ADOPTING A PLANT-BASED
LIFESTYLE
ADOPTING A PLANT-BASED
A bite of meat comes with a bigger carbon footprint than a bite of fruits,
vegetables, or grains. It takes more energy and resources to raise livestock.
Think about it this way: instead of raising crops to feed people, there’s an extra
step of raising crops to raise animals to feed people. Ridiculous. We should eat
food that we grow instead of growing food to feed animals and then eat
them. Livestock are responsible for 14.5 percent of all the greenhouse gas
emissions humans pump into the atmosphere, and a majority comes from cows.
Let's raise crops to feed people instead of animals.
To minimize your personal contribution to the climate crisis, a plant-based
diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact. It reduces
greenhouse gases, global acidification, land use and water use. It is an
environmental imperative to eat more plants and less meat and dairy. Your
actions alone cannot save the planet but these changes can help a lot.
Together we can help a whole lot.
IN 2018, American meat consumption hit an all-time high with each consumer
eating an average of 222 pounds of meat. People rarely discuss the effects food
has on the environment and their individual health.
For more information:
A Simple guide to ways you can help
Animal Agriculture's Environmental Impact
Going plant-based is the practice of giving up eating all meat and animal by-
products; living solely on a plant-based diet. Although most followers of the
plant-based diet are animal lovers, there are other significant benefits to being
adopting this lifestyle.
An easy way to begin is to keep you eat daily to 80 percent plant matter and 20
percent meat, dairy and seafood. Some people like to start by eating a plant-
based meal one day per week. Even a slight shift to a lifestyle change can result
in the significant improvement of the environment and your health.
FOUR BENEFITS OF GOING PLANT-BASED
1. Conserves Water
Only 2.5% of the water available globally is freshwater safe for consumption. As
humans, we have access to less than 30% of it. Large quantities of water are
required for washing, feeding, and providing clean living areas for cattle meant
for consumption. It takes approximately 4500 liters of water to raise one
chicken; in contrast, around 1000 liters of water is used to grow one kilo of
wheat.
2. Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The mass consumption of beef and dairy has led to an unsustainable breeding
of cows, thus contributing to the rise in methane emissions. Methane is a
greenhouse gas that cows produce as part of their biological functions.
Consumption of animal meat and by-products account for approximately 51%
of the global greenhouse gas emission.
3. Combats Deforestation
About 70% of farmland is used for animal grazing purposes, and a large part of
food and grains harvested is used to feed the livestock. A significant amount of
this land is subject to overgrazing, which harms the soil quality. Soil erosion,
desertification, and deforestation have already rendered 20% of grazing
farmland as ‘degraded’. Deforestation has contributed to the destruction and
endangerment of several species and their habitats. Cattle farming in Brazil is
also a culprit behind deforestation and, consequently, the fires in the Amazon
rainforest.
4. Plant-Based Reduces Chemical Consumption
Meat and animal by-products are consumed at a massive scale. To meet
increasing needs, most livestock farmers resort to using chemicals and
enhancement drugs that aid fast growth and produces more meat. When one
eats meat, one consumes the drugs and chemicals too. Human consumption of
these chemicals over an extended period of time is harmful, and possibly fatal.
In a plant-based lifestyle, the vegetables and grains produced will be used for
human consumption, therefore a reduction in the use and consumption of
chemicals.
Even a slight shift to this diet can result in not only the significant improvement
of the environment as well as improvement in your health.
How to Slowly and Easily Become
Plant-Based -Vegan or Vegetarian
Focus On “Crowding Out” Old Food
Going plant-based is NOT “giving up” foods you love. A more positive approach
is “crowding out” your old go-to foods and ingredients and replacing it with
exciting new foods and recipes. Explore new fruits and vegetables. Explore new
plant-based friendly restaurants. Explore plant-based cookbooks and start
experimenting with recipes. Before you know it, going plant-based won’t feel
like a sacrifice at all. Eating plant-based is a diet and lifestyle that centers
around compassion.
Embrace Imperfection
Remove animal-based products from your diet as much as you like, but
there’s still a very good chance you’re either ingesting, using, or otherwise
negatively impacting other living creatures even if you are plant-based.
Plant-Based -Vegan or Vegetarian
- Try a new plant-based recipe every week.
- Eliminate one animal-based food per week
- Eat a plant-based diet one day per week, then gradually transition to more
- Eat at least one plant centered meal per day.
Focus On “Crowding Out” Old Food
Going plant-based is NOT “giving up” foods you love. A more positive approach
is “crowding out” your old go-to foods and ingredients and replacing it with
exciting new foods and recipes. Explore new fruits and vegetables. Explore new
plant-based friendly restaurants. Explore plant-based cookbooks and start
experimenting with recipes. Before you know it, going plant-based won’t feel
like a sacrifice at all. Eating plant-based is a diet and lifestyle that centers
around compassion.
Embrace Imperfection
Remove animal-based products from your diet as much as you like, but
there’s still a very good chance you’re either ingesting, using, or otherwise
negatively impacting other living creatures even if you are plant-based.