How to Eat Mealtess... And Like It.

Hello people of the World!

Yes, here I am. Writing to you on a Sunday, the coveted day before Meatless Monday in which we all plan out our luxurious meat free meals (I mean, that's what I do...). You may be wondering "Where has this girl been? I am in serious need of her guidance for my meatless Monday adventures". Well, don't worry about a thing, because I'm back and I'm here to stay! It's been tough finding time to blog between running and piano, and oh yeah that little thing I like to call

"High School". Super fun. So please bear with me if I continue to be inconsistent with my posting.

I'm kicking off my first blog post in like ages on a very special day: Blog Action Day 2011 #BAD11. This annual event is when bloggers from all corners of the universe (yes, the universe because there are certainly aliens participating in this as well) come together to put their blogs in one place writing all about the same subject. This year, that subject is food, coinciding with World Food Day. That being said, I have decided to honor you with a very general posting about how to eat less meat, and still find joy in food. So here it goes:

(Sorry the beginning kind of sounds like an infomercial. But those can be quite interesting and persuasive... right?)

So you want to go meatless, but aren't sure where to begin? Afraid you're missing out on something if you cut meat out of your diet? Whether it be once a week, twice a week or every day of the week, here's your (well my) guide to eating less meat, while still enjoying food (and life) to it's fullest.

1.) Reflect in on yourself: It's good to figure out your reason for wanting to do this in the first place. Is it because you're a gung-ho animal lover? Do you want to be healthier? Is it because you want to learn some new recipes? Or maybe you're just a self-proclaimed hipster who wants to be different? All of these reasons are valid for making the decision to eat meatless (though I personally would discourage the hipster one...). However it's not good to force yourself into this (or someone else, for that matter). So just make sure you know why you want to go meatless.

2.) Learn the Facts About Nutrition: You just can't say "Hey, I'm not gonna eat meat today!" and make a beeline for the cookies and potato chips. Everyone needs protein in their diet, and although the exact amount needed is controversial, I can safely say that you will need some. One of my favorite ways to get protein is by eating quinoa. Quinoa, a grain originating from Peru (pictured below), can take on any flavor you want to give it; whether it be Italian, with tomatoes and basil, or Asian, with ginger, soy sauce and peppers. As it is both versatile and healthy, it is the perfect substitute for meat.

3.) That being said... Steer Clear of Meat Substitutes: You may think that if you're not gonna have meat, you might as well have tofu and call it a day. However, tofu, although made from soy, is highly processed. Not only that, but it doesn't even taste (or look) very appealing. I mean, if you really like it, go ahead! But try not to overdo it. Also, meat substitutes such as tempeh and tofurkey are just as bad. It is a much better choice to go with beans or protein packed grains.

4.) Vary Your Meals: Eating meatless is no fun unless you change it up! Do some research and find some recipes that interest you. Branch out to new cultures; there are plenty of countries that go meatless all the time. Try something new like black eyed peas and bananas from Ghana (pictured below), or enchiladas from Mexico. There's a world of possibilities! (Get it? World?) Or next time when you're at the grocery store pick up something you've never even seen before and try to make something out of it. Have you ever seen an aloe plant? Probably not. It looks like a cactus and is most commonly used in soap and lotion, but why else would they have it at a grocery store? They obviously want you to cook with it, so just go for it!

Follow these steps and you'll be well on your way to being a successful, and happy, meatless eater.

And don't forget to celebrate World Food Day on, October 16th coinciding with Blog Action Day 2011. Do something good, write something good, and most importantly eat something good.

Happy Eating!
Leda :)

Image Credit: "Tri-colored Quinoa" by avlxyz via Flickr and "Black Eyed Peas and Tomatoes with Sauteed Bananas" by Whole Foods Market. Recipe here: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2983

The Truth About Factory Farming

Close to 99% of all meat consumed in the United States comes from what are called "factory farms". So chances are that the last piece of meat you ate (whether it's fish, beef, chicken or pork) came from one of these so called "farms".

But what exactly is factory farming?

Some of you may be familiar with the name, but few know what they are, what they do, and what meaning they have to us as consumers. And here's where I come in. To tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

First, I would like you to visualize where you think your meat comes from. Do you see that big red barn? Oh, look! A happy farmer and his little family! Look at all those happy cows, pigs and chickens roaming free on the open grasslands! Beautiful, isn't it?

Now, completely erase that image from your mind. And don't worry if this was the way you thought farming was, because up until recently, that's what I thought too.

Okay, now that that visual has now (hopefully) disintegrated in your mind, I would like for you to picture a real factory farm. Imagine a long shed with a tin roof, and inside there are animals (chickens, cows, pigs... your choice) either stacked in cages to the ceiling or packed in an extremely small area. Now, these animals aren't the slightest bit happy. Their bodies may be too big for their legs to carry them due to the excessive amount of steroids and drugs that they are forced to take. The animals that are in severe pain aren't even the worst of it. Many lie dead on the ground and decay for days before being taken away. Blood curdling cries flood the room, and the animals are in a frenzy, yet they have nowhere to go.

(If you are still having trouble trying to grasp that image, as many of us initially do, please refer to the picture above.)

This is where your meat comes from. This is where 99% of all of our meat comes from. And this, my friends, is only a broad picture of what goes on in factory farms across our nation. I could possibly go on for pages and pages about the specifics, but those will come to you in later posts.

At this point, I am only looking for you to get a little picture in your mind of what I'm talking about and what I care about.

And as I sign off for today, I am asking you one thing:

Is this where you want your meat to come from?


(Image credit: "Broiler Chickens Raised for Slaughter" by Farm Sanctuary via Flickr)

(Citation: "99% of..." calculation by Jonathan Safran Foer based on census inventory, EPA regulations, and NASS reports from 2007 and 2008)

Welcome to My Blog!

So you're probably wondering why a 15 year old girl would take time out of her one season of freedom to start a blog. Well, first let me tell you something: this, my friends, is an actual blog- not a blog about my hilariously ironic every day life in which I ponder the greatly overused clichés of adolescence, because that would be, in a word, boring. This actual blog that I speak of will be of genuine importance to me, and hopefully to you as well.

Now that I've beat around the bush about who I am and what I'm here for, let me just cut to the chase (well, sort of). My name is Leda and I am, what could be called more simply, an emerging food activist ("emerging" because I'm young, and have only been interested in this topic for about a year, and "food activist" because, in short, I care about food).

I find that knowing where exactly your food comes from is important, and more specifically where your meat comes from. However, my main point of interest is the idea that as humans we do not need to consume very much meat in order to live happily. And here's where my big idea comes in (I'll put this in bold just in case I haven't made it clear enough). I believe in this little thing called (wait for it....):

MEATLESS MONDAYS.

Catchy, right? Well, unfortunately, I'm not the genius who made that up. Anyway, Meatless Monday is a day where you go without meat on, of course, Monday. The benefits of this are that you get to try out new recipes, become healthier, and help the environment (don't worry, the specifics of this will be discussed in a later post). And honestly, its just a great way to have something to look forward to on the worst day of the week.

In this blog I plan to share a new meatless Monday recipe every week, and also provide you with other interesting facts and theories about going meatless as well as reviews on books and T.V. shows on these subjects.

Let me just make one thing clear before I wrap this up. I am by no means one of those crazy environmentalist, animal loving, vegetarian type people. And I'm not saying that's a bad thing either. But I think the public needs an unbiased source of information and advice from someone who is neutral on the spectrum of eating meat and such. In my opinion, both sides have valid arguments. I'm just trying to get my ideas out and share them with you (plus, this is an assignment that I have to do for my Girl Scout troop)

Okay, let's recap. The reason I'm here is to tell you about Meatless Mondays and knowing where your food comes from. Think Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. And if you don't know what that is, have no fear! You'll be hearing much more about that in the future.

Until then, Happy Summer!
Leda :)