Eat Your Greens

Please check out this very interesting article in Time magazine about the benefits of a plant-based diet.

One great fact from Time’s Bryan Walsh:

“A meal at McDonald’s produces more carbon than your trip to the drive-through.” 

An interesting point: “The most efficient way to shrink the carbon footprint of your menu is to eat less meat, especially beef. Raising cattle takes a lot more energy than growing the equivalent amount of grains, fruits or vegetables: most produce requires about 2 calories of fossil-fuel energy to cultivate per 1 calorie of food energy; with beef, the ratio can be as high as 80 to 1. What’s more, the majority of cattle in the U.S. are reared on grain and loads of it–670 million tons in 2002–and the fertilizer used to grow that feed creates separate environmental problems.”

After reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma, my eyes were opened to the sorry diet that most cattle are receiving. But I wonder if a vegetarian world is the answer?  After all, if none of our land animals were eating, would this not produce problems?  What would happen to our wonderful Canadian beef farmers?  Our dairy farmers?  I think that people should eat less meat–it should be a side dish, perhaps, rather than a main–but I’m not convinced that meat should be removed from our diets altogether.

Rice with Spice

If you’re not sure what to make for dinner, try this easy recipe. I grew up with this dish and it has become a family favorite. It’s perfect for a dinner party because it can be left as a vegetarian main or have meat/fish added for extra protein.

Yields two servings.

Boil enough brown rice for two people (approximately 1/2 cup of uncooked rice per person).

1 tsp each of  cumin, chili powder and black pepper.

On a separate plate, arrange sides such as raw, cut-up vegetables like peas, red and yellow pepper, carrots etc.

On another plate, serve protein such as chicken, shrimp and/or sliced hard-boiled egg.  For vegetarians, raw nuts like almonds are a great alternative. Serve with a generous slice of lemon to squeeze over rice.

The picture below was taken at my mum’s place where I had spiced rice for dinner!  (We had hard-boiled egg and almonds for protein and sliced, raw peppers, orange, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots and celery).

BYOF: When is Bringing Your own Food Inappropriate?

Whether you’re diet rehab-bing, vegan, vegetarian or maybe just have severe allergies, you spend a lot of time thinking about food. As I have noted in previous entries, going out for the day is difficult if you have any dietary concerns and there are times when brown-bagging is the only way to go.  

I have also mentioned how difficult eating out can be–it’s difficult to find appropriate items on the menu.  But it’s also hard to wave goodbye to your social life just because you’re choosing to eat differently.  What’s the happy medium?

After trying a few vegan/vegetarians restaurants myself, I understand why carnivores prefer not to dine at them (apart from the odd self-righteous vegan and canvas shoe–wink). Since the majority of my friends and family are meat-eaters I feel that if I’m invited to someone’s place, it’s my duty to mention if I’m not eating meat or if I have an allergy to something and I would follow up that up with an offer to bring something to the dinner party.  

Going to a restaurant is different–or so I thought. The other evening–at a high-end Toronto restaurant known for steak and seafood–I noticed a woman pull out a tupperware container and start to eat her dinner. I was appalled and thought that it was the height of rudeness.  

Why would she agree to come to that particular restaurant if she’s vegan/vegetarian? If her friends really wanted to eat with her (but also have meat) wouldn’t it have been better for her (the veggie) to eat at home and maybe just order a salad and a drink while her friends ate dinner? Or, remind her friends that she doesn’t eat meat and suggest they dine somewhere else? 

I would love to know your opinions on this issue–am I totally wrong?