While we do enjoy eating meat, we believe that the main part of our meals should be made up of plants. We even advise our clients to make two-thirds of each meal vegetables and fruit for fewer calories and better satiety. Sharon Palmer explains the vital role of plant-based diets for both our bodies and the environment.
What’s the best diet for improving human and environmental health? The answer is clear: we need to cut back on meat and eat more whole plants. This advice is echoed by everyone from popular authors to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in their Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Experts and researchers now agree that the optimal diet centers around whole plants. Studies show that plant-based eating reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and obesity. Additionally, plant-based diets require fewer resources, making them better for the environment.
Plant-based diets are gaining popularity, inspired by celebrities like Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres. These diets vary widely, ranging from vegan, which excludes all animal products, to semi-vegetarian, which includes small amounts of animal foods.
Even many who don’t want to give up animal products are recognizing the benefits of reducing their intake, thanks in part to initiatives like Meatless Monday. Many people are adopting the habit of eating no meat one day a week to benefit both their health and the planet.
While only about 5% of U.S. adults are vegetarians and about half of those are vegans, a significant number of people now avoid animal flesh at more than half their meals. Returning to eating more whole plants can offer significant health benefits. Our ancestors relied heavily on plants for nourishment, and these plants developed bioactive compounds that protect our health.
These compounds in plant foods offer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, reducing the risk of chronic diseases. For example, lutein and zeaxanthin, found in vegetables like corn and peppers, protect against age-related blindness, while lycopene in tomatoes may help prevent prostate cancer.
The benefits of plant foods come from eating them in their whole, natural form, as the synergy of nutrients in whole foods can’t be replicated by supplements. Unfortunately, many modern diets are heavily based on processed foods detached from their plant origins, missing out on these benefits.
Traditional diets around the world rely heavily on plants and have low rates of chronic diseases. However, when people switch to Western diets high in meat and processed foods, chronic disease rates surge. For instance, Pima Indians in Mexico have low rates of obesity and diabetes, but these rates soar when they move to the U.S. and adopt a Western diet.
Americans consume meat at over three times the global average, with red meat, including beef and pork, being the most popular. Eating large amounts of meat, particularly red and processed meat, is linked to a higher risk of health issues like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. These risks are compounded by the lack of healthful plants in a high-meat diet.
Reducing meat intake can offer substantial health benefits. A well-planned vegetarian diet can lower blood cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes, and even help maintain a healthy body weight. Vegetarians also typically consume higher levels of fiber, vitamins, and phytochemicals.
From an environmental perspective, eating fewer animal products substantially reduces one’s carbon footprint. Studies show that an organic vegan diet has the smallest environmental impact, while meat-heavy diets have the greatest. Beef, in particular, has a significant environmental cost, using far more resources than plant-based foods.
Eating less meat and cheese, even just one day a week, can significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions. For instance, if a family of four skips steak one day a week for a year, it’s like taking a car off the road for nearly three months. Moreover, our current agricultural practices are unsustainable, and shifting croplands from animal feed to human food could greatly increase food production.
In summary, shifting towards a plant-based diet not only benefits individual health by reducing the risk of chronic diseases but also supports environmental sustainability. By focusing our plates on a variety of whole plant foods, we can ensure better health for ourselves and the planet in the long run.
