30 Missions

Mission #25: Reduce Your Greenhouse Gases

Dear Vegan at Heart,

Today your mission is to try to reduce your personal greenhouse gas emissions.

The good news about switching from a standard American diet to a vegan diet is that over a year, you save 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. That’s because a LOT of fossil fuels are used in animal food production. By going vegan, you stop supporting one of the most significant contributors to climate change worldwide:  the livestock industry.

The bad news is that during the transition to a plant-based diet, you might notice that your own gas emissions increase a little. Usually, it takes 3 or 4 months for the body to adjust to all that healthy fiber, so be patient. In the meantime, here are a few tips and tricks that will help you along the way.

Okay, fartypants. Pay attention!

1. CHEW YOUR FOOD UNTIL IT’S GONE. The most important part of digestion happens in your mouth. Your saliva is full of digestive enzymes, and chewing your food until there’s no more of it in your mouth will guarantee easier digestion.
2. Don’t drink with food in your mouth. If you’re using water to wash down your food, you’re not coating it with those good enzymes.
3. Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Overwhelming your digestive system with a large amount of food all at once will make it harder to process.
4. Figure out what your trigger foods are. Pay attention to how different things made your body feel and adjust accordingly.

TMI – I’ve noticed that eating raw carrots make me feel hungry (!?!) and soy products give me mucho gas-o. Until I switched from soy to rice milk and ate fewer soy “meats,” I not-so-proudly bore the nickname Gaseous Clay, Heavyweight Farter of the World.

:-)
Marisa
Former Heavyweight Fart Champ

P.s. What are you eating for lunch tomorrow? I’m probably having a wrap with spinach, avocado, cucumbers, shredded carrots, cabbage, sautéed red onions, and Tofutti cream cheese. And I’m gonna chew it till it’s gone!

P.s.s. For more fun with farts, check out this 60-second PSA that I made about climate change.

 

How helpful is this mission? Rate it now!

I feel like a friggin' dirigible!!! This couldn't have come at a better time... Off meat for a month & dairy for a week and today was downright torturous! Thanks for the tips!

Eileen Manuel (Fri, 4th Nov, 2011)

Passing on the Gassing :D This was true and way funny. Chewing does help, being in tune with how you're body reacts to food is a must, and that video is awesome!

Jeri @godsdreamsforme (Wed, 4th Aug, 2010)

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