Going Vegetarian/VeganThe United States raises and kills 10 billion land animals for food each year. Why should you care?
Going vegetarian or vegan is important because.It's good for the animals. Animals raised in factory farm conditions suffer horrific conditions over their short lifespans, and are protected by only two federal laws (the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act and the Twenty-Eight Hour Law which regulates transportation of farmed animals). Chickens spend their lives crammed into tiny wire cages, turkeys with thousands of others of their kind into windowless factories, pigs live their whole lives without ever seeing the sun or feeling the air, playful rabbits spend their short lives in barren wire cages, and veal calves are confined into tiny crates that don't allow them to lie down or turn around. Livestock are castrated, debeaked, branded, de-horned, repeatedly impregnated, and suffer a wide variety of health conditions that must be treated with drugs, just to keep them alive long enough to slaughter. That our society has turned living, feeling, thinking animals -just like your companion cat, dog or rabbit-into meat-producing machines is one of our most shameful accomplishments. By going vegetarian, you will save over 100 animals from slaughter alone. It's good for the environment. Meat production produces huge amounts of sewage and other forms of waste, polluting our water, air, and land; 1.5 billion tons of waste in the U.S. per year alone. Livestock are one of the two or three most important causes of global warming, producing huge amounts of gaseous emissions-almost a fifth of all global warming emissions. Livestock grazing is also a leading cause of deforestation, soil erosion, and the destruction of native plants and animals. Livestock production also uses an enormous amount of fuel: 68 calories of fuel are needed to produce a calorie of pork. By cutting meat from your diet, you will save an acre of trees per year from being cut down, and will be the single most important thing you will do in your personal life to save this planet. It's good for solving hunger. 840 million people go hungry every year. Meat production uses more resources-an average of ten times as many-than it produces in terms of calories and protein. This includes the land needed to graze animals, the grain needed to feed them, and the water needed to water them. Up to 16 pounds of grain are needed to make one pound of meat. 30% of the surface of the planet is devoted to animal agriculture, including 70% of the (former) Amazon rainforest, and 70% of all fresh water is used for animal production. Cutting out meat consumption by even 10% would save enough grain to feed an additional 60 million people. It's good for your health. Eating meat and animal products leads to heart disease, stroke and some kinds of cancer. Salmonella and E. Coli are bacteria that are found in livestock and infect tens of thousands of people per year. Mad Cow and Avian Flu are just two fatal diseases that originated in livestock and are passed to humans via the food chain. How do I get started?It's easy! Cooking and eating out without meat and animal products has never been easier. Restaurants from the big national restaurant chains to the small local diner offer vegetarian and vegan options, and supermarket refrigerators and freezers (not to mention the dry foods aisles) are filled with an incredible array of meatless items. When cooking at home, it's easy to substitute meat-substitutes for meat in your favorite recipes. Ethnic dishes-from China, Japan, Mexico, Italy, Thailand, India, Africa, and the Middle East are especially simple to make vegetarian. When shopping, here are some foods you'll want to purchase, along with your heart-healthy vegetables and fruits:
Some recipes to get you started!Tofu Scramble with Veggie Bacon Serves 2 In a large nonstick saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions, garlic, bell pepper, and spices for 5 minutes or until the onion turns translucent. Remove from the pan and set aside. Sauté the veggie bacon in same pan for about 5 minutes, turning once, until browned and slightly crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside. Sauté the mushrooms in same pan in another teaspoon of the oil, until they are soft and any liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Crumble the drained tofu into the pan, add the remaining teaspoon of oil, and sauté until lightly browned. Add the onion mix back in, along with the mushrooms, bacon, and fresh tomato. Cook for another 5 minutes. Twenty-Minute Chili Serves 2 In a large nonstick saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions, garlic, and bell pepper for 3 minutes or until the onion turns translucent. Add the chili powder, cayenne, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add the burger crumbles, tomatoes, and kidney beans. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. If you find that the chili is too thick, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water. Singapore Stew Serves 2 Either the night before or earlier in the day, mix the shredded seitan, Chinese five-spice powder, chili flakes, salt, and coconut milk together in a shallow bowl or pan. Let this mixture marinate for at least two hours. Pour the oil into a wok over medium-high heat, and add the marinated seitan, keeping the liquid aside. Cook the seitan until browned. Transfer to a plate or bowl. Add the garlic and ginger to the wok, and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Slowly add the remaining liquid from marinating the seitan, the vegetable stock, and seitan back into the wok. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the bok choy, mushrooms, tomato, scallions, and lime juice, and cook, stirring often, until the bok choy leaves are wilted and the stems are barely tender, about 5 more minutes. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve. Asparagus and Seitan Stir Fry Serves 2 Mix the marinade ingredients together in a medium bowl. Add the seitan pieces to the marinade, and set aside for at least an hour (refrigerate if longer) until ready to use. Heat a wok, and add the seitan pieces, along with enough of the marinade to lightly cover, reserving the remainder of the liquid. Cook the seitan over very high heat until the seitan is heated through and slightly browned. Remove from the wok and set aside. Add the asparagus and mushrooms to the wok along with the reserved marinade, and steam for 3 minutes on high heat. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water and cover the wok, letting the mixture simmer for approximately 5 minutes until the asparagus is tender. (The exact time will depend on the thickness of the asparagus). When the asparagus is ready, return the seitan to the wok along with the snow peas, and stir until the flavors are well blended and the snow peas are hot. Fragrant Three-Mushroom Tofu Stir Fry Serves 2 In a wok, heat the oil and stir fry the ginger, garlic, and Chinese five-spice powder for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and sauté for another 3 minutes. Add the tofu and sauté with the mushrooms for another 5 minutes. Add the bok choy, soy sauce, and scallions, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixed with the vegetable stock to the wok and simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce is well thickened. 
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