats (which are great transition foods) instead of

animal flesh. For example, instead of spaghetti and meat sauce, make

spaghetti and marinara sauce, or instead of beef burritos, try tasty

bean burritos. Replace ground beef with the vegetarian variety made

by Boca or Morningstar Farms, which can be found in just about any

grocery store. Or try Morningstar Farms' faux chicken strips and

steak strips and Boca's Chik'n Patties. If you need help putting

together a shopping list, check out the product reviews at

VegCooking.com before you head out to the store.

 

Mock meats, nondairy cheeses and milks, and other vegetarian foods

are sold in most major supermarkets these days, and health food

stores offer even more. Silk soy milk is probably one of the most

recognizable vegan products on the market--you can even order it in

your latte at Starbucks. And if you like to bake, look for egg

replacer, a powdered mix that can be used instead of eggs in cakes

and other baked goods, at the local health food store (or just use

applesauce). But don't forget to eat your vegetables--as well as

plenty of whole grains, fresh fruits, and legumes--before filling up

on cake and coffee!

 

After a few meatless meals, you'll likely realize that you don't miss

meat and are ready to go meatless for good. But don't beat yourself

up if you slip up every now and again--before long eating vegetarian

will come as naturally as breathing.

 

I know that some readers who are already vegetarian may take issue

with the idea of relying on faux meats (I can predict all the raw

food comments, the macrobiotic comments, and so on), but mock meats

and soy milk are superb transition foods. Certainly going with real

foods, as Michael Pollan calls them--things that your grandmother

would recognize--is a great idea, but don't worry about it if you

find that mock meats make the switch easier for you. Animals are

going to be happier either way.

 

Fifth: Eating Out

 

If you're eating out, there are countless restaurants that cater to

vegetarians and vegans. VegCooking.com features regional vegetarian

restaurants, restaurant chains that offer vegetarian options, and

links to other Web sites that list vegetarian-friendly eateries.

Ethnic restaurants, especially Thai, Indian, Ethiopian, Chinese, and

Mexican restaurants, are always a good choice, as they offer a

variety of vegetarian and vegan options. If you're still looking for

a burger and fries, many restaurants, including Johnny Rockets,

Denny's, and Ruby Tuesday's, serve veggie burgers. Just don't drive

yourself--and your dining companions--crazy worrying that your veggie

burger was prepared on the same surface as the hamburgers. It might

be a bit aesthetically troublesome, but it won't harm animals (or the

planet) if your food is cooked on the same grill as meat. Unless you

absolutely can't stomach it, let it pass.

 

Sixth: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

 

Vegans and vegan wannabes, I believe that when you're eating out, you

also shouldn't be too concerned about ingredients that make up less

than 2 percent of your meal. You'll obviously want to avoid dishes

served with meat, cheese, or eggs, but it doesn't really matter if

there's a modicum of butter or whey or other animal product in the

bun that your veggie burger is served on. You won't stop animal

suffering by avoiding such minuscule amounts of animal ingredients.

But you may give your nonvegan friends--not to mention the restaurant

wait staff--the idea that vegans are difficult to please. The goal is

to show others how easy it is to eat in an animal-friendly manner and

that restaurants can satisfy vegan customers without having to do

cartwheels.

 

I know, again, that some will post their protest, and I understand

the desire to eliminate every last bit of animal ingredients from

one's diet, but let's face it: Even vegan foods cause some animals to

be tilled up in processing. (Note: Since more than 70 percent of all

grain, soybeans, and other crops are fed to farmed animals, not to

humans, there is a lot more tiller death in chicken, turkey, pork,

and beef than in plant foods, but the point should still give

vegetarians a bit of humility.) Vegetarianism is not a personal

purity test--our positive and reasonable influence on others is just

as important as our own commitment to a conscious and compassionate

diet.

 

Conclusion

 

When you consider your choices--heart disease, colon cancer,

plus-size pants, melting ice caps, gale force storms, and animal

suffering vs. good health, energy, a trim physique, a livable planet,

compassion, and tasty, diverse foods--it's clear that going

vegetarian is an excellent choice as we move toward living a more

conscious life.

 

Thank you to all readers for your compassion, and I look forward to

meeting you on the journey toward more conscious eating.

--

Kim Bartlett, Publisher of ANIMAL PEOPLE Newspaper

Postal mailing address: P.O. Box 960, Clinton WA 98236 U.S.A.

CORRECT EMAIL ADDRESS IS: <ANPEOPLE

Website: http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/ with French and Spanish

language subsections.