Eating green supports the SacredBite message that “eating for our individual well-being supports our environmental well-being,” and vice versa. First and foremost, ‘going green’ means eating less meat, especially beef. While interest in vegetarianism appears to be increasing, with many restaurants and college foodservices offering vegetarian meals routinely, it is not necessary to give up meat completely in order to participate in the healing of our planet. A 2005 study by the University of Chicago found that one person switching from a meat-based diet to a plant-based diet could save about the same amount of CO2 as trading in a Toyota Camry for a Toyota Prius! (1) That’s because raising cattle requires about 80 calories of fossil-fuel to cultivate one food calorie, whereas only 2 calories of fossil-fuel are required to cultivate one food calorie of grains, fruits, and vegetables. Furthermore, cattle belch methane, a greenhouse gas that is 20 times as potent as CO2! If we all ate less meat, there is no doubt that we’d make a collective positive impact on our planet!

Health Benefits of Going Green

To offset the intake of animal protein, I encourage you to adopt a more plant-based diet (including fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, seeds, and legumes). Indeed, plant-based diets offer numerous nutrition benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, and higher levels of fiber and antioxidants. For these reasons, those that adhere to plant-based diets experience numerous health benefits (2), including:

• Reduced risk of death from heart disease and stroke
• Lower blood cholesterol levels
• Lower blood pressure levels
• Lower rates of hypertension
• Reduced risk of Type II diabetes
• Reduced risk of prostate and colon cancer
• Lower body mass indices
• More Green in Your Wallet

If we all ate more plant-based foods, there is no doubt that we’d make a positive impact on our individual and communal well-being!
(1) TIME February 23, 2009 Diet: Eat Your Greens by Bryan Walsh
(2) The American Dietetic Association Position Paper: Vegetarian Diets: June 2003 (Vol. 103, Issue 6, Pages 748-765)

Americans eat a lot of beef, but do we understand the environmental impact of consuming such large quantities of this meat?