Submitted by Lisa (not verified) on 6 March, 2008 - 12:30.
I think it is common sense that a vegan diet would be easiest on the planet. Animals raised for food also need to be fed during their lives. We can grow fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes directly for human consumption, or use these plants for animal consumption and then use the animals for milk, eggs, and meat. It’s extremely inefficient
Besides wasting energy and natural resources, raising animals for food also contributes to pollution. Most animals being raised for food are treated with steroids, hormones, and antibiotics. These chemicals then end up in our environment. Factory farms don't have sewage treatment systems as our cities and towns do, so the animals’ excrement (with steroids, hormones and antibiotics in it) ends up polluting our water, destroying our topsoil, and contaminating our air. Even farms that do not inject animals with chemicals still do not have an efficient means of disposing of their wastes.
You do not need to convert to a strict vegan diet to make a difference. Try just reducing the amount of animal products you eat little by little. Make easy substitutions. There are a lot of great vegetarian alternatives to popular foods in grocery stores now. My favorite beef alternative is “Gimme Lean” brand beef style crumbles. You can use this in tacos, chili, burgers, meatloaf, anywhere you would use ground beef. Silk brand vanilla soymilk tastes even better than cow’s milk in coffee & cereal.
You can also look at this as an opportunity to try new recipes. Try picking up a vegetarian cookbook. Or check out websites like VegWeb.com, vegcooking.com, http://www.theppk.com/recipes/ I think you will be surprised as how easy and delicious vegetarian food can be. And it is also good for your health. Numerous studies have shown that a plant based diet is also the healthiest.
I think it is common sense
I think it is common sense that a vegan diet would be easiest on the planet. Animals raised for food also need to be fed during their lives. We can grow fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes directly for human consumption, or use these plants for animal consumption and then use the animals for milk, eggs, and meat. It’s extremely inefficient
Besides wasting energy and natural resources, raising animals for food also contributes to pollution. Most animals being raised for food are treated with steroids, hormones, and antibiotics. These chemicals then end up in our environment. Factory farms don't have sewage treatment systems as our cities and towns do, so the animals’ excrement (with steroids, hormones and antibiotics in it) ends up polluting our water, destroying our topsoil, and contaminating our air. Even farms that do not inject animals with chemicals still do not have an efficient means of disposing of their wastes.
You do not need to convert to a strict vegan diet to make a difference. Try just reducing the amount of animal products you eat little by little. Make easy substitutions. There are a lot of great vegetarian alternatives to popular foods in grocery stores now. My favorite beef alternative is “Gimme Lean” brand beef style crumbles. You can use this in tacos, chili, burgers, meatloaf, anywhere you would use ground beef. Silk brand vanilla soymilk tastes even better than cow’s milk in coffee & cereal.
You can also look at this as an opportunity to try new recipes. Try picking up a vegetarian cookbook. Or check out websites like VegWeb.com, vegcooking.com, http://www.theppk.com/recipes/ I think you will be surprised as how easy and delicious vegetarian food can be. And it is also good for your health. Numerous studies have shown that a plant based diet is also the healthiest.