January is the month where millions of people switch to a plant-based whole foods diet. Why? Because as we get fatter, wildlife gets skinnier and the planet more dysfunctional.
The fires in Los Angeles are an example of a planet in peril due to drought related climate change. While we know about some of the ways, such as electric vehicles and alternative energy, to reduce the carbon emissions, the most effective and quickest ways to reduce carbon are overlooked. Animal agriculture, not oil and gas has caused 87% of climate change because humans have cut three trillion trees for land to raise 92 billion cows, pigs, chickens, goats and lambs. 1. A whopping 80% of our farmland is dedicated to animals and their feed crops. corn, soy and alfalfa. 2.
On Christmas Day, I attended holiday dinner at the home of close relatives. Their house was festively decorated and dinner was both catered and homemade. Everyone’s spirit was warm and caring. As I approached the buffet table, I felt the familiar pang of reality when I saw a tray of lamb chops, the little ribs jutting out haphazardly as normal as could be next to the vegetables.
I thought of the baby lambs taken from their mothers, trucked in crates to a cold steel and cement building to be slaughtered as they called for mothers who could not hear them.
My family filled their plates with the lamb chops which were consumed without a second thought.
Caring eaters are in a bind. It’s fine to stand on a street corner to educate strangers about animal suffering, eating for health and climate chaos due to food choices but we often avoid speaking with our family on those topics.
I’ve spoken with other non-meat eaters, and they don’t say anything to their relatives because they fear their family might abandon them. One woman said she would cry when she saw the carcasses on the table. But most non-meat eaters stoically absorb the situation unnoticed.
A psychotherapist told me, “Don’t look at their plates”. A relative told me, “You lead by your example”/ It is the culture speaking and truth is the victim.
The Challenge of Speaking Up
I became an enabler.
As I said nothing, except to my mother, my family continued to dig their hole deeper.
The arguments against speaking up are many. It’s too personal. It’s none of our business. People have the right to eat whatever they please. There’s no law against eating animals. It’s part of the natural order.
Humans made the laws, and we do not give animals a voice.
Paradoxically, anthropological research confirms that for thousands of years, human diets relied far more on plants such as corn, wheat, beans, rice, sweet potatoes, vegetables and fruits, than on meats. At some point royalty decided to eat birds, fish, boars, deer, pigs, cows, goats and lambs. And from the day someone leaned over and took a sip of mother’s milk from a cow’s teat somehow, we decided to drink their milk. Cows are docile and we can do mean and foolish things to them. It became indoctrinated in our culture and reinforced by meat and dairy industry advertising. Doctors, unwilling to fight their patients’ culture don’t often raise their voices.
A Health Crisis on the Table
With a mix of love and concern, I watched my family enjoy their meals. An uncle gnawed on his lamb chops with little awareness of its connection to his cancer, a heart attack and surgery to repair a damaged esophagus that allowed food to creep upward when he slept, called GERD. Did his doctor tell him to stop eating meat? No. What should the doctor say? Eating animal meat and fat makes the blood acidic, sludgy, inflamed and prone to causing heart attacks.
An aunt has breast cancer and diabetes, both related to animal protein and fat.
Another female family member enjoying the meat feast relies on Ozempic shots to make her thin with the side effects of nausea and constipation, a strange cure.
Another overweight female family member licking her fingers at her greasy plate told me she was considering surgery for an acid reflux condition-again GERD. Her doctor told her to avoid tomato paste but said nothing about eliminating the real culprit, acidic animal protein and fat.
Our mid-thirties male host is twenty pounds overweight. Where would he go from here? I remembered my father at the same age, same belly, already on medication for high blood pressure which permanently damaged his kidneys, weakened his heart and deprived his powerful mind of oxygen leading to dementia.
The Bigger Picture
Last summer during a 40-day drought, there were fires in the town next door to my town in crowded Essex County, New Jersey. What will happen next summer? Will we have to grab our pets and run? Will we lose everything as so many people in Los Angeles have? Will my insurance go up?
My family is sick and the planet is in an equivalent health crisis.
A Shared Opportunity
We must talk to each other now. This isn’t just about individual choices; it’s about creating a new normal together. All we need to do is switch out animal products to our traditional diet of rice, beans, corn, potatoes, vegetables and fruit in satisfying meals. Talking to family about these issues isn’t easy, but it’s necessary. Its best to approach the conversation with empathy and respect. Here are some tips:
- Choose the Right Time: Avoid bringing up sensitive topics during meals. Instead, plan a one-on-one conversation a few weeks after the holidays.
- Express Concern, Not Judgment: Start with something like, “I’ve been thinking a lot about our family’s health and the problems of our planet. Can I share some ideas with you?” Proteinaholic by Dr. Garth Davis is an excellent resource on how we can overcome the false belief that we need animal protein.
- Share Facts, Not Opinions: Highlight evidence from reputable sources. For example, a study from Oxford University found that eliminating animal products from our plates could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 73%.4
- Offer Solutions: Emphasize the abundance of delicious, plant-based alternatives. Share recipes, suggest restaurants, or offer to cook a meal together. ForksOverKnives.com is a great resource.
- Be Patient: Focus on planting seeds rather than expecting immediate results.
Even so, we have no time to lose. To save our planet we need to act immediately to re-wild the planet with the missing three trillion trees and soak up the carbon. We do that one meal at a time to free up the land for trees.
As we navigate these conversations, let’s remember that change starts with empathy. By treating ourselves and our loved ones with dignity and sharing information thoughtfully, we can inspire all of us to make choices that benefit everyone. The path forward is about individual action and it’s about collective responsibility.
Let’s get started, I have some recipes to share with you.
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