More veggies = healthier planet

Eating less meat can benefit the environment, according to
U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization article.
(Chance Agrella/FreeRangeStock.com)

Ah, veggies. I love them. They're so tasty, crisp, nutritious and so colorful and pretty. Not to mention that eating them regularly would set an excellent example for my five-year-old. So why do I have such a hard time making them a part of my regular diet? For me, it's simple math. My desire to be a healthy role model was not greater than the scent of a grilled cheeseburger. It probably should be, but it wasn't.

But an article I read recently may have finally made the first part of that equation bigger than the last: Eating less meat can help our environment.

According to a 2006 article on the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization website, raising livestock creates "more greenhouse gas emissions ... than transport." First there's the methane emissions from the animals themselves. Then there's the clearing of forests to make way for livestock herds, which takes away some of the planet's natural means for storing carbon. (See references section below.)

I will keep that information in mind when I make out my next grocery list. Making change won't be easy, but I'm sure it will get easier. The author of an article on the Nature Conservancy website, "Eat More Plants," says it took her about a month before cravings for apples replaced her desire for beef.

Hopefully it works the same for me.


References
Eat more plants, by Margaret Southern. Nature Conservancy.
Livestock a major threat to environment, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2006.