Whatever your reasons for choosing the meat-free life, being a vegetarian or vegan around the world can be tricky. Doing it on a budget, even more so.
Personally, I decided to go meat-free around the age of 15 and became more aware of the impact my choices have on the environment. This area is a bit of a mine-field. I have often been criticised for my choices, told it won’t make a difference, or (more often than you would expect) angrily confronted as if my dietary choices are an attack on other people’s dietary choices.
I think people often feel guilty when they speak to vegetarians or vegans. I guess it’s like looking in the mirror and realising you probably don’t do enough.
I also trialled the vegan thing, eventually coming to the conclusion that the air miles and the land use impacts of soy products compared to locally produced milk and egg products are just switching one evil for another. Although the potential animal rights issues are sad, I am largely interested in the environmental impacts of food choices and reducing them (sorry vegans!).
So that’s a little about why I eat meat-free and why you’ll likely find some ramblings about this topic around here somewhere. I’m incredibly interested in how agriculture is affecting the planet, what we can do about it and I’m also interested in the health impacts of these choices!
One Foot Forward 