Food Matters- yes, it does

I heard an interesting interview on the radio show On Point with writer Mark Bittman. He is a food writer for the NY Times and he has just released a new cookbook called Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating. What caught my attention on this one is that it promotes veganism as a way to help the planet. For many years I was a vegetarian, only to starting eating meat (actually only chicken and turkey) again after my daughter was born. My husband felt it better for her to see me eat a variety of food and to cut down on how many different meals we would be making... he is a die-hard carnivore. So I reluctantly budged on my vegetarianism. Anyway, he makes a case for part veganism to help offset the massive food consumption footprint the we, specifically, Americans have. He says vegan till dinnertime, meat eating contributes shockingly to 18% of the green house gases we produce in the US, so cutting it out out of 2 meals a day could make a big difference. I think this is overall a good idea, but I think that really it is just another message about being more responsible for what we put in our bodies. Unfortunately, most people who use and read cookbooks like this are already more conscious about what they are eating, and maybe even more tuned into the environmental impact of what they eat too. I am all for American changing the way they eat, for their waistlines and for the environment. There are trickle down effects from thinking and acting on this (and I don't mean the Reagan kind). This less stress on health care, better for local economies as well as the environment. I always like messages like his, but I wish more people actually paid attention to it. Bottom line: eat less meat, eat more fresh foods, more whole grains, less process foods, buy locally... change yourself and perhaps the world.See also: The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food and Animal, Vegetable, MiracleMore: Eat Local Challenge and Find a farmers market near you