Do get hold of me via email if you have any questions/concerns on this: jeannepoirier@yahoo.com.
Welcome to Day 1 of the Global
15 Day Plant-Rich Diet Challenge!
OK…Here we go!
Week 1 Breakfast Challenge – Eat a plant-based breakfast!
This week’s BIG Experiment is to take a shot at making breakfast 100% plant-based every day. Below are some delicious and fun breakfast recipes.
Plant-Based Recipe of the Day
Chia Overnight Oats
Versatile,delicious,and packed with nutrients
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Prep Time: 5 Minutes
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Cook Time: 5 Minutes
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Total Time: 10 Minutes
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Servings: 1
And…even MORE delicious breakfast ideas:
1. Rolled or steel cut oats with fruit, nuts, cinnamon and a splash of non-dairy milk.
2. Perfect plant-based pancakes.
3. Your favorite cereal with non-dairy milk (unsweetened soy, oat and flax are great choices), fruit (berries, sliced bananas, raisins, etc.) and toast with sliced avocadoes or vegan butter.
4. A savory southwest tofu scramble and hearty breakfast potatoes.
5. Another creamy, delicious overnight oats recipe with mashed bananas, other fruit of choice, cinnamon, vanilla, non-dairy milk and optionally, chia seeds, nuts, seeds, coconut flakes, maple syrup.
6. Whole grain toast with peanut or almond butter, topped with berries or banana and sliced apples on the side.
7. Delicious bowl of fruit with leafy greens like spinach, spring mix or arugula, and 1 tablespoon of ground chia or flax seeds (enjoy whatever fruits are in season or use frozen fruit for those favorites that are out of season).
Fact for the Day: Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Focus on Methane Emissions from Livestock
On August 9, 2021, the world’s leading authority on climate change – the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – released its most recent report, warning that “unless there are immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting warming to close to 1.5°C or even 2°C will be beyond reach.”
While the world must immediately and drastically cut CO2 emissions, the IPCC also sounded the alarm about methane. In the first 20 years after its release, methane traps 80 times more heat in our atmosphere than does CO2. However, methane only lasts about a decade vs. CO2 which can last for 100s to 1000s of years. Slashing methane NOW is essential to slowing planetary warming in the near-term and preventing catastrophic temperature rises.
Here’s the GREAT NEWS: We consumers have the power to slash global methane emissions SOON just by cutting our consumption of meat and dairy products and replacing them with plant foods!
Here’s why: The global livestock industry produces 32% of global man-made methane emissions, second only to the fossil fuel industry which produces 35%. Most of that methane comes from meat and dairy production due to gastroenteric releases by ruminants (especially the 1.5 billion cows on the planet today) and manure. More than 75% of the entire world’s farmland is used just to feed livestock.
If people around the world were to significantly cut their meat and dairy consumption today, we’d need far fewer livestock animals, and methane emissions would drop swiftly.
But there’s more. The global livestock industry is also a leading source of CO2 (largely from deforestation to graze cattle and grow soybeans to feed livestock around the world – you’ll learn more about this in a future email) and the leading source of nitrous oxide (which is close to 300 times more heat-trapping than CO2) at 53% of global emissions.
Replacing meat and dairy with plant foods takes a big bite out of ALL of these greenhouse gas emissions AND combats deforestation! And remember…we can do this today.
Bonus Tip: Wondering how to reduce your meat consumption?
1. Here’s a tip from the Mayo Clinic: Substitute the following protein-rich plant foods for meat in your favorite recipes:
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Beans, peas and lentils – great in casseroles and salads
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Vegetarian refried beans – a good substitute for meat in burritos and tacos
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Tofu – a perfect addition to stir-fry dishes
2. Start by going Meatless for two to three dinners per week. This will give you a chance to get creative and try main dishes that are completely plant-based (e.g. vegan chili, zucchini lasagne with tofu, Asian vegetable stir fry with noodles, pasta with creamy walnut alfredo sauce, Ethiopian lentil stew).
3. When you do eat meat, cut the portion in half and fill up your plate with delicious and nutritious whole grains, legumes, starchy veggies (like potatoes and squash), and vegetables. For example, in soups, pasta sauces, casseroles, stews and chilis, cut the meat in half and add beans or lentils to keep the dish nice and hearty. Think of meat as a “garnish” and plants as the main course.
HERE’s a helpful Ingredient Substitution Chart from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
And if you’re feeling like you’d like to go meat-free but you just need to have that “steaky” experience now and then, enjoy this bright and cheery 10-minute video where the delightful “boys from BOSH” show us how to make plant-based steaks that taste like the real thing!
Speaker Series Day 1 – Jennifer Paul, MPH, RDN
Transitioning to a Plant-Based Diet: What You Need to Know to Get Started
Join Jennifer as she shares the research demonstrating that plant-based diets are nutritionally adequate and offer incredible health benefits.
She is the Nutrition Program Coordinator for Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and a registered dietician with a Masters of Public Health from Loma Linda University.
A list with links to all speakers in the series will be provided at the end of the challenge!
That’s it for Day 1!
We covered a lot today and we promise that future emails will be shorter. Thanks again for joining us on this meaningful journey. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow!
Warm Regards,
The ESRAG Plant-Rich Diet Task Force
(P.S. Please feel free to contact us at any time with questions and/or comments.)
This Task Force resides under the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) and operates in accordance with Rotary International policy, but is not an agency of, nor controlled by, Rotary International.