The Importance of Replacing Meat in Some of Your Meals

As Andrew and I have been exploring more of the Gluten Free world together, we have made it a point to make sure that at least one day a week for us is vegan. While we have friends who are all about trying new things that we serve, and aren't afraid of a little cashew cheese, we will still get the occasional friend or family member who boasts the question:

But you're not vegan, so why go to the effort of replacing items in only some of your meals?

The short answer: Because we are hoping to leave a better world for future generations.

The Meat Industry has shown to have a pretty major impact on our environment. It takes a lot of land, a lot of water, and a lot of resources to produce meat. Not to mention the Methane gas that is produced by the livestock.

The biggest impact? 

Water.

Studies have show that it takes somewhere from 1,500 to 2,000 gallon of water to produce just one pound of beef! That includes the water it takes to grow the food for the cow, the water it needs to live, and the water it takes to keep them and their living space healthy and clean. One pound of vegetables on the other hand, can be produced with as little as 40 gallons of water! That's an insane difference!

How much of an impact can one day have?

Recent studies have shown that if the average person were to go meatless for just one day a week, they can reduce their meat consumption by 15%! That's a huge impact! And it's something that we can all do very easily.

But I don't want to eat just vegetables all day…

If you sit down and take a look at some vegetarian/vegan meals, I think you'll find a lot more out there than just veggies! Beans and rice are an excellent source of protein, and with the right spices, can have some amazing flavor! Vegan cheeses can be just as delicious and fun as dairy cheese. We love a good cashew cheese, especially one with garlic and onions in it. Quinoa is also a big hit in our home. We love making quinoa bowls with lots of roasted veggies piled on top.

Try little changes!

If you're still not 100% sold on the idea of going meatless for an entire day, try replacing an item here and there. We have found an avocado based butter spread at Walmart that we love! We use that all the time now instead of margarine.

And that's what's up with our vegan days. I am not sure we would ever go 100% vegan, but you never know. Health and diets change all the time. I will say that on top of knowing we are helping the environment, we do physically feel good after most of our meatless meals. We also make sure that when we do purchase meat, eggs, and other animal products that we buy them locally. That way we know where the products are coming from, and what kinds of conditions the animals are living in.