Change our diets not our lifestyles to help cope

With rising healthcare costs, food bills, waistline sizes and the ever-growing acknowledgement that all we do has an impact on the world around us, we wonder, what can we do?

Solutions and “solutions” abound. Let’s take a brief look at something accessible to virtually all that actually makes a difference: Consuming less meat and dairy.

Why eat less meat and dairy? Diets are easier to change than transportation options or how we power our homes and businesses.

The reasons are many, let’s take a look at a couple that speak to all of us.

One, you can save significantly on your food budgets, especially important given the increasingly tough economic times.

Though not all meat and dairy comes from factory farms, more sustainable alternatives exist where animals are better fed and treated. However, this article will talk about meat and dairy production as a whole produced on an industrial scale and accounting for a far higher percentage of what is currently out there, with the aforementioned alternatives being in the minority on the shelves of area food-sellers.

Another reason, ignoring ethical considerations related to including fewer animal products in our diets, is that through eating better overall people can lose weight at the same time!

Contributing to fewer health issues related to over-consumption of meat and dairy, such as heart disease, cancer and the ever-present problem of obesity experienced either through direct consumption or the effects of pollution issues occurring from producing meat and dairy products.

Because of mechanized industrial processes, producing meat and dairy is not especially environmentally conscious. The United Nations FAO’s report, “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” lists several environmental issues concerning meat production.

Among other issues, 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from livestock, more than transportation sources including planes, trains and automobiles. A third of the nitrogen and phosphorus in freshwater sources is from meat production.

Significant deforestation to rainforests and other forested areas has occurred in the last 30 years as society’s appetite for meat and dairy has increased.

The United Nations study included the environmental impact of producing meat and dairy which includes having to grow feed for the animals, mostly corn and soy beans.  They are grown using chemicals and heavy machinery on huge tracts of land, which makes up the majority of animal feed sources.

For those with appetites and curiosities piqued by the thought of eating less meat, a vast number of excellent resources, recipes, nutrition info and more are all a web search away to help ease this personal transition.

Like many people, I have enjoyed a nice steak, or the occasional bacon-cheeseburger as much as anyone else, but after adjusting to what has been a relatively minor dietary change, I have found that I miss the taste less and less.  This has shown me the transition to eating less meat and dairy, while not initially easy, is not as hard as one might think.