If you’ve any concerns, comments or questions get in touch: jeannepoirier@yahoo.com
Welcome to Day 10 of the Global
15 Day Plant-Rich Diet Challenge!
Week 2 Main Course Challenge –
Eat a Plant-Based Lunch and/or Dinner.
Plant-Based Recipe of the Day:
No Meat Lentil Mushroom Plant-Based Burger Patties
Try making these burgers and do not be surprised if they become a staple at home 😉
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Prep Time: 15 Minutes
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Cook Time: 45 Minutes
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Total Time: 1 Hour
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Servings: 6
Fact for the Day: Beef alone drives 41% of global tropical deforestation, and oil seed production (including soybeans) drives 18.4%.
You might have already heard that beef production is a major driver of tropical deforestation. But do you know how serious the issue is? Here are a few pointers:
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In the breakdown of tropical deforestation by the types of agricultural production, what stands out immediately is Beef.
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The expansion of pasture land to raise cattle is responsible for 41% of tropical deforestation. That’s 2.1 million hectares every year – about half the size of the Netherlands.
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Most (72%) deforestation in Brazil is driven by cattle ranching.
What’s more is that production of oil seeds (including soybeans and palm oil) represents the #2 leading cause of tropical deforestation (after beef). 77% of the world’s soy production is used to feed livestock around the world. As Our World in Data writes:
“More than three-quarters (77%) of global soy is fed to livestock for meat and dairy production. Most of the rest is used for biofuels, industry or vegetable oils. Just 7% of soy is used directly for human food products such as tofu, soy milk, edamame beans, and tempeh. The idea that foods often promoted as substitutes for meat and dairy – such as tofu and soy milk – are driving deforestation is a common misconception.”
Read the full articles here (Drivers of Deforestation) and here (Soy).
We don’t have time to dive into the destructive impacts of palm oil, but please know that producing palm oil, which is pervasive in nearly every packaged food and other product we purchase, is destroying tropical rainforests across Asia (especially in Malaysia and Indonesia), Latin America, West Africa, and is destroying populations of endangered species such as the orangutan, pygmy elephant, and Sumatran rhino. Please see “8 Things to Know About Palm Oil” by the WWF.
Bonus Tip: Movie Suggestions
For many of us, weekends are when we actually have time to sit back, relax and…watch a movie! Here are some of our favorite documentaries that are sure to open your eyes and leave you in awe regarding the power you have to heal your body (by yourself!), to heal the planet, and to heal your soul by choosing a plant-rich diet today. We hope you enjoy them (click the documentary name to link to the website).
Heal Your Body:
Heal the Planet:
Eating Our Way to Extinction (free on YouTube) |
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Heal Your Soul:
My Octopus Teacher (A must-see!) |
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Speaker Series – Dr. Saray Stancic, MD
Lifestyle Medicine – the Commonsense Solution to the Chronic Disease Epidemic
Dr. Saray Stancic, MD shares her uplifting and remarkable personal story of a multiple sclerosis diagnosis that led her to her current work focused on plant-based diets.
Dr. Stancic is triple board certified in Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, and Lifestyle Medicine. She is the Director of Medical Education for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine where she focuses on expanding the role of nutrition and lifestyle in medical schools and residency programs. She is the producer and co-creator of the documentary, Code Blue, and author of What’s Missing from Medicine: Six Lifestyle Changes to Overcome Chronic Illness.
That’s it for Day 10! Adios amigos,
The ESRAG Plant-Rich Diet Task Force
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.