by Zühtü Anıl TUTAR

Have you ever seen a documentary about how the industry treats animals with cruelty and thought, "I wish I could stop this."? Or do you want to embrace a vegan lifestyle but can't find the courage to stop eating meat altogether? First of all, let me state that this is not an article about how to become a vegan or vegan tips and tricks, and I will not talk about moral aspects of it. This article is a collection of ideas to help the environment, without sacrificing the pleasure of eating, which agrees with veganism. Now let's look into how you can be more environmentally friendly without giving up on your meat pleasures.

 

Your parents are probably telling you this but trying more vegetables is a great way to enhance your diet. If you are a picky eater, you are probably trying to avoid vegetables since you think they do not look or smell good. Forcing yourself to try vegetables or dishes with more vegetables in them than your usual meals might be an excellent way to achieve a better lifestyle and, surprise, the environment also benefits from it. If you have watched any vegan documentary, you probably know about this, but vegetables cost much less water to produce than meat. With that being said, I believe you should also try some vegan foods when you have the opportunity. The thought of trying vegan food might displease you, but some of them taste so good that you will want to integrate them into your life. Who knows, maybe some of your favorite dishes are vegan, and you don't even know about it.  So go out and try some new alternatives out of your comfort zone and broaden your food palette while helping the environment.

 

You might ask me, "Is trying new food the only way to help the environment? I don't want to try new things." And I would answer, absolutely not. One of the other food-related actions that positively affect the environment is to replace your food with environmentally friendly alternatives. You can change your processed meat with vegan options such as vegan chicken nuggets, schnitzels, and sausages. This change does not only help the environment; it also preserves your pleasure. There is almost no difference in taste, so you don't have to sacrifice the joy of eating tasty unhealthy food that is good for nobody. Eating meat alternatives also decreases water consumption. Of course, you can advocate that there are no satisfying alternatives for your delicious steaks and ribs, and I won't disagree with you; however, one small change in your diet is sufficient to make an impact on the global industry.  If you consider implementing even more changes beyond meat, you can replace your cow's milk with nut milk, oat milk, or soy milk and become even more vegan-like. There is also a good chance you will like the flavor as well.

 

This is a time of a dying world and an environment in the process of corruption, so we must act; many people think this way. If you ever find yourself feeling this way, you can start by altering your diet to save some water and help the environment. You can still have the pleasure of eating meat, but there are many more dishes and flavors in the world that are meat-free and delicious. Replacing even one meal is a good start and makes a significant change. Why not go out and explore new horizons of gastronomy and protect the environment while doing so.