Switching to a plant-based diet is one of the most important steps individuals can take to improve their overall health and reduce their environmental footprint.
There are three main reasons people are increasingly adopting such a diet: health, ethics, and the environment.
The environmental perspective:
From a general standpoint, it's important to know that the food system is accountable for around ¼ of the global greenhouse gas emissions and has thus a strong impact on global warming. Changing one's diet is therefore the most immediate solution from the individual's point of view.
Meat and dairy (especially the one that comes from cattle) have a terrible impact on the environment: livestock is responsible for around 14.5% of the greenhouse gas emissions produced every year. This corresponds approximately to the same emissions produced by all the cars, trucks, planes and ships in the world.
Research has concluded that the people that currently eat a lot of meat could reduce their environmental footprint by at least 1/3 if they switched to a vegetarian diet. Letting go of dairy as well would enable them to reduce their emissions even further.
The plant-based diet is the one with the smallest environmental impact (beef is responsible for 100 times the emissions generated by legumes because, besides releasing methane - a powerful greenhouse gas -, cows require a lot of fodder, which in turn requires a lot of water, fertiliser, and land). Nonetheless, those who are not willing to switch to a vegan diet should know that simply reducing the consumption of meat and dairy would enable them to considerably reduce their emissions. According to a research carried out by the World Resources Institute, if individuals gave up even just a third of the beef they usually eat, their emissions would drop by 13%.
Ok, but what about seafood?
Wild fish tends to have a lower environmental impact compared to meat. However, shrimps and lobsters can have an even worse impact than chicken, for example, because the methods used to catch them require a lot of fuel. Moreover, trawl fishing is a big threat to the marine ecosystem because it contributes to the destruction of the seabed.
Ok, but what about dairy?
Milk, yogurt and ricotta cheese have a higher environmental impact than eggs and chicken, for example, and the production of some types of cheese (like mozzarella) can have a significantly worse environmental footprint, because they require a lot of milk.
The health perspective:
[Warning: I'm no doctor]
A plant-based diet is associated with a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Having a balanced diet is very important but we shouldn't assume that the average omnivore diet today is necessarily that well-balanced. Having a balanced diet entails consuming a variety of ingredients belonging to all the food groups: grains (pasta, rice, barley, spelt,...), legumes (chickpeas, lentils, beans,...), fruit and vegetables (preferably in season), dried fruit (nuts, almonds,...) and seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds,...)
The recommended protein intake is easily reached by regularly eating beans, nuts and whole grains. The target amount is typically 0.8 grams per kilo of body weight, which is quite easy to attain. The average American, in fact, has double the protein intake than the one that is recommended.
It's also important to know that eating too much protein can lead to illnesses (for instance, prostate and colon cancer). In addition, animal protein typically goes hand in hand with saturated fats.
To sum up, a diet that includes different types of grains, legumes and vegetables makes it possible to easily fulfil the recommended protein intake.
Just as the plant-based diet provides enough protein, it also provides sufficient amounts of iron (which can easily be found in soy, lentils, peas, chickpeas and spinach) and calcium (mostly found in cauliflowers, leafy greens, whole grains, legumes and almonds).
Ultimately, the only supplement that must be added to a plant-based, or even vegetarian, diet is vitamin B12.
Vitamin B12 is produced by the bacteria present in the soil. Because of the increasingly elaborate sanitising practices, not even animals have a natural sufficient intake of this vitamin, which is why it is usually added to their feed. Consequently, even omnivores end up taking this vitamin through a supplement, even if they have the animal as their "middleman" (most vitamin B12 supplements produced worldwide are destined to livestock).
Although a vegetarian or vegan diet necessarily implies a deficiency of vitamin B12, many omnivores end up having the same issue, so it's very important for everyone to keep an eye on this vitamin's level.
The ethical perspective:
Everyone has different sensitivities and beliefs in regards to ethics and I don't think it would be appropriate to dwell on this topic. To those who might be interested, I suggest reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, which perfectly depicts what it means to eat animals in our industrialised world.
Last but not least, another benefit coming from the transition to a plant-rich diet is that it's quite cheap. The most used ingredients are in fact those that are characteristic of the mediterranean cuisine: fruit and vegetables, legumes, grains, dried fruit and nuts - all of which are largely available in any supermarket. These ingredients cost far less than meat and seafood and should be part of any balanced diet anyway (even an omnivore diet).
Vegan recipes sometimes use less common and more expensive ingredients, like tofu, seitan, vegetable cream or meat substitutes. These ingredients might be handy and are not that difficult to find but are definitely not a crucial part of cooking plant-based food, so don't worry if you can't get a hold of them!
The basics of a plant-based diet:
- A whole food, plant-based diet includes foods that are not heavily processed and minimises the consumption of animal ingredients like meat, milk, or eggs. Such a diet can boost your energy and overall health and prevent chronic illnesses.
- Instead of thinking of all the food you will be reducing or eliminating, think of everything will be incorporating to your diet, like all the delicious fruit and vegetables (think: guacamole), nuts and seeds (think: peanut butter), whole grains (think: pasta), and legumes (think: hummus, hummus, hummus).
- Don’t go for an “all or nothing” approach if you’re not ready yet. Just have smaller amounts of animal products.
- If the food you’re eating is bland or boring, you’re not doing it right! For something to be sustainable, it has to be enjoyable.
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