Soy Burger and Saving the Planet

By Ruth Hall

 “If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is stop eating meat, " says Sir Paul McCartney spokesperson for PETA. If slaughter houses had glass walls we would all be vegetarians. Meat production contributes to 40% of the world’s greenhouse gas more than all the cars, planes, trains and buses.(PETA) Besides not being healthy for the planet; meat is not advantageous to humans as well. Meat especially red meat is full of fat, cholesterol, and it is linked to a variety of health troubles, including heart disease and cancer.

When it comes to nutrition there is no perfect food, one that is totally balances with all the nutrients the body needs for good health. A vegetarian diet can provide all the nutrients necessary. One must keep in mind that they need to eat a wide variety of foods. The variety consists of fruits,vegetables,plenty of leafy greens,whole grain products,nuts,seeds and legumes.

Hamburger is still however, essential the American identity and the backyard barbecue. Recently a wide variety of better for your health soy burgers have turned up at the local super market. In the freezer section often under breakfast items, right there with the frozen waffles are the veggie burgers. My favorite is the Morningstar Chick Pattie Original. Their veggie bacon is pretty good too and so easy to fix; one or two minutes in the microwave for most things. There are a couple other brands you might like to try too- Boca burger, Amy’s Organic Chicago Burger. The Morning Star grillers recipe crumbles can be used in place of ground meat in any of your favorite recipes. There is also Morning Star Meal Starters chik’n strips or steak strips for stirfrys,salads,pasta,or sandwiches.

The soybean has been a staple in Asian countries for centuries. In addition to being complete protein it provides fiber, iron, and ALA omega-3 fatty acids. It is lower in saturated fat and calories; like all plant foods it is cholesterol-free. A plant based diet can be the pathway to a healthy lifestyle. A growing body of research suggests high consumption of plant –based foods can be associated with lower rates of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Ø Eating a vegetarian diet can lead to better health for people and for the planet. On average, land requirements for meat-protein production are 10 times greater than plant-protein production (Leitzmann).

Ø Producing 1kg. of animal protein requires approximately 100 times more water than producing 1kg. of grain protein (Pimentel).

Ø Beef is the single food with the greatest potential impact on the environment (Baroni).

Ø The enormous volume of meat, pork and poultry  farm waste can’t be re-processed, and potentially ends up into our waterways (Conrow) Less than half the harvested acreage on the U.S. is used to grow food for people. For every sixteen pounds of grain and soybeans fed beef cattle, we get back only one pound of meat (Gussow)

Best Vegetarian Chili Recipe

Using vegetarian burger crumbles Prep Time: 15 Min Cook Time: 1 Hr. Ready In: 1 Hr. 15 Min

Servings  (Help)

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Original Recipe Yield 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 stalks celery, chopped

·         2 green bell peppers, chopped

• 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
• 2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles
• 3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

Directions

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.

2.  Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 342 | Total Fat: 7.7g | Cholesterol: 0mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

Allrecipes.com/recipe/veggie-vegetarian-chili/

Works Cited

PETA’s Vegetarian/Vegan Starter Kit/Peta org.features.petaorg/vegetarian Starter Kit/index.asp.

Leitzmann (2003) Nutrition ecology; the contribution of vegetarian diet AMJ Clin Nutr 78 (Suppl). 6585

Pimentel D. Piementel m.(2003). Sustainability of meat-based and plant –based diets and the environment,AMJ Clin Nutr 78 (Suppl). 6625

Baroni L. Berati M. L. Tettamanti M (2006). Evaluating the environmental impact of various dietary patterns combined with different food production systems European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.Eur Clim Nutr.61(2):283

Gussow J.D. (1994) . Ecology and vegetarian Considerations: does environmental responsibility demand the elimination of livestock? AMJ Clin Nur 59(Suppl).11115

If you can't see giving up meat entirely perhaps you could just try one recipe:I think you will be glad you did.