Level 5: Recipes
Bonus
Ideas for Planet-Positive Living
I love this plant-based lifestyle cookbook in part because I can truly relate to this approach to food and the importance of feeding your family in a healthful and sustainable way. I also consider myself to be vegan, living the good life as a result. I was raised in a “meat and potatoes” household, but I have turned to a more vegan diet partly because of food sensitivities such as dairy. Lucky for me, others in my household are lifelong vegetarians and have fantastic recipes. They are over-the-moon for the yummy menus and inspired ideas in Vegans Save the World.
Any cook can use this book, even if not totally vegan or vegetarian. If you want to focus on creating a healthy diet for your loved ones that is predominantly whole foods and plant-based, this is the perfect companion for that deliciously healthy journey!
The recipes are fairly easy to prepare and are delicious. Best of all, they got the all-important approval from my grade-school kids. The recipes and variations are written in a logical progression of steps, which is great and might be extra helpful for someone just learning to cook with lots of veggies and grains. There are many thoughtful suggestions that definitely enliven the vegan or vegetarian diet to expand your repertoire of plant-based meals, including ideas for special occasions. My favorite aspect of this guide to getting healthy is all the options and encouragement to follow your own desires as to the specific ingredients or to use what you might have on hand or what is in season. This is a cookbook I love and highly recommend to others. I keep it in my kitchen to refer to often, continuing to turn to it over and over again.
Join us for the adventure of plant-based living. Eating vegan is good for you, good for your family and contributes to a sustainable, planet-positive lifestyle.
How vegans can save the world:
Eating for the Environment
Cutting back on meat consumption is good for the environment, your health and your wallet. Designate one day a week “meat free” and know that you are helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Producing one pound of beef puts as much carbon dioxide into the environment as driving a typical car 70 miles! Read “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” the 2006 UN paper on the effects of the meat industry on the environment and human populations, to learn more.
Just Say No to GMO
Buy organic heritage seedlings whenever you can. Most fruits and vegetables have an incredibly diverse range of varieties, but we typically only see one or two different kinds in the grocery store. By choosing to grow heritage plants we can preserve that diversity and give a big, green thumbs-down to monoculture.
More Beef = Fewer Trees
The next time you consider grabbing a burger at a fast food restaurant, remember this: Over the past few decades, the rainforests have been disappearing to satisfy our “hunger” for cheap beef. Rainforests are home to over a thousand indigenous tribal groups and thousands of species of birds, butterflies and exotic animals—all of which are now endangered. Rainforests also affect rainfall and wind all around the world by absorbing solar energy for the circulation of our atmosphere. The trees provide buffers against wind damage and soil erosion, which then helps prevent flooding along our coastlines. They are a precious part of our ecosystem. Let’s all do something to protect them.
Over five million acres of South and Central American rainforests are cleared each year for cattle to graze on. The local people don’t eat this much meat—it is exported to make the $1 hamburger and a cheap barbeque meal in America.
Save Energy, Clean Air
Not only do livestock farms produce carbon dioxide and other harmful gases, but producing animal-based protein also requires more fossil-fuel energy than plant-based. This means that the meat industry not only pollutes the air, but uses an incredible amount of energy too. By not eating meat, or even eating less meat, we could contribute to a cleaner atmosphere and a healthier environment by not adding to fossil fuel use or carbon dioxide creation.
Help Feed More People
Right now, most grain that is grown in the United States goes to feed livestock. Cornell did a study and found that with the amount of grain that goes to feed livestock, 800 million people could be fed. Additionally, land that could be used for farming is being destroyed by livestock farms that don’t look after the soil. Being conscious of not eating meat could change this system to allow more people to be fed.
It’s More Ethical
Most of us are no strangers to the conditions lots of livestock animals live in before heading to the slaughterhouse. Packing animals into tight spaces, not allowing them to see sunlight or grass, from birth until death is a cruel way of existence. By buying cheap, factory-produced meat, or going to fast food restaurants that use factory-produced meat, you contribute to this cycle of horrible conditions.
Sir Paul McCartney and many other celebrities support Meat Free Mondays. Check it out at