Here at Eco & Beyond HQ we love meat. I mean, seriously LOVE meat. There’s nothing better than a medium rare, thick-cut steak straight from the BBQ. Add to that a creamy peppercorn sauce and potatoes roasted in goose fat, and that’s the perfect meal. What could be better?
Talk Sustainability, Walk Sustainability
There’s a problem with this picture. As we’ve discussed here numerous times, meat production has a huge impact on the environment and cannot be considered a sustainable source of protein – at least not on a mass produced global scale. So, we’re going to practice what we preach and challenge ourselves to a purely animal free plant based diet for 30 days – for the whole month of September.
We are passionate about sustainability, but we don’t want to be known for just talking about it (though we can do that for hours if you let us). Talk is cheap; action is where it’s at. We want to make a difference and do something relevant, after all, lots of small actions can lead to big bold results.
The Road to Plant-Based Knowledge
Personally, I don’t know much about what a plant based diet should contain or how to get all the necessary protein and nutrients from animal product alternatives. We’ve written about More Than Meat and their great plant based burger, Hampton Creek and their egg-free mayo and all the new meat replacements grown in laboratories, but you can’t eat those for three meals a day – some of them aren’t even ready for retailers’ shelves yet.
This challenge presents a great opportunity to learn about all the plant based products that are on the market today. We’ll also brush up on all the nutritional information around what the body needs to survive. Along the way we’ll be sharing all our discoveries, and struggles.
We’ll have to work out which plant based milk makes a decent coffee, where to buy a tasty plant based lunch on the go and how difficult it really is to eat in a restaurant or pub and stick to a plant based regime. There will no doubt be moments when we want to give in and chow down on a bacon sandwich, but we won’t, and I promise we’ll share those stories with you too.
We’ll be posting a round-up of our experiences on the blog on Sunday each week so do check back for updates and to follow the journey.
Join Us and Challenge Yourself
So, here we go, watch us as we embark on our 30 day plant based challenge. Can we get by for 30 days without any animal products? Thirty breakfasts with no milk in our coffee and no lazy Sunday bacon and egg brunches? Thirty lunches with no cheese or chicken in our salads or butter on our sandwiches. And to top it all off, thirty evening meals with no steak, sausages or any other type of meat. Holy cow! Or should that be holy tofu?
If you’re a sustainability warrior or a foodie who cares, you should join us!
We want to share this experience with as many people as possible, so please feel free to jump on this challenge and come along with us for the ride. Let us know how you’re getting on, and in particular let us know of any amazing foods or recipes that you come across by tweeting @ecoandbeyond using the hashtag #PlantBasedChallenge, leaving a comment on our Facebook page or snapping a photo on Instagram.