Last night I realized that the movement toward a
plant-based diet (PBD) is likely to speed up. Gene Baur, the founder of
Farm Sanctuary, animal rights activist and vegan was on “The Daily Show” with Jon
Stewart! Mr Baur was talking about his new book, “Living the Farm
Sanctuary Life: The Ultimate Guide to a Mindful, Compassionate, Animal-friendly
life”. Some of their discussion was about the number of world problems that
would be solved by adopting a PBD; huge amounts of grain and water are needed
for animal agriculture; negative impact of their practices on the environment,
human health and the humane treatment of farm animals.
Sometimes people are inspired to change their
diet, but are not sure what to cook or eat and all the meat-based protein has
been the staple of the Western diet for so long. Mr. Baur mentioned that
there are companies specifically working to develop meat-like products from
plants and calling them just another delicious form of protein rather than
‘meatless meat’ or ‘faux meat’ etc. I had also read that Bill Gates is
funding this type of research and development.
A great way to start is to just consider eating
plant-based one day a week. Meatless Mondays has been quite successful with
more people slowly realizing how many of these food items can be tasty and
provide all the essential nutrients. There is also a plan developed by Mark
Bittman, the New
York Times lead food writer that suggests you could wait until dinner time to
eat meat products. He calls it ‘Vegan before 6’. I know several people
personally who have been doing this and find it an easy way to move into the
PBD groove.
I have been through this transition myself and know how hard it is to make
the plunge. But now that I have been following a vegan diet for a couple of
years, it just keeps getting easier and more fun. I feel that following such a
diet is actually a personal commitment to participate in the solution to the
issues mentioned above. I am always experimenting with new ingredients and
incorporating them into old recipes or finding new recipes. There are plenty of
vegan recipes on-line and in some wonderful creative cookbooks by talented compassionate
chefs and cooks.
It was interesting to listen to Jon
Stewart’s side of the conversation. I think he probably represented where
many people are right now regarding the PBD. His awareness has been awakened by
the more open information being publicized about the issues discussed above.
His and many people’s dilemma is that the transition is not easy – there are
more and more vegan offerings in restaurants and grocery stores – but the
prevalence and familiarity of the meat-based items makes it harder to try
something unfamiliar. I am a regular viewer of ‘The Daily Show’ and I do
applaud him for having Mr. Baur on his program. Jon Stewart is a
very influential TV icon who so many admire and inviting him to discuss his
book is a bold and compassionate act. I am hopeful that his many fans will
think about what was presented and be inspired to make whatever steps they can
to try the PBD.
