A tribute to Great grandpa Glen

Sadly, our dear great-grandpa Egan passed away on August 8th, 2015.  He was 94 years old.  We regret that he only got to meet his great-grand daughter Anora once in person, but he saw her several times via skype.  He loved seeing her on skype and would always give her big smiles, and touch the screen.  The three of us traveled back to Madison, WI last weekend for the wake (8/13) and funeral (8/14).  Though the circumstances were less than ideal, we were really happy to get some time with family.  Anora did really well traveling and we were all exhausted upon our return.  The sign of a well enjoyed trip.  We are going to miss Glen, but keep him in our hearts and minds.  We know he is happy in heaven and can rest peacefully. 

Vegetarians – Totally!

I spent my teen years and into my 20’s as a non-meat eater.  Starting that young was a statement I was making about what was important to me.  It also helped that I simply did not care for meat.  Along with cutting out cow’s milk, I also decided in 7^th grade to cut out meat completely. At the time, eating out as a vegetarian was more difficult.  There was typically one menu item to select without meat, and often just a salad.  But overall it didn’t bother me much.  As time went on, I grew up and eventually went to college.  I remained a non-meat eater until I moved to Spain.  Spain was the turning point. 

            In Spain, I did a home stay and lived with a family who cooked for me.  Their diet revolved around some type of meat as a staple in every meal.  To be polite I began eating small bits of meat.  Soon it became habit to eat meat again.  I got loose on my conviction and ten years later I found myself eating meat in nearly every meal!  Yikes!  It happened so gradually and I simply hadn’t been paying attention to how much meat I was consuming.  I also was pregnant in there and craved red meat so much! 

            Then, this last March, a book I had been meaning to read years ago caught my attention.  The book is called, The Food Revolution, by John Robbins.  It details the many reasons why a diet that includes meat is not a healthy one for our bodies or our earth.  It was just the wake-up call I needed to go back to what I know and love and re-connect with more veggies! 

            It was an easy transition for me.  I don’t miss meat and luckily, Ben is totally open to eating the meat-free meals I cook for us.  In fact he has liked all but one of the many things I’ve tried :)  He even mentioned he feels less bloated and cramped up. Hurray!  I’m sure some of you reading this are thinking…”I could never go without meat!” but I think it’s worth the experiment.  Cut back to eating meat in one meal a day, then one meal a week, then not at all for a whole week.  See how you feel at the end of that week.  It may just be the experiment you need to see that you can do it and feel great!  Plus it inspires some creativity in the foods you prepare.  It’s always fun to try new things – even if there are some flops :)

There are a multitude of reasons to at least reduce the amount of meat you consume.  Here are some of the facts that spoke to me.

1. Meat is a leading contributor to heart disease and cancer.
2. Raising cattle requires enormous amounts of water when there is a shortage of clean drinking water.
3. Raising cattle emits CO2 that contributes to greenhouse gases that pollute the earth.
4. The way animals are raised and slaughtered in the US is un-sanitary.  Raw chicken is one of the biggest risks in our households today. 
5. Raising cattle requires the use of so much land that could be used to produce vegetables and help feed the hungry.
6. Not having to cook raw meat!  I hate touching raw meat.

There are a multitude of reasons to stop eating meat. John Robbins wrote another book called, Diet for a New America.  In it he gives the following arguments about why humans should not consume meat: The Hunger Argument, The Environmental Argument, The Cancer Argument, The Cholesterol Argument, The Natural Resources Argument, The Antibiotic Argument, The Pesticide Argument, and The Ethical Argument. I copied them and put them below to read.  With the overwhelming evidence supporting a non-meat diet, it’s incredible that our policy makers are still advocating for meat and dairy products in our homes and schools.  It is literally killing us. Change is hard. It always is.  Especially when it means eliminating something you may really enjoy (and especially when the meat and dairy industries line your pockets when you’re a lawmaker).  But instead of letting your appetite cloud your vision, I think it’s time to take a closer look…

The Hunger Argument

Number of people worldwide who will die as a result of malnutrition this year: 20 million
Number of people who could be adequately fed using land freed if Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10%: 100 million
Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by people: 20
Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 80
Percentage of oats grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 95
Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on an acre: 40,000
Pounds of beef produced on an acre: 250
Percentage of U.S. farmland devoted to beef production: 56

The Environmental Argument

Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect
Primary cause of greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels
Fossil fuels needed to produce meat-centered diet vs. a meat-free diet: 3 times more
Percentage of U.S. topsoil lost to date: 75
Percentage of U.S. topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85
Number of acres of U.S. forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 million
Amount of meat imported to U.S. annually from Central and South America: 300,000,000 pounds
Percentage of Central American children under the age of five who are undernourished: 75
Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pound of rainforest beef: 55 square feet
Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses: 1,000 per year

The Cancer Argument

Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat daily compared to less than once a week: 3.8 times
For women who eat eggs daily compared to once a week: 2.8 times
For women who eat butter and cheese 2-4 times a week: 3.25 times
Increased risk of fatal ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week vs. less than once a week: 3 times
Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily vs. sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times.

The Cholesterol Argument

Number of U.S. medical schools: 125
Number requiring a course in nutrition: 30
Nutrition training received by average U.S. physician during four years in medical school: 2.5 hours
Most common cause of death in the U.S.: heart attack
How frequently a heart attack kills in the U.S.: every 45 seconds
Average U.S. man's risk of death from heart attack: 50 percent
Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat: 15 percent
Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat, dairy or eggs: 4 percent
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of meat, dairy and eggs by 10 percent: 9 percent
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption by 50 percent: 45 percent
Amount you reduce risk if you eliminate meat, dairy and eggs from your diet: 90 percent
Average cholesterol level of people eating meat-centered-diet: 210 mg/dl
Chance of dying from heart disease if you are male and your blood cholesterol level is 210 mg/dl: greater than 50 percent

The Natural Resources Argument

User of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the U.S.: livestock production
Amount of water used in production of the average cow: sufficient to float a destroyer
Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of wheat: 25
Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of California beef: 5,000
Years the world's known oil reserves would last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13
Years they would last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260
Calories of fossil fuel expended to get 1 calorie of protein from beef: 78
To get 1 calorie of protein from soybeans: 2
Percentage of all raw materials (base products of farming, forestry and mining, including fossil fuels) consumed by U.S. that is devoted to the production of livestock: 33
Percentage of all raw materials consumed by the U.S. needed to produce a complete vegetarian diet: 2

The Antibiotic Argument

Percentage of U.S. antibiotics fed to livestock: 55
Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13
Percentage resistant in 1988: 91
Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: ban
Response of U.S. meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: full and complete support

The Pesticide Argument

Common belief: U.S. Department of Agriculture protects our health through meat inspection
Reality: fewer than 1 out of every 250,000 slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemical residues
Percentage of U.S. mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 99
Percentage of U.S. vegetarian mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 8
Contamination of breast milk, due to chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides in animal products, found in meat-eating mothers vs. non-meat eating mothers: 35 times higher
Amount of Dieldrin ingested by the average breast-fed American infant: 9 times the permissible level

The Ethical Argument

Number of animals killed for meat per hour in the U.S.: 660,000
Occupation with highest turnover rate in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker
Occupation with highest rate of on-the-job-injury in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker

The Survival Argument

Athlete to win Ironman Triathlon more than twice: Dave Scott (6 time winner)
Food choice of Dave Scott: Vegetarian
Largest meat eater that ever lived: Tyrannosaurus Rex (Where is he today?)