Meatout!

Mom is very happy today because today is the Meatout. I am exempt from the meatout because I am a dog (whew!), but Mom has been encouraging people all day long to give up meat just for today. A whole day without meat? I don't think so!

Meatout is a campaign to expose people to the benefits of a plant-based diet. Most people think that there is no way they could live without meat but that is just wrong. You can get all the protein you need in your diet by eating plant-based. It may seem hard to do at first glance, but there are so many options, that most people who give up meat for good, don't even miss it.

A meat based diet is not necessary for humans to survive and in many cases is not good for you. Giving up meat reduces your chance of heart disease and stroke. It also decreases your exposured to meat borne pathogens like E-coli and Salmonella - yuk!

Factory farms (where most meat comes from) contaminate our water, soil, and even our air. Methane from cows is a huge contributor to the global climate crisis. Water runoff pollutes our streams and rivers, thus causing the plants and animals that live there to die. People who live near factory farms talk of the stench from the farms - most of them cannot even sit on their front porches.

The animals who are raised in factory farms are treated inhumanely. Most animals never see the light of day or feel grass beneath their feet because they are stuffed in a cage or in a big warehouse. This is no way for an animal to live - I know that I wouldn't want to live like that.

Giving up meat also allows foods to be grown for people instead of animals. Most crops grown in the U.S. are grown to feed factory farmed animals. It can take up to 16lbs of grain to make 1lb of meat. This is not a very efficient uses of resources. If all the food used for this purpose was used to feed people, we might be able to solve the starvation problems of people around the globe.

So what are your options today in lieu of eating meat? The possibilities are endless! The first thing most people may think about is pizza and pasta, both good choices. I personally like carrots, oranges, pickles, and french fries, but I obviously couldn't live on them. Mom eats a lot of beans, veggies, fruits, nuts, and grains. She doesn't miss meat at all and in fact is semi-vegan at this point. She does not even try to convert Dad because she knows that he would rather die than give up meat.

Please try to go without meat for just one day and see how you feel. If you can do it today, then great, but if not, pick a day soon to try it. Mom says you will feel better physically, and mentally you will feel better about yourself knowing that you are not contributing to the problems of the world. I am very thankful that I am exempt from the Meatout, but in honor of it, I am going to go a full 12 hours with no meat today. Yep, it's true. I am going to start right after dinner.