I stopped eating meat over 40 years ago. I went cold turkey. Then, when I got pregnant, I added fish to my diet. At the time, I could rationalize that fish got to live in the open waters until they were caught, and were allowed to live like a fish, as opposed to being raised for slaughter. I was concerned about getting enough protein while pregnant, and fish, so I thought, was a clean source of protein. Of course the fish industry has changed a lot since those days, and most fish are farm raised, fed fish pellets made from chicken scraps, and ingest lots of plastic in their lifetime. My feelings about eating fish changed over time.

 

Then there was dairy. I was led to believe that my children needed it and it was a good source of calcium. I was happy to believe that, because I loved it. However, the dairy industry has also changed over time, and my knowledge about it’s negative effects on one’s health has also grown. Dairy, even organic dairy, is high in saturated fat, which is linked to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and even some forms of cancer.

 

 

The production of meat has a very heavy footprint. Did you know that beef consumption alone accounts for almost half the country’s diet-related agricultural land use and greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions? The production of factory farmed meat uses vast amounts of fossil fuels, along with chemical fertilizers and pesticides to grow and manufacture their genetically modified food. They are also pumped with antibiotics and hormones, and ruminants excrete methane, a gas 84% more damaging to the atmosphere than CO2.  Unfortunately, as developing nations become more affluent, their increased incomes have led to increased consumption of meat. They see it as a symbol of success. However, increased amounts of meat and the SAD diet (standard American diet) has led to an increase in obesity, diabetes and heart disease around the world.

There is growing evidence that what’s good for the planet is also good for humans, reflected in the “planetary health diet”. That means, we need to take care of our planet, our soil, our water, our pollinators, and our biodiversity, so we can grow healthy food, and healthy people.