Go Vegan in Moorpark to Help the Environment

You probably know about the adverse health effects of eating too much red meat — like the increased risk of heart disease — but did you know you could reduce your carbon footprint by eating less of the stuff?

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, as reported by Scientific American, the production of the meat in our meals causes more atmosphere-damaging greenhouse gases than the cars and factories of the world do.

Nitrogen- and phosphorous-based fertilizers used to grow feed for cows have also been linked to increases in harmful algae blooms in our lakes and oceans.

The nitrogen pollution associated with meat production causes $200-$2,000 billion in damage around the world every year. It also requires 20-50 times more water to produce 2.2 pounds of meat than it does vegetables.

Eating less red meat and more vegetables — and even occasionally cutting out all dairies to go vegan — can help you live a healthy life and reduce the demand for meat production.

Here are a few vegan recipes from The Daily Green that even a meat eater would be happy with.

These stores in Moorpark carry vegetarian options and likely will have the needed ingredients:

• Fresh & Easy, 144 W Los Angeles Ave.
• Healing Hearts Vitamins and Health Food, 549 W Los Angeles Ave.

And, if you don't mind driving a little further (though that might negate the whole carbon footprint thing), there are these stores not too far away:

• Lassen's Natural Foods & Vitamins, 2955 Cochran St., Simi Valley
• Lassen's Natural Foods & Vitamins, 740 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks
• Sprouts Farmers Market, 600 W. Hillcrest Dr., Thousand Oaks
• Trader Joes, 451 Avenida de los Arboles, Thousand Oaks
• Whole Foods Market, 740 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks