Eye Opener: CSPI

~Hey everyone! So I chose to do my eye opener on the Eating Green Calculator.

INITIAL RESULTS
~So after the initial results were calculated, it told me that my burden on the environment was 1.5 acres of grain and grass needed to feed the animals, .4 lbs of pesticide used to grow the animal feed, 53.1 lbs of fertilizer used to grow the animal feed, and finally, the one that made me giggle, 10525 lbs of manure created by the animals I eat and use.

~It then went on to give me my average daily intake from the animal products I use. 725 calories, which I think is alright, no Fiber which isn't good, 43 grams of fat which I would like to lower, 20 grams of saturated fat (AKA bad fat), and 237 mg of cholesterol, which is 79 % of my Daily Limit. The fat and cholesterol parts scare me.

IMPROVED RESULTS
~So then it gave me the option to see how I could improve my burden on the environment by making better food choices. After I did this, it told me that if I changed, I would use a total of 1.1 acres, 38 lbs of fertilizer, .3 lbs of pesticide, and 8000 lbs of manure. While a lot of it may not seem like a lot, an ongoing theme of this class is 'every little bit counts,' and it's just as true right now.

~It also went on to tell me how it would improve my health numbers. I dont understand how, but it told me it would give me 8 more grams of Fiber. Considering I had none to begin with, and I am eating less, this confuses me. But it would also take away 8 grams of Saturated fat, which would help a lot, and it would decrease my cholesterol intake by 30%. Considering my dad has had cholesterol problems, this is something that hit's close to home so to speak.

PLEDGE
The next question asks 'Did you take the pledge?' I did so. For those of you who did not complete this, the pledge goes as follows...

~~~~To protect my health and the environment, I will eat a more plant-based diet—more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts and fewer fatty meat and dairy products. When I do eat animal products, I will emphasize ones that are lower in fat and raised in humane ways that minimize harm to the environment.~~~~~

~The part of this that I will really attempt to follow is eating less fatty meat. I like Cheddarwurst. It's delicious. But I know it isn't good for me, so that is something I need to stop buying at my neighborhood grocery store.

SUMMARY
~So after looking at all of this, I plan to eat less fatty mean, which will of course lower my saturated fat intake, but also lower my cholesterol intake, which is something I should really stick to. Hope everyone's Eye Openers went well!