You probably know about the adverse health effects of eating too much red meat — like the increased risk of heart disease — but did you know you could reduce your carbon footprint by eating less of the stuff?
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, as reported by Scientific American, the production of the meat in our meals causes more atmosphere-damaging greenhouse gases than the cars and factories of the world do.
Nitrogen- and phosphorous-based fertilizers used to grow feed for cows have also been linked to increases in harmful algae blooms in our lakes and oceans.
The nitrogen pollution associated with meat production causes $200-$2,000 billion in damage around the world every year. It also requires 20-50 times more water to produce 2.2 pounds of meat than it does vegetables.
Eating less red meat and more vegetables — and even occasionally cutting out all dairies to go vegan — can help you live a healthy life and reduce the demand for meat production.
Here are a few vegan recipes from The Daily Green that even a meat eater would be happy with.
You can visit one of these grocery stores in Palm Desert for your ingredients:
- Fresh and Easy, at 72885 Highway 111.
- Trader Joe's, at 44250 Town Center Way
- Bristol Farms, at 73101 Country Club Dr.
- Harvest Health Foods, at 73910 California 111
- Jensen's Finest Foods, at 73601 Highway 111
- Jensen's Finest Foods, at 42150 Cook St.
Sometimes it can be difficult to find vegan foods. If you're a vegan in the Palm Desert or Coachella Valley area, where do you recommend others find the best ingredients? Tell us in the comments!
