Vegetarian Diet

Lesson 4: Staying Motivated

Ecology and Kindness

Eating more fruits, veggies, and grains helps to save the environment. The millions of animals raised for food take a toll on an already strained environment.

When we eat more plant source foods we help to clean up our water sources. Farm animals and slaughter houses contribute thousands of pounds of pollution daily to our streams and rivers. Eating more plant source foods also helps to save energy. Raising farm animals requires more than 1/3 of all raw materials and fossil fuels in the US. And, because, an acre of land will produce more than ten times the amount of grain than meat, a plant based diet helps spare forests by freeing up more agricultural land.

When we eat more plant source foods we help to relieve world hunger. In the United States alone, farm animals eat 70% of our grains, more than enough to feed the entire earth’s human population. With one acre producing more than ten times the amount of grain as meat, plant source foods require less land to feed one human.

When we eat more plant source foods, we lessen animal suffering. Farm animals no longer roam in green pastures and rest in ‘Farmer Brown’s barnyard’. The more grains, fruits, and veggies we eat, the more chickens we save from the misery of living in dark, dirty, cramped cages for their entire lives, enduring painful debeaking, toe docking, and suffering deformities and disorders brought about by genetic manipulation for more meat production. Eating more plant source foods saves more cattle, sheep, and pigs from the misery of living in dark, dirty, cramped pens, painful branding, castration and dehorning, electrical prods and, when stuns fail, scalding or butchering while still conscious. Slaughter animals are not protected under regular animal welfare laws.

According to Dr. Donald Bloom, animal welfare advisor to the British government, the pain system in fish is virtually the same as in birds and mammals. Eating more plant source foods saves more fish from the suffering of suffocation or internal ruptures from decompression as they are pulled from the ocean depths.

If you choose to eat primarily vegetarian or entirely vegetarian, you will be in the company of some famous people. A few of them are Dr. Benjamin Spock, Paul McCartney, Bob Barker, Wrestler ‘Killer’ Kowalski, Pamela Anderson, Shania Twain, Ashley Judd, Jack LaLanne, John Harvey Kellogg of Kellogg’s cereals, Don Imus, and Billy Jean King.

Autumn Pie Smoothie

1 cup vanilla soymilk

1/2 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin (sweet potato or canned pumpkin or yams (drained) may be used)

2 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp powdered coffee creamer

1 tsp wheat germ

Blend until smooth. It's like drinking a slice of pie.

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