A Plant-Based Diet Benefits Your Health and the Planet – Alameda Post
Food production is a major contributor to climate change, creating a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions globally. Food from animals makes up two-thirds of all agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and uses more than three-quarters of all agricultural land to raise the animals and to grow feed for the animals. If everyone adopted a plant-based diet instead of our Western meat-centric diet, we could cut food-created greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 70 percent (vegan diet) and 63 percent (vegetarian diet, which includes dairy products and eggs).
Regarding land use, it is much more efficient to grow plants than to raise animals and the food to feed them. Plant-based diets can feed 14 times the number of people on the same amount of land as meat-based diets. If more people converted to a plant-based diet, land previously used to raise animals and their feed could be reforested, creating much-needed carbon sequestration.
Given the increase in droughts around the world caused by temperature increases, saving water has taken on more urgency. Producing animal products uses far more water than producing plant foods. It takes 4,000 liters (1,056 gallons) of water to produce one kilo (2.2 pounds) of beef, while it only takes 1,071 liters of water (282 gallons) to produce a kilo of beans or lentils.
There are many health benefits to a plant-rich diet as well. According to the Mayo Clinic, “A plant-based diet can reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and certain types of cancer.” A fully plant-based (vegan) diet should consist of half your plate of leafy greens, one-quarter of your plate of legumes, and the other quarter of your plate of grains. It is important to include healthy fats such as avocado, olive oil, nuts, and seeds.
As the Mayo Clinic explains in its article, “Vegetarian diet: How to get the best nutrition,” vegetarian diets vary in what foods they include and exclude. For example, some include dairy products and eggs, while others are fully plant-based (vegan). The article provides good information on getting the proper nutrition on a plant-rich diet.
A good place to start your plant-rich diet journey—and help the planet at the same time—is to cut back on beef, dairy, and lamb. Cattle and sheep burp up methane, a greenhouse gas that is 86 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over 20 years. Raising these animals for food also causes deforestation to expand grazing pastures, which releases a large amount of carbon dioxide and eliminates a carbon sink. The raising of cattle has caused 80% of Brazilian rainforest destruction. Cattle and growing feed for cattle is the number one cause of deforestation globally.
According to Project Drawdown, a network of scientists and researchers working on effective, science-based climate solutions and strategies, “If cattle were their own nation, they would be the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases.”
One does not have to go to a 100% plant-based diet overnight to make a difference. On my journey towards a plant-rich diet, I first cut back on beef, lamb, and dairy by substituting ground turkey for ground beef in recipes, switching to oatmeal with fruit instead of yogurt for breakfast, and eating more chicken, eggs, and fish. Then I slowly cut back on poultry and fish and added legumes and more whole grains like quinoa, farro, and barley to my diet. Good books to reference include Vegan Reset: The 28-Day Plan to Kickstart Your Healthy Lifestyle and 28-Day Plant-Powered Health Reboot. Some great places to buy plant-based foods in Alameda are Grocery Outlet and the Alameda Marketplace. Many of our restaurants in town offer vegetarian or vegan dish options. The Butcher’s Son in Berkeley is a vegan butcher shop with excellent plant-based proteins and cheeses.
Food waste is another issue responsible for roughly 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The FDA offers Tips to Reduce Food Waste online. The tips include making a shopping list and sticking to it, asking for to-go containers for leftovers when eating out, and selecting imperfect produce that might otherwise go to waste. Making soups, rice stir-fries, and frittatas out of wilted vegetables is not only easy and delicious, it saves food from going to waste. Reducing food waste helps protect the climate, saves land and water, it saves you money.
Slowly changing to a plant-based diet is great for the planet and your health. Give it a try by starting with a meatless Monday. It’s easier than you might think.
Joyce Mercado is a member of Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda (CASA). She can be reached at [email protected].
