Ten Environmental Reasons for Choosing a Plant-Based Diet

Ten Environmental Reasons for Choosing a  Plant-Based Diet

What Is a Plant-Based Diet?

A plant-based diet means eating foods that are primarily from plants. It does not mean that you have to eat only fruits and vegetables. You can also include nuts, whole grains, beans, and seed oil in your diet. If you think that having a plant-based diet means you cannot eat meat or dairy products, then you are wrong. Some people don’t have any other option. Rather, you eat more foods from plant sources, and you can eat meat or dairy products once in a while.

The Mediterranean and vegetarian diets

The Mediterranean and vegetarian diets are nothing but eating patterns based on plant-based eating. It also includes eating cheese, yogurt, eggs, and fish a few times a week.

Clinical trials show that the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of diabetes, breast cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, depression. It also enhances our mental and physical function.

A vegetarian diet also reduces the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. A plant-based diet provides protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates. But to ensure that they receive all the nutrients, they may include  Vitamin B12 supplements.

vegetarian diet types.

Here is a table showing what type of diet includes, does not include, or occasionally includes, consumption of various foods.

Type	Includes	Does not include	Occasionally Includes
Semi Vegetarian or flexitarian	Eggs, dairy foods	-	Meat, fish, kinds of seafood, poultry
Pescatarian	Eggs, dairy foods, fish, seafood	Meat	-        -
Vegetarian	Eggs, dairy foods	Meat, seafood, poultry, fish	-
Vegan	Plant-based foods	Animal Food	-

10 Environmental Reasons for Choosing a Plant-Based Diet

1.   Chronic Disease:

A plant-based diet not only prevents chronic disease but also reverses it. In America, many people are dying because of heart diseases. The percentage of people in America who are obese or overweight is about 70%. If you eat more plants, then you may be able to lose weight.

The food that is eaten impacts our health majorly. Many people have high blood pressure. But don’t worry, once you switch to a plant-based diet, it can help you reduce your blood pressure and also keep your heart healthy.

High cholesterol restricts blood flow because it leads to fatty deposits in the blood. which is another reason for heart stroke, heart attack, or heart disease.

If you drink, smoke, or have used drugs, then following a plant-based diet can wipe out all the risk factors. Half of the strokes can be prevented. By eating fruits and vegetables, we can prevent heart attacks by 21%.

All of us know how much junk food we Americans eat. So, to prevent and reduce chronic diseases, we must shift to a plant-based diet.

 

2               2. Saving Water

98% of Earth's water is in the seas. Freshwater is 3%. Glaciers contain 65% of the drinkable water, groundwater contains 0.3%, and rivers, dams, lakes, and streams contain 1% of the freshwater. Even humans are made of up to 60% water, so we must understand the value of water.

In the U.S, most of the water is used for animal agriculture. A full third of the planet’s freshwater is used by the meat and dairy industries. It takes about 460 gallons of water to produce one quarter-pound hamburger. Also, one gallon of milk is produced by 1,000 gallons of water.

Water is the most important thing to keep us alive. We can not survive without water. We should also consider our future generations. If we don’t take care of our earth now, then it will not take care of us in the future. Saving water and water will save you in the future.

 

3      3. Greenhouse gas emissions

They are very harmful to your health. Plenty of greenhouse gases is emitted in the process of animal agriculture. It affects people badly and can also, to an extent, cause death. Greenhouse gases warm the planet.

 

4.     4. Land preservation

Less than 30% of the earth’s surface is covered by land. A person who eats meat requires 18 times the amount of land required to feed someone who is eating plant-based foods.

 

5.          5. Species extinction

Eating plant-based foods can help to reduce the extinction of species. In rainforest destruction, more than a hundred animals and insects are lost every day. How would we feel if someone destroyed our house? Not good, right? So, is it fair to animals and plants when we cut down trees in forests that aren't necessary? It is only going to destroy their natural habitat.

Let me elaborate by giving an example of a food web in a forest ecosystem.

The plant is eaten by rabbits, squirrels, and mice. Further, rabbits are eaten by foxes or wolves, the squirrel is eaten by a wolf, and the mouse is eaten by a snake or a wolf. So, if we cut down plants, there would be no food for rabbits, squirrels, mice, snakes, foxes, or wolves. All of these animals may die due to starvation and may become extinct.

6.   Pollution by animal waste

Animal waste can contaminate the surface as well as groundwater. It includes wastes like urine and manure. It can emit so many harmful gases into the atmosphere, like nitrous oxide, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide.

You will get sick if you consume or come into contact with contaminated water. Water that is contaminated by animal waste can lead to skin irritation, vomiting, fever, and diarrhea.

 

7.   Marine Life Destruction

The waste from factories that goes into rivers and oceans kills so many aquatic animals and plants. It also reduces the oxygen level in the water, which leads to the death of any aquatic animal that can survive. After a certain point, they may become extinct.

 

8.   Deforestation:

It means the clearing of land for agriculture, transportation, and industry. The forests are burned so that room can be made for cattle grazing. It decreases carbon absorption and disrupts water cycles.

Approximately 3.5 to 7 billion trees are cut down every year. The Amazon rainforests have been destroyed by 20% in the last 40 years.

Many animals are becoming extinct. There is a decrease in soil quality and climate change due to deforestation. Carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere when trees are cut.

Also, the carbon dioxide emitted by humans is absorbed by trees. So, if we cut down trees, who is going to absorb the carbon dioxide?

 

9.   Hunger throughout the world

We don’t have any issue with world hunger. We are growing enough food for everyone. The main issue is the distribution of food. 800 million people can be fed by the US

 

10.   Athletic performance

Eating plant-based foods can help to improve your immune system. It also reduces the stress that is induced by exercise. Blood viscosity can be increased by having a plant-based diet that is free of cholesterol and low in saturated fat. This increases the flow of oxygen in our muscles and improves athletic performance.

Even if you are not an athletic person, a plant-based diet will help you live a healthy lifestyle. A plant-based diet is high in fiber and low in fat, so it will also help you lose body fat. It contains antioxidants that help to reduce muscle fatigue after exercise. Apart from improving athletic performance, there are many physiological benefits as well.

 

A plant-based diet will include

• Consuming a lot of vegetables Everyone craves snacks in the middle of meals. You must satisfy your hunger by eating vegetables as a snack. You can enjoy it with hummus.

• Usually, you would eat meat as your main dish and have a vegetable salad on the side. But instead of doing this, you must eat vegetables as your main dish and garnish them with a little bit of meat.

• You must begin your day by eating oatmeal as your breakfast, along with nuts, fresh fruits, or seeds.

• You must eat fruit for dessert instead of cake or brownies. Watermelon, peach, and crisp apple are examples of East Asian sweet fruits.

• Put spinach and red leafy greens in a bowl and mix them with vegetables and fresh herbs.

• Try different green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, and other greens.

 

What should you eat?

Breakfast: Oats with banana, wheat tortilla with scrambled eggs, onion, petter, and hot sauce if you want.

Lunch: tomato-basil soup with an apple and whole-grain crackers. Toppings on this veggie pizza include tomatoes, olives, mozzarella cheese, and broccoli.

Dinner: Spinach salad, whole-wheat pasta with beans and peas, veggie chili with spinach orzo salad.

 

Conclusion

Most people in America are dying at the age of 50. The reason is an unhealthy diet. All of us are eating unhealthy food in our teens and are going to regret it when we are 40 and above.

Can you imagine, in the future, being in your 40s and constantly falling sick? The only reason would be unhealthy eating at a younger age. It's never too late.

So now it’s the time to switch to a plant-based diet and also advise the same to your friends and family.