LIVE24SEVEN // Motoring, Sport & Entertainment K AT E JUS T I C E – MEAT - F R E E CHR I S TMAS
The Waste Produce of Christmas
Kate Justice is determined to go meat-free over the festive season
What’s on the Christmas Day menu for you this year? For most people, turkey is still the most popular choice… some have goose, or beef… and roughly around 10% of us will be meat free.
Whatever it is, there is one guarantee; inevitably we will end up chucking food out. What is it about the festive holiday season that makes us buy so much extra nosh? In the past, we may have fretted about shops being closed and so, stocked up to avoid starving to death over 48 hours. Now, though, there’s always a shop open somewhere. It must be a combination of giving up the diet over Christmas, the immensely powerful marketing of festive treats and more time around the house evidently requiring more fully stocked fridges and cupboards.
I’ve been told that the equivalent of 2 million turkeys will be thrown away this year… and around 7 million sprouts. Over purchasing and cooking disasters are mostly to blame. Even before we delve into the ethics debate surrounding the waste of life, or the gluttony of the first world versus the malnutrition in developing countries, there is the big fat question of how many people recycle (compost) this unwanted food? We’ve still got two scooped out, carved pumpkins on our compost heap… we are in danger of it taking over the house!
However, it won’t be due to wasted turkey: This year, we are having a vegetarian Christmas dinner. Oh, the protests I have had from the rest of the family. You’d think I’d asked the children to pull each other’s fingernails out – not go without Pigs in Blankets for one day. I reminded them that I had a brush with a vegan diet last month, so things could have appeared even less appealing.
I managed to stay Vegan for about three days, but unless I stocked up on soya versions of meat / cheese / milk, I discovered that either I am very lacking in creativity… or it’s actually really hard to do. (And I had chips for lunch twice). What on earth does a vegan Christmas dinner consist of? I am well aware any vegans reading this will be yelling at the page or tutting in pity at my ignorance.
My choice is not political – I have just heard so often, that cutting out animal products has made people feel better - and I wanted to test it out. But as a vegan, I spent so much time scratching my head about what to eat and forgetting every time I was offered a cup of tea, that I just gave up…
However, since then, I still haven’t eaten meat – and as someone who would normally eat steak twice a week and a bacon sandwich for breakfast MOST days, this is quite a change. What I’m currently doing is a small step… the next one being to have one vegan day a week. I’m just desperate to know if it will work! Will my skin look better, will my energy levels go up and will I sleep better?
I’m sceptical, but not enough not to try it. One problem is that to truly learn something from such an investigation, I will undoubtedly be required to cut out all animal products for more than one day a week. I’m working on some menu ideas – and there’s a lot of advice available. Another problem though… is that I will also undoubtedly be required to cut out wine for more than one day a week as well. How can I measure improved sleep / energy / skin and blah blah without that?
It’s Christmas, so that is very much ON HOLD. (Although I see the makings of a New Year’s Resolution.) For now I will remain meat free, as a build up to my experiment and will endeavour not to buy more sprouts – or anything else – than are required.
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