Eating a vegetarian diet is not something that usually comes to mind when we think about saving the environment.  Recycling?  Check.  Reducing waste?  Check.  Giving up burgers and steak?  I don’t know about that.

A friend of mine once referred to herself as “a reluctant vegetarian”.  In spite of moral and spiritual beliefs that may back up somebody’s choice to eat a plant-based diet, it’s still not an easy decision to make.  So why do it then?

Did you know that the United Nations report found that the meat industry releases more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than all of the cars, ships, planes, SUV’s and trucks in the world combined. That’s a staggering conclusion.  Some scientists have claimed that you can do more for the environment by eating vegetarian than you can by using an eco-friendly car.  It may sound hard to believe, but consider the huge amounts of water and fossil fuels needed to farm livestock.  How about the loss of cropland, topsoil and pollution to our air and waterways.

It is said that a meat-based diet requires 7 times more land than a plant-based diet.   In her book “Diet for a Small Planet”, Frances Moore Lappe notes that for every 8 ounce steak consumed, a roomful of people could have been fed with grain.    Studies have shown that a 10 acre farm that grew soybeans could support 60 people.  That same farm could support 24 people if it grew wheat and 10 people if it grew corn.  However, if that 10 acres of land was used for livestock farming, only two people could be fed.

So now you’ve read this, you’ve googled and researched and you’re convinced that at the very least you need to reduce your meat consumption.  This was my husband and I one month ago.  After much reading and deliberating, we came to a somewhat reluctant agreement to try reducing our consumption of meat.

Now here’s the hard part.  Eating a 100% vegetarian diet is not a problem for me.  I’m a former vegetarian and I honestly feel better when I don’t eat meat.  I also can’t tolerate a lot of lactose, so that makes it easy to reduce my dairy intake.  My husband and children on the other hand are meat eaters, and they were not about to give it up  easily.  And I don’t blame them.  It’s hard to make an enormous change like that.  If you’re used to a “normal” diet, it’s unrealistic to expect to change overnight.  So we decided to become part-time vegetarians, eating a plant-based diet 3-4 days a week.  A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, and this is ours.   We may never become full-fledged vegetarians, but we can know that we are reducing our carbon footprint.

I have to say that the internet has replaced cookbooks in my world.  You will frequently find me in the kitchen with my laptop on the counter rather than Betty Crocker or grandma’s recipe cards.  I’ve searched out recipes that sound appealing and here are some of the things that I have discovered.

*Garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas) are amazing!  They can be mashed and hidden in almost anything.  They’re full of nutrients and protein and I feel good giving them to my children.  I’ve even put them in chocolate chip cookies!

*Hummus has become the new ketchup in our home.  My kids love dipping and they love hummus.  Mini-pitas, veggie sticks, crackers – it all tastes good with hummus.

*Tofu is a remarkable substance.  It can be hidden in casseroles, stir-fries and lasagnas and produce wonderful, delicious results that the whole family loves.  It can also be cubed and used in place of beef on skewers and kebabs and produce absolutely vile results.

*Falafels….mmmmmmm.  A garbanzo based patty served on whole wheat pitas with yogurt sauce.  Yum!

*Vanilla soy milk smells just like ice cream and tastes really good too.

*The right amount of spinach can disappear into a recipe and significantly boost the nutritional value of your meal.  The wrong amount of spinach will cause your husband to gag and the meal you spent the last hour making will end up in the garbage.

I make no promises that your family will love a vegetarian diet and that your children will happily eat tofu and brussel sprouts.  I do, however, really believe that with some research and fearlessness in the kitchen, you will discover that eating vegetarian isn’t quite as daunting as it sounds.  You can save a cow and the planet by adding more vegetarian food to your diet…and it can taste good too.