If you’re not familiar with the movement, take a moment to explore it. We are moving in the direction of eliminating meat from our diets, or if nothing else, cutting back on it drastically. But why? It’s not just about waist lines.
The amount of grain it takes to result in an 8oz steak is equivalent to 50 bowls of grain that could feed the hungry. That’s one (big) reason.
The amount of saturated fats in meat that ultimately contributes to heart disease,…that’s another reason.
The decreased chance of cancers …that’s a reason.
The gas emissions that are taxing our environment, from meat production, …yet another reason.
How about the process of how our meat is made. It’s not like back in the day, of how our ads depict “Happy Cows”. Factory farming makes use of cruel practices in which animals suffer for our ten minutes of eating satisfaction. I believe in order to have a sense of peace with ourselves we cannot deny the awareness of what goes into our food. We should be viewing food as something to nourish our bodies, not slowly poison it. And moreover, compassion for animals does bring a sense of peace and responsibility to ourselves.
And of course, the slow digestion process of meat in our bodies. What we ingest through eating processed “food”. Our larger waist lines. Maybe a small reason, but nonetheless.
Have you thought about how much meat you consume? It’s likely to be at least twice a day, when nutritionists recommend less than 3 times a week.
Be mindful this week of how often you eat meat and how you feel.
Join the movement; make Mondays meatless. Give yourself some an honest assessment of how you feel physically, spiritually and mentally after a few weeks. Will you take a chance and look at food through different eyes? Through educated eyes? It’s easy to eat without meat. It’s as simple as rewriting your grocery list.
I heard this recently and couldn’t agree more: “There’s no such thing as junk food. There’s junk, and there’s food.”
How close to real food is it that you’re consuming?
Happy Monday!
*All opinions are my own.
Lover of Ashtanga Yoga, Plant strong nourishment, and a thirst for learning. We're all in this together, Namaste!
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i love all the color in these!
Thanks Joelen!
You know I have been thinking about going meatless once a week for a while. I think I will try it today, hopefully the family will not revolt. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
I haven’t gone completely meatless (yet) and I don’t know if I ever will, however, I have started to have much more fruits and veggies in my diet and I feel better than ever! Stopping anything cold turkey is hard and usually isn’t successful. Food for thoughts. 😉
So long as they respect your choice to cut back, that’s a great start.
Interesting points of view.
I like the quote at the end. A lot of stuff can be consumed and it is considered food. But it’s not all real food or good for you. So you should align yourself with the more natural foods as possible.
I have a great book on food & the soul….and there’s no mention of processed food on the table in that one;):)
We’ve been cutting back on red meat and only have it 1 or twice a week compared to the 6 days a week we used to eat it.
You are doing better than we are right now Tricia. We are still having meat 3-4 times a week. I am just not ready to give it all up yet. But it’s getting easier.
That’s fantastic!!
I think I’m probably only eating meat once a week on average, maybe sometimes two, but I prefer meatless!
I’m with you Liz (I’m vegan). My family isn’t, so one day at a time…