Allie Johnson

This challenge has been really eye opening for me, in regard to how easy it is to cut meat out of a diet when grocery stores have large selections of alternative proteins. In regard to cost, the best option is to make much of the meals it at home and from scratch, doing a lot of meal prepping. For me, that was difficult fitting into a busy schedule, so I often bought pre-made frozen "chik'n"/vegan meal options. The pre-made options are a tad costly, especially if you are on a budget. So my goal is to meal prep more, and get creative with my leftovers. It is a habit and new routine to learn, much like switching my diet away from meat.
Happy to be apart of the ecochallenge!

After visiting the Fred Meyer near my mom the other day and needing a quick lunch, my eyes were opened to the accessibility restrictions neighborhoods have to vegan/vegetarian pre-made options, despite being in the same store just different locations. The Fred Meyer that I visit is only 4.5 miles from the one near my mom, yet her store has very minimal options for meatless pre-made meals. The emphasis on “pre-made”, because most people have a lot going on, so having the choice to have plant-based proteins will be more likely utilized if it is still as convenient as throwing some chicken nuggets in the oven. If we advocated to push grocery stores to meet a minimum requirement of alternative dietary options, would more people find favorites in the plant-based section?

Admittedly I have not been able to keep up with my posts about how my plant-based journey has been going. Between meal prepping, working 32hrs a week, and various homework, I have struggled checking in every day. However, my journey has been amazing thus far! I have struggled completely cutting cheese out, but cutting out the meat was a lot easier than I even imagined. There are SO many options for amazing recipes, and quick meals that are perfect for a busy schedule, but also beneficial for me and the planet. Last week I had a meal with a small portion of meat in it, and as soon as it settled to my stomach I had instant cramps, and felt nauseated. It amazed my how quickly my body adjusted to my new eating habits, and how what once used to be my go-to protein is no longer a necessity! 

Went out of town camping and did not plan meals properly, so I ate a few shared meals with meat in them. I noticed that I felt sluggish and frankly guilty. Definitely a lesson learned to pack snacks, and diligently plan my meals, especially being only a week into learning a new routine. Being out toward a more rural town, the vegan options were none, and vegetarian options minimal. It is interesting that the farther from the city, the less options available to eat vegan or vegetarian. I wonder if there were actions put into place, to push more options in grocery stores of rural towns, if it would inspire more to eat less meat? Or perhaps too many social factors play into the choice of being “vegan” or “vegetarian” in cow-towns.

Day 1. I have hunted down so many recipes to keep me on track to eat plant based and transition my diet away from heavily animal-based nutrition. I was quite surprised to find so many alternatives for meals, and am quite thankful I am in Portland, so access to alternative ‘meat’ proteins will be very accessible. While researching I learned that a woman needs approximately 46G of protein (men need 56G).... and one cup of chicken is 38G of protein, so I have been consuming at least  double if not triple my protein intake in a day. Too easily we fall into societal norms, for me it was never questioning the real impact of my diet on the rest of the world. 1 less chicken is equivalent to 16miles in a car, and 6.9 CO2 kilos. 
Here is to Garbanzo beans, which release nitrogen from plant matter back into the soil as a natural fertilizer!

I really hope to get the ball rolling on cutting meat out of my diet. I feel like this will be really difficult because I come from a family of meat-eaters, and have always had some form of meat in nearly every meal. Hopefully with the vast array of recipes and support on the internet, I can get my mind away from looking at meat as a protein solution, rather than other protein rich plant-based options.