Sir David Attenborough says “if we shift away from eating meat and dairy and move towards a plant-based diet, then the sun’s energy goes directly into growing our food. And because that’s so much more efficient, we could still produce enough to feed us, but do so using a quarter of the land.”
Dan Buettner of “Blue Zones” fame uses such phrases as “retreat from meat” and “plant slant” to describe the eating habits of centenarians now models for recommended behaviors for those who wish to reach 100.
In his COP28 message last month World Health Organization head Dr. Tedros Adhonam Ghebreyesus highlighted the critical need to move toward plant-based diets to transform the food system and address its massive contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and worldwide health issues.
My online friend and “big picture guy”, engineer and author J. Morris Hicks has just launched the New Year with his SOS #255 at hpjmh.com by introducing Dr. Eliot Jacobson’s list of 23 “actions that, if all were taken, we just might have a decent chance of reversing climate change.” These actions include the possibility that the “Vegan diet dominates and there is a moratorium on factory farming.”
With urgency Hicks emphasizes that “Animal agriculture is the leading driver of climate change and it is the ONLY primary driver that is theoretically possible to completely eliminate before 2030 -- buying us enough time to tackle the other 22 tasks on Jacobson's list.”
I join Hicks in urging readers to embrace plant-based eating today, tomorrow and every day with purpose and pleasure. At our house we enjoy old favorite meaty meals by swapping out meat for mushrooms. Tonight we made a delicious veggie stir fry with mushrooms and peanut sauce. I share my recipe that all may be inspired to launch a PLANT-POWERED New Year!
Veggie Stir Fry with Mushrooms and Peanut Sauce
1 large onion sliced
1 quarter head cabbage (red or green) sliced
Handful of garlic cloves chopped
1 pound bag frozen stir fry vegetables
1/2 to 1 pound favorite mushrooms sliced
1 to 2 inch ginger root chopped
Sauté all above in small amount of water until desired doneness then stir in peanut sauce and serve over whole grain pasta or rice.
Peanut Sauce
I use 1/4 to 1/2 cup peanut powder reconstituted with 1/4 to 1/2 cup water. Add 3 tablespoons soy sauce, sriracha to taste, Hoisin sauce to taste, 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Mix thoroughly and add to stir fry slowly while mixing. Add more water as desired.
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Dorothy Greet invites you on a journey to amazing good health and vitality through Plant-Based Eating.
A heart attack turned her life upside down at age 70.
Now, with a Cornell Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition, this retired clergywoman teaches free classes to community groups upon request.
To contact Ms. Greet, email dgreet@aya.yale.edu.
For more information on plant-based eating go to greetplantbased.blogspot.com.
