I was going to say, great time to go vegan, but I know change takes time — a lot of time.
Take my in-home campaign to stop using plastic wrap. How long could that take? FIVE years! It started in 2015 and has FINALLY taken hold in my household. Both of our parents use plastic wrap to save leftovers and we naturally took up the habit as adults. To make the change the following things had to happen:
- I heard someone talking about not using plastic wrap – is that even possible? (Yes.)
- I started saving food containers from salsa, sauces, pickles, jelly and more. Why hadn’t I done before? Why did I ever buy plastic containers specifically for storing leftovers? It seems crazy now.
- When I started using food containers for leftovers I appreciated that:
- They stacked well in the fridge and didn’t take up much room,
- A perfectly good pot or bowl wasn’t taken out of service,
- They were more airtight and easier to use than plastic wrap,
- After five years, husband is a convert – he puts leftovers in used food containers. YAY!! Our last box of plastic wrap is languishing in a drawer.
So, five years to get two people, one of whom is completely motivated, to stop a lifelong habit. That’s a long time. So, I don’t expect everyone to jump on the plant-based bandwagon overnight, but as most people have more time during this sequestration, it’s a perfect opportunity to learn a few plant-based recipes that can be worked into a busy schedule later.
Why plant-based? Good for you and the planet. And, now, if you have more time thanks to Covid-19 sequestration, perfect time to start a new habit – so join me! Plus, there are a lot more options than when I tried to go vegan five years ago. As for anything new it does mean a little more meal planning and time in the kitchen because instead of slapping your usual together you’ll be learning new recipes.
The reasons I decided to go plant-based again are:
- “Already global food production accounts for about a third of all emissions. To avoid [more] dangerous climate change, Greenpeace has estimated that the world needs to cut it’s meat and dairy consumption in half by 2050…” The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells
- The Game Changers Movie was another wake up call. Plants are good for my guts and my performance. They have a list of recipes and so does Forks Over Knives (another good movie).
- Now is the perfect time to reassess our values. An article call this time the Great Pause. Time to think and choose differently when the world ramps back up again. I agree. Do we really need to be on the treadmill we were on before Covid-19? Will taking a little more time to plan and prepare meals be better for our bodies and our planet? (Yes!)
- And, finally the kicker is that meat is not a very efficient food source. We have to grow grain, which we could eat, but we feed it to cattle instead and then eat the cattle. The worst part is the amount of water that’s used to produce one pound of beef: 1,7990 gallons.
