As my blog title so helpfully suggests: Eco eating! Is the theme of today’s blog. Cheesed off! Is one of the DoNation pledges that I shall be pondering through and is one I thought I might struggle to follow. As a vegetarian (which I am) you seem to be expected to eat your own body weight in the stuff as a ‘healthy’ substitute for meat. Restaurants will try and get fancy with goats cheese but at the end of the day it’s still fattening, unethical and sadly delicious.
I use cheese as a filler when I’m too lazy to find something more adventurous, that and my cooking skills are a tad limited. I’ve started to have a look for vegan recipes that have a bit of umph! I just can’t accept that salads are a meal…because they just aren’t! BBC good food seems to have some good recipes that don’t take half the day to make but will also solve the lazy lunch scenario.
I’ve dabbled in the waters of veganism but I can’t seem to commit, but after trying soya I think it’s something I will absolutely try and stick with, even if it’s just in my tea and cereal. Because of my cheese gluttony, a cut down on access dairy feels like a good way to go. PETA recommends Tesco’s soya smoked ‘cheese’ which is apparently great with oatcakes! And completely dairy free.
From my trial and error experiences I’ve found almond milk tastes great with coffee and as its naturally sweet, cutting down on your sugar usage too. Cutting out dairy completely is a difficult change but a cut down is a very realistic goal with certifiable health benefits! Keep in mind our extra milky coffees with extra whipped cream cause calves like this to be fed on milk substitutes, when they need the fats and proteins of their mother’s milk to grow properly.
Whilst you’re out and about trawling for vegan delicacies because I have inspired you to fly out the door, maybe think about slipping in another DoNation pledge. Fish food: meaning eating sustainable fish. Communities depend on fish for food, livelihoods and even tourism. Newfoundland in Canada was so over-fished in 1992 that the industry collapsed and 40,000 people lost their jobs. The sea has never recovered, altering the entire ecosystem. Dolphins, penguins, turtles and seals are among the species which are suffering as their food supply is stolen beneath them.
When you’re shopping the easiest way to check that your fish is sustainable is to look for the MSC logo. Also when you’re eating out don’t be afraid to ask your waiter/waitress, I can tell you from personal experience we really don’t mind going to check for you if we aren’t sure.
So you’re eating friendlier, why not shop friendlier too! Everyone one knows that real fur is disgusting but when buying a faux fur coat it doesn’t hurt to double check. Also try and opt for faux leather (also called vegan leather) which to be honest looks exactly the same. Suede! It took me a while to realise that suede is actually made from animals (commonly lambs) so not only is it cruel but it is easily damaged and is not worth buying. Faux suede again looks exactly the same but doesn’t hurt any cuties, just check the labels when you go for the price tag, faux is always friendlier to your wallet too.
Why bother…
• Dairy is over rich in protein and fats because it’s meant for cute growing cow babies
• Dairy farms are a nightmare to the environment
• Dairy farms aren’t kind to their cows, especially calves who are competition for their ‘product’…
• Studies have shown the link between dairy consumption and colon cancer
• Sustainable fishing means a sustainable supply for the animals and humans depending on them
• Sea life habitats will not be destroyed and looted for resources
If you’re ‘Cheesed off’ then visit www.DG4B.com/sustainstaffs
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