Hi, it’s Oria, the French summer student. As I am here for one month and I am a vegetarian, I am going to introduce to you some basic aspects of vegetarianism. My hope is that by the end, you can become more familiar with it, forget some ‘cliché’, and maybe be inspired to become vegetarian as well. Each Friday for the next month, you will discover on Green Venture’s website, one learning fact, one statistic, one recipe and finally a NEW challenge each week!
What is vegetarianism?
For sure, vegetarianism is about not eating meat. But you can be a vegetarian for several reasons and not just because you don’t want to hurt animals. People sometimes don’t eat meat because of its impact on the environment. When you breed animals such as cows you have to feed them. So, first you need to produce cereals which require large amount of water, use fertilizers, machines which pollute the planet… and then you need more water to raise the animals. At the end, you use the resources twice. For instance, it takes 2,464 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef in California, whereas it takes only 25 gallons of water to produce one pound of wheat. Other environmental factors relate to water pollution from animal waste and deforestation, when forests that are cut down to make room for grazing cattle.
You can also become a vegetarian for economic reasons (vegetables are obviously cheaper than meat), religious, health-related, aesthetic (a branch of philosophy about the art of the nature) reasons.
So, becoming a vegetarian depends on your personal beliefs and on what you are committed to. In my opinion, being a vegetarian is a good thing for our planet and the future of our children.
Statistic of the week
2.3 million people in Canada are vegetarians. (The majority are under 35, the rate of vegetarianism is expected to continue to rise) So why not you?
Recipe
For this first Friday, I am sharing with you my favorite recipe, which is a classic in vegetarian meals… the veggie bowl!! It’s very easy to do and you can make it at your taste!!
- First, you choose a base which can be: quinoa, brown or white rice, bulgur, lentils
- Then, you choose your vegetables. It can be broccoli, kale, carrot, beetroot, eggplant, tomato
- You can add a protein like avocado, chickpeas or black beans as well. They are basics in the veggie bowl.
- For end, you put seeds (pumpkin, sesame, lin), some sauce or dressing (for instance: oil, vinegar, salt, with a little Greek yogurt),
*Oria’s TIP: complete this bowl with hummus (I have tried all of them: original chickpea hummus, beetroot hummus, carrot hummus,… they are all so delicious and it will add a different touch to your bowl)
You are free to put whatever you like, and that is the best thing with this recipe! You can do it every day, but each time in a different way. It’s brimming with nutrients and fiber, and it’s perfect for left-overs.
So this leads me to present to you the challenge of the week!
Challenge of the week
I am challenging you to not to eat meat on Monday’s for ONE month!!
You can do for lunch a veggie bowl (that you can bring with you everywhere!). And then for supper, you could eat a vegetarian burger with quinoa and vegetables. Try, you may like it!!
It may interest you that this challenge is inspired by the Meat Free Monday organisation.
“Meat Free Monday is a not-for-profit campaign which aims to raise awareness of the detrimental environmental impact of animal agriculture and industrial fishing. The campaign encourages people to help slow climate change, conserve precious natural resources and improve their health by having at least one plant-based day each week.”
You can go on their website, you will find more recipes and more elaborated for your Meat Free Monday!!!!
