Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has a reputation for boldly addressing issues that other members of her party deem too controversial, whether it’s proposing a Green New Deal to combat climate change or advocating for housing as a human right. In February, she again waded into contentious territory by announcing, via a series of tweets, that she was going vegetarian for Lent.
In renouncing meat for this forty-day period of religious observance, Ocasio-Cortez cited the example of Tommy Raskin, son of Rep. Jamie Raskin. Tommy, who took his own life on Dec. 31, saw his vegetarian diet as an extension of his core belief that no human or nonhuman animal deserves to suffer. But there are other reasons to avoid or reduce eating meat.
For one, meat production is a primary emitter of greenhouse gases. Becoming less reliant on our outdated factory farming system and shifting to a largely plant-based food system is a critical component of climate adaptation, recommended by the United Nations and leading climate scientists.
Moreover, the meatpacking industry is notorious for exploiting its predominantly Black and brown workforce, intentionally recruiting immigrants and undocumented workers for whom it is more perilous to advocate for fair wages and safe working conditions.
The nation’s biggest meat companies do everything they can to avoid paying for medical care for workers who sustain injuries doing one of the nation’s most dangerous jobs. The meat industry also makes use of prison labor, luring inmates with the promise of reduced sentences to compel them into brutal and often life-threatening work environments.
While vegetarianism has long been considered a concern of the left, reducing and eliminating meat consumption is increasingly gaining bipartisan support. A Gallup Poll released in 2020 found that around a quarter of Americans said they were reducing their meat intake, with Republicans accounting for 12% of this total — and this was before the coronavirus pandemic drastically cut meat consumption nationwide and sent sales of plant-based alternatives soaring.
Most people agree that animals shouldn’t suffer and deserve some protection, and the conditions on factory farms are becoming an increasingly common concern nationwide. So why aren’t plant-based diets more prevalent?
Meat has long served as the centerpiece of the U.S. meal and old habits die hard. The powerful meat lobby has been successful at keeping prices artificially low and shaping federal dietary guidelines that encourage people to continue eating high volumes of meat. Together these factors help explain why making the switch can be a challenge.
The science around breaking old habits and forming new ones provides a road map for success, including setting realistic goals. Taking advantage of Lent, New Year’s resolutions, Meatless Mondays and challenges such as the 22 Days Nutrition diet — which helped Beyonce prepare for her iconic "Homecoming" performance at Coachella — is a tried and true method to help people reset and live more in accordance with their values.
Seeking out community for support and accountability is also important. Tommy Raskin is credited with leading many people towards plant-based diets with his compassionate, welcoming approach that eschewed sanctimoniousness. When Ocasio-Cortez invited her Twitter community to join her in going vegetarian for Lent, she laid out parameters including “no judgment,” “make it your own” and “be inclusive” — succinctly outlining a winning strategy for adopting a dietary shift.
Ocasio-Cortez’s plant-based Lent diet, however temporary it may be, will continue the legacy of Tommy Raskin and further cement her reputation for walking the walk on the road toward solutions that are critical for our survival. And the more people that she brings along with her, the better.
