<h3>Purpose</h3>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana">One of the most important actions you can take to reduce your CO<sub>2</sub> emissions is to become less dependent on meat. Livestock animals produced by factory and rainforest farming are inefficient at converting grains and other resources into usable food. Beef requires about 16 pounds of grain to produce just a pound of meat. Add to that the resources used for producing the grain, transporting animals to processing plants, moving meat from plant to market, and packaging. <br />
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<h3>Savings</h3>
<font size="2" face="Verdana">Every serving of meat not eaten saves 18 pounds of CO2. </font><br />
<h3>Details</h3>
<font size="2" face="Verdana">Eating meat is expensive! Not only is meat a high ticket item at the supermarket, but it also incurs a high cost to the environment. Every step of meat production -- including fertilizer, feed, transport, and processing -- requires enormous amounts of energy. In addition livestock emit large amounts of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas, as part of their digestion. Meat production is responsible for 18 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. That's more emissions than from our vehicles. </font>
<p><font size="2" face="Verdana">One of the first issues people bring up when challenged to eat less meat is &quot;How will I get enough protein?&quot; No need to worry about missing out on protein. The average American consumes twice as much as the recommended amount of daily protein, and since our bodies can't store protein, the extra just gets wasted. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Verdana">With global meat consumption on the rise due to growing populations and higher standards of living in developing countries, meat and milk production is on course to double by mid-century. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Verdana">A recent study in Lancet, a medical journal, reported that a 10-percent drop in global red meat consumption would help to stabilize agricultural emissions. Add that to the other likely benefits, such as lower rates of disease and obesity and the preservation of habitat for all kinds of species, and committing to reducing meat consumption by at least 10 percent seems superbly reasonable. </font></p>
<h3>What to Do</h3>
<ul>
    <li><font size="2" face="Verdana">Start by tracking your daily meat consumption. For the first week, eat as you normally would so that you can get an idea of your typical diet habits. This will give you a baseline. </font></li>
    <li><font size="2" face="Verdana"> Learn to recognize portion sizes. Three ounces of meat is about the size of a bar of soap or deck of cards. Eight ounces of meat is the size of a thin paperback book. </font></li>
    <li><font size="2" face="Verdana"> Once you know what your average meat consumption is, try to reduce your servings. Be conscious of your choices and try to find ways to replace meat with other foods. </font></li>
    <li><font size="2" face="Verdana"> Track your meat reductions for 1 WEEK in your Nugget Tracking worksheet (online at Google Docs). Commit to this level of reduction for 3 MONTHS and you'll get full credit with NO further tracking. Recommit to reducing meat servings by tracking 1 WEEK per QUARTER for maximum points. </font></li>
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<h3>Tips</h3>
<ul>
    <li><font size="2" face="Verdana">Aim for attainable goals. Perhaps it is just Meatless Mondays for a while. Or maybe it is going the distance by eating absolutely no meat for a period of time to break the habit, and then adding servings back to a point that is half of where you were before. </font></li>
    <li><font size="2" face="Verdana">Instead of viewing meat as the main thing on your dinner plate, try making meat a side dish and vegetables the main event. This is an easy, healthy way to reduce your overall servings while still keeping meat in your diet. </font></li>
    <li><font size="2" face="Verdana"> When you do eat meat, choose naturally raised, grass-fed, and local sources of meat if possible. If you haven't done so already, identify your Top Five Sources for Local Food. </font></li>
    <li><font size="2" face="Verdana"> Have alternative protein sources available. Hunger is an extremely powerful feeling, powerful enough to make us forget any good intentions we may have. Since protein quells our hunger for longer periods of time, there are times we crave its properties over other foods that may be available. It is therefore important to have many alternative protein foods around. </font></li>
    <li><font size="2" face="Verdana"> Eggs, cheese, nuts, quinoa, and beans and whole grains prepared together are delicious options. Did you know a handful of dark, leafy, greens like collards contains 4 grams of protein -- about 2/3 of the protein in an egg? Throw some greens into a salad or make a smoothie with soy milk and fruit and you will have a quick meal or snack. Processed protein alternatives such as TVP (texturized vegetable protein) or protein powders are available. But while these highly processed substances may offer a high protein profile, they get us away from the sustainability of real food and more importantly, the pleasures and joy of eating real food. </font></li>
    <li><font size="2" face="Verdana"> Substituting fish instead of meat is an option, but this requires the additional awareness of what types of fish are best to eat. Many types of fish (especially most of the most popular choices, like tuna, salmon, and cod) are severely endangered due to over-fishing. Some contain high levels of mercury which can be harmful to our health. And some, especially farm-raised fish, are exposed to antibiotics, dyes, etc. which are passed on to us. </font></li>
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<h3>Resources and Links</h3>
<font size="2" face="Verdana"><em>Low Carbon Diet: A 30 Day Program to Lose 5000 Pounds, </em>by David Gershon. 2006, Empowerment Institute.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.empowermentinstitute.net/">http://www.empowermentinstitute.net/</a><br />
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Michael Pollan's book <em>In Defense of Food </em>is a great primer on getting back to a healthier, plant-centric diet. His mantra is: &quot;Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.&quot;</font>