THE BIG PICTURE

Perhaps, like me, you have recently become aware of the impact of diet on health.  Or possibly you are concerned about the humane treatment of animals.  Or maybe you’ve come to the mind-expanding realization that global meat consumption is a major contributor to greenhouse gases and depletion of natural resources.  Like me, your understanding and awareness of “the big picture” may be increasing daily!

I never knew that what I chose to put on my plate had ramifications far beyond my personal life.  But now I know from experience that eliminating all animal protein from my diet and eating whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruit means restored vitality and prevention, even reversal, of life-threatening chronic diseases.

I always loved to be around the animals on my grandfather’s Pennsylvania dairy farm, but I chose not to think about how the pot roast or drumstick got to my dinner plate.  Now I know that I can get all the protein I need from plant sources.  No animal needs to suffer for me to eat well and be healthy.

Never in my waking moments did I contemplate the astronomical amount of land, water, grain and fossil fuels needed to produce the single hamburger I so enjoyed.  Never before did I understand that animal agriculture generates a significant amount of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change and increased frequency and severity of flooding, droughts, and other extreme weather events. Now I know and now I want you to know as well.

I have recently read a book which brings together all of these pieces into “the big picture”.  I highly recommend COMFORTABLY UNAWARE by Dr. Richard A. Oppenlander to anyone who is concerned about climate change and what you and I can do NOW to reverse it.  You can visit Oppenlander’s website at comfortablyunaware.com.  There you can view a short video about Oppenlander’s work and nonprofit organization INSPIREAWARENESSNOW.