Post-pandemic stresses on supply chains have pushed food prices up. That means many of us are looking to save money by cooking meals at home instead of dining out, and relying more on processed foods – which are generally easier to prepare and cheaper than their fresh counterparts. But what exactly qualifies as processed food, and why are ingredients processed.
I was in high school when one of my friends started bringing colorful, plant-based meals to lunch. To my surprise, she had said sustainability and health drove her to cut out meat from her life.
I have grown up eating vegetarian two days a week and eliminating red meat from my diet. Cultural and religious values drove my eating habits, so I had never really examined plant-based diets in depth. I had a vague understanding that raising livestock harmed the environment, but I had no idea of the extent until I had this conversation.
We are told to carpool or take public transit for the sake of the environment. Since a person driving a typical car 100 miles produces 89 pounds of CO2 while a full bus emits just 14 pounds for the same distance, it seems like reasonable advice. Yet, a single serving of beef has a carbon footprint of 6.6 pounds, nearly half of the 100 mile bus ride. We need to talk about eating choices as often as we talk about modes of transportation when it comes to susta