Greater Milwaukee Men

Last June I started exploring, probably a lot later than most who know me might think, the whole plant-based thing, starting , mainly with trying to give up beef products  because of both health and environmental reasons. Since then I have had mixed results. Since the beginning of the year I have actually been trying to be as plant-based as I can, not full-on Vegan, but probably the closest definition is flexitarian . My chili cauli with veg ready for beans& sauce In giving up meat, I am really trying to not use supermarket plant-based but highly processed meat replacements. A fake burger or sausage is just not going to be the same as meat, plus they still are processed foods and even if 'vegan' still unhealthy. Instead I try new recipes that aren't based on meat-centric ones with meat replacements. Lots of non-Euro, non-American recipes But sometimes you get the craving for an old standby, a comfort food selection maybe. So how do you do that and still have it...

One of most perplexing things to me is disregard for the environment. Whether people chose to believe the science behind global warming, in general there are more immediate, local impacts to not caring about what we and businesses do and don't do. Drinking water, wildlife, recreation all are impacted by how we act as consumers. While far from perfect, I am no hardcore environmentalist rather a pragmatist, I am always looking to reduce my family's impact. Image courtesy gentlebarn.com One new area I have begun to explore is the impact of diet on the environment, namely in the form of livestock. The more I look into human impact on the environment, the bigger the argument to try to give up the consumption of beef products, as well as other livestock. Cattle-rearing generates more global warming greenhouse gases, as measured in CO2 equivalent, than transportation, uses up more land and resources than the growing of plants, and creates immense waste. So for me, it is time to ...