Vegetarian diet the 'best remedy' to fight global climate change

BY BETHANY MARETT

Kate Elsen had never thought about becoming a vegetarian until she fell in love.

Through supporting and cooking for her now husband, she became interested about the choice and started researching it.

"The more I read the more intrigued I became about the philosophy behind it," Elsen said.

That was 28 years ago and to this day Mrs Elsen has remained a vegetarian, along with her husband Horst and three children Niko, 20, Sebastian, 17, and Luke 12.

This Thursday, October 1 is World Vegetarian Day which also kicks off the annual vegetarian awareness month.

Mrs Elsen is encouraging people to try a meat-free week and see the benefits for themselves.

On October 17 she will also be holding a pot luck vegetarian dinner at her home with the view of holding regular dinners to help support vegetarians in the local community.

Mrs Elsen chose to become vegetarian because ethically she did not want the cost of an animal's life for her satisfaction. She also does not like the agricultural practices and the way animals are treated in New Zealand.

Through being a vegetarian she has found the spinoff is better health, and said it was untrue that people who didn't eat meat lacked energy.

"It's a myth that vegetarians are all weak and puny. There are professional marathon runners who are vegetarian."

The other major benefit of being a vegetarian was the environmental impact, she said.

Serious environmental problems such as global warming, overexploited natural resources, deforestation, wasted land, water and air pollution are all directly linked to eating meat.

"We can't feed the world, because we are chopping down the forests to make room for the cows to make the burgers.

"If people want to do one thing to help climate change it is to go vegetarian." The mother of three admits being vegetarian has not always been easy.

"It was always a hassle to have us for dinner. People always think about what we don't eat rather than what we do eat," she said.

However, while she said 20 years ago vegetarians were almost ostracised for being different, society today was much more accepting.

"People are more aware, and perhaps more tolerant. They are more sympathetic than anti."

While she said there was still room for improvement, there were now more vegetarian options available at eateries.

Mrs Elsen has raised her family as vegetarians, but said they were always given the choice.

"We always said the children could change; it would be their choice.

"They have all chosen to be vegetarian and at this stage they have no inclination to change, but that's not to say they might not reconsider in the future."

For Niko, who is a student living at Knox College in Dunedin, he found growing up that he knew few vegetarians outside of his household.

Now he is surrounded by 40 other vegetarian students, who have arranged for the chefs to provide only vegetarian food on October 1 to create further awareness about the choice.

Mrs Elsen said being vegetarian was not as much hassle as some people believed and was very economical.

Sausages could easily be swapped for vegetarian sausages and made into casseroles, and falafel was a great filler with pita bread, she said.

WHAT IS A VEGETARIAN?

* A vegetarian eats mostly plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits, grains, peas, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds.

* A vegetarian does not eat meat, chicken, poultry, game, fish, shellfish, or by-products of the slaughterhouse such as gelatine, rennet and animal fats.

* A vegan is a vegetarian who also does not eat eggs, dairy products or honey. Their diet is purely plant-based.

* It is estimated that 2 per cent or about 86,000 New Zealanders follow a vegetarian diet.

* It is also generally accepted that far greater numbers regularly have at least one or two meatless meals a week.

- Source: www.vegetarian.org.nz

- © Fairfax NZ News