Written By: Niyati Patel
Edited By: Ayesha
Design By: Noah Le
Published By: Miriam Alonge Wato
DISCLAIMER: This article was researched and written independently by a youth blog writer, and is not reflective of the viewpoints of Seeds of Diversity or Youth in Food Systems.
As someone who has been a vegetarian their entire life I see many benefits to it. Our environment provides us with fresh water, food and shelter. However, we have pushed the Earth far too far in many ways. And we are already paying some of the price. As we see global warming and climate change evolve around us we will lose our fertile soil, minerals and destroy our beautiful Earth.
Each one of us has the ability to change the course of this planet’s future by implementing a simple thing-veganism or vegetarianism. Every bit of meat or fish that we consume has an impact on the environment. Raising and Slaughtering animals alone has a huge impact on the environment alone. Raising animals uses a lot of valuable resources that the Earth provides. It uses large amounts of water, crops and creates a massive carbon footprint.
Being vegan or vegetarian simply means changing our diet. Though for non-vegetarians this may seem like a drastic change once into the habit this is very healthy for the environment and for human kind. Changing to a vegan diet simply means eliminating meat, dairy- including eggs, and fish from our diets. A vegetarian diet means eliminating meat and fish from our diets.
How to start:
- Going meatless for once a week- Meatless Mondays
- Reducing the consumption amount
- Trying new foods
- Reward yourself
Transitioning from a non-vegetarian lifestyle to a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle is very difficult. However, in the long term it has many benefits. Being vegan/vegetarian can help with certain diseases such as Diabetes, Heart disease and certain types of cancer. It can also help with weight loss and just adds a sparkle to our overall lifestyles. Not to mention the impact being a vegan/vegetarian on the environment.
My experience as a Lifetime vegan/vegetarian:
I cannot classify myself as vegan and nor can I classify myself as vegetarian as I am neither. I do not eat any meat or fish or eggs however, I am still able to consume milk products. So, I am considered a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I was born into a lacto-ovo vegetarian family. However, through my experiences I have found various health benefits. I have also been able to proudly boast that my carbon footprint is significantly less than my peers. Once into the habit, this type of lifestyle is not extremely difficult. It is just a matter of the transition period. However, let’s not forget to, “Never Give Up.”
Foods to Try as a Vegetarian:
- Extra Vegetable Steamed Rice
- Potato Curry
- Dry Potato Curry
- Mixed Vegetable Curry
- Samosas
- Dhosas
- Idli Sambhar
These are all delicious food items that can be served as dinner that are vegetarian and environment friendly.
Citations:
Saving Our Planet: Are Vegetarianism And Veganism The Ways To Fix The World’s Environmental Issue? – Edubirdie. (2022, February 17). Edubirdie. https://edubirdie.com/examples/saving-our-planet-are-vegetarianism-and-veganism-the-ways-to-fix-the-worlds-environmental-issue/
Chritz, K. (2020, November 15). The Impact of Being a Vegetarian on the Environment | Potter Park Zoo. https://potterparkzoo.org/veg/#:~:text=Being%20vegetarian%20helps%20reduce%20pollution,on%20wild%20animals%20AND%20humans.
Environment Essay: The Benefits Of Vegetarianism | ipl.org. (n.d.). https://www.ipl.org/essay/Negative-Essay-The-Benefits-Of-Vegetarianism-FJFXH922SU
benefit from, colorful, eat, loving, vegetarian, color, delicious, food and drink, food, freshness | Pxfuel. (n.d.). https://www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-xizpa