NO MEAT MAY - CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

- Margaret Mead

Have you ever wanted to have the power to change the world? SPOILER ALERT: you have that power. (Enter No Meat May)

No Meat May is a different type of spring cleaning in the form of a month long fast from, you guessed it, meat. There are some serious reasons to consider trying this challenge and some GREAT resources to help you get through it!

DISCLAIMER: This article is not an attack on your love of meat, just an invitation to try something new, know why you’re trying it and see how it goes! You may even find that you understand or relate better to non-meat eaters at the end of the month! I have no special interests for promoting these sites or resources, I’m just looking to share information that may help you!

REASONS TO TRY THE CHALLENGE:

1. BECAUSE YOU CARE ABOUT THE PLANET: Meat production and consumption has been related either directly or indirectly to, water shortages, water contamination, deforestation, ocean acidification, over fishing, desertification and poses an overall risk to biodiversity and human existence as we know it.1-7

2. BECAUSE YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR HEALTH: Meat and dairy consumption have been linked directly and indirectly to antibiotic resistance, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, gastrointestinal disorders, neurological disorders and early death.8-19 Intensive lifestyle change, including the adaptation of a plant based diet, has been linked to decreased disease risk, decreased mortality risk, increased quality of life and even reversal of certain diseases.8-19                        

3. BECAUSE YOU CARE ABOUT WORLD HUNGER: Switching to a vegan, or plant based diet, may cut calories lost to livestock feeding for direct human consumption. What does this mean? Switching crop production for livestock feed to crop production for direct human consumption could increase the amount of calories in the food system by about 70%, satisfying the dietary needs of approximately 4 billion more people.20 One reason for this is that not all of the weight of an animal is edible. Only 60% of live cattle weight is edible, calories are lost to normal bodily functions, maintenance of bone, cellular function, the brain, and other organ systems.20 It also takes an immense amount of feed to produce just one pound of edible protein. Think about if you have ever tried to put on muscle, how much more did you have to eat per day…how much more do you think an animal 5- 11 times your weight might need?

4. BECAUSE YOU LOVE ANIMALS: I don’t need to go into the grim details here, you have probably seen a video or two on the internet and know all about the current state of animal farming. Along with losing their lives, the animals we feed from (for the most part) lead horrific existences. For me, choosing not to consume meat started for my own health. Now, I am working toward veganism because consuming animal products is something that feeds an industry I do not agree with and that just doesn’t settle right with me so I choose not to.

By becoming more conscious about your lifestyle and diet; you have the power to create positive change within yourself and the world! GO YOU!

THE CHALLENGE: Any diet change can be considered a challenge; change forces you to deviate from normal routine, which is why I have included some resources that may help you through this challenge! If you’re interested in learning more but not ready to commit, that’s okay too and these resources are still for you!  

• No Meat May: Visit the No Meat May challenge platform to learn more about the global issues and health issues revolving around meat consumption. Here you will also find recipes and information on essential nutrients that you can consume without consuming meat!

• NutritionFacts.org: Is one of my favorite plant based resources and there is a great podcast to listen to, for those with little reading time, this is a great option to listen and learn!

• National Farmers Market Directory: Find your nearest farmers market for fresh local produce to spruce up your vegan dishes!

• For my NJ Locals: check out Vegan in NJ online or on Instagram @veganinnj for loads of vegan friendly stops, right in your back yard!

• For some deeper digging check out these books:

  • How Not to Die: Michael Greger, MD

  • Whole: T. Colin Campbell, PhD

  • Eating Animals: Jonathan Safran Foer

• Or these documentaries:

  • Food Inc.

  • Earthlings

  • Forks Over Knives

REFERENCES:

1. Bland, Alastair. “Is the Livestock Industry Destroying the Planet?” Smithsonian. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/is-the-livestock-industry-destroying-the-planet-11308007/ (April 28, 2019).

2. Gill, M., P. Smith, and J. M. Wilkinson. 2010. “Mitigating Climate Change: The Role of Domestic Livestock.” animal 4(3): 323-33. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/animal/article/mitigating-climate-change-the-role-of-domestic-livestock/4937AEA227D69068AA571905BBF433C5 (April 28, 2019).

3. Gerber, P. J. et al. 2013. “Tackling Climate Change through Livestock: A Global Assessment of Emissions and Mitigation Opportunities.” Tackling climate change through livestock: a global assessment of emissions and mitigation opportunities. https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20133417883 (April 28, 2019).

4. Bennett, Lauren. “Deforestation and Climate Change.” http://climate.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/deforestation-final_r1.pdf (April 28, 2019).

5. Wilson, E. O., and Frances M. Peter. 1988. The Loss of Diversity Causes and Consequences. National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK219310/ (April 28, 2019).

6. Hanjra, Munir A., and M. Ejaz Qureshi. 2010. “Global Water Crisis and Future Food Security in an Era of Climate Change.” Food Policy 35(5): 365–77. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030691921000059X (April 28, 2019).

7. Revell, Brian J. 2015. “One Man’s Meat … 2050? Ruminations on Future Meat Demand in the Context of Global Warming.” Journal of Agricultural Economics 66(3): 573–614. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1477-9552.12121 (April 28, 2019).

8. Godfray, H. Charles J. et al. 2018. “Meat Consumption, Health, and the Environment.” Science 361(6399): eaam5324. https://science.sciencemag.org/content/361/6399/eaam5324 (April 28, 2019).

9. Walker, Polly et al. 2005. “Public Health Implications of Meat Production and Consumption.” Public Health Nutrition 8(4): 348–56. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/public-health-implications-of-meat-production-and-consumption/B22CB5C2097A13C6745A94B6D6B81284 (April 28, 2019)

10. Popkin, Barry M. 2009. “Reducing Meat Consumption Has Multiple Benefits for the World’s Health.” Archives of Internal Medicine 169(6): 543–45. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/414850 (April 28, 2019).

11. Louis, Elan D. et al. 2008. “Dietary Epidemiology of Essential Tremor: Meat Consumption and Meat Cooking Practices.” Neuroepidemiology 30(3): 161–66.  https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/122333 (April 28, 2019).

12. Beezhold, Bonnie L., and Carol S. Johnston. 2012. “Restriction of Meat, Fish, and Poultry in Omnivores Improves Mood: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.” Nutrition Journal 11(1): 9.  https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-11-9 (April 28, 2019).

13. Appleby, Paul N., and Timothy J. Key. 2016. “The Long-Term Health of Vegetarians and Vegans.” Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 75(3): 287–93.  https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-nutrition-society/article/longterm-health-of-vegetarians-and-vegans/263822873377096A7BAC4F887D42A4CA (April 28, 2019).

14. Appleby, Paul N., and Timothy J. Key. 2016. “The Long-Term Health of Vegetarians and Vegans.” Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 75(3): 287–93.  https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-nutrition-society/article/longterm-health-of-vegetarians-and-vegans/263822873377096A7BAC4F887D42A4CA (April 28, 2019).

15. Ornish, D. et al. 1990. “Can Lifestyle Changes Reverse Coronary Heart Disease?: The Lifestyle Heart Trial.” The Lancet 336(8708): 129–33. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/014067369091656U(April 28, 2019)

16. “Antibiotic Resistance from the Farm to the Table | Food Safety | CDC.” 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/challenges/from-farm-to-table.html (April 28, 2019)

17. Taylor, E. F., V. J. Burley, D. C. Greenwood, and J. E. Cade. 2007. “Meat Consumption and Risk of Breast Cancer in the UK Women’s Cohort Study.” British Journal of Cancer 96(7): 1139–46.  https://www.nature.com/articles/6603689 (April 28, 2019).

18. Etemadi, Arash et al. 2018. “Anatomical Subsite Can Modify the Association between Meat and Meat Compounds and Risk of Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Findings from Three Large US Cohorts.” International Journal of Cancer 143(9): 2261–70.  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ijc.31612 (April 28, 2019).

19. Ilic, Milena, and Irena Ilic. 2016. “Epidemiology of Pancreatic Cancer.” World Journal of Gastroenterology 22(44): 9694–9705. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5124974/ (April 28, 2019).

20. Cassidy, Emily S., Paul C. West, James S. Gerber, and Jonathan A. Foley. 2013. “Redefining Agricultural Yields: From Tonnes to People Nourished per Hectare.” Environmental Research Letters 8(3): 034015. https://doi.org/10.1088%2F1748-9326%2F8%2F3%2F034015 (April 28, 2019).