Why Choose Plant-Based Eating? Benefits Explained

Plant-based or even vegan lifestyles are becoming more and more popular, and for good reasons:

1. Ethics: they are good for the animals
2. Sustainability: they are good for the planet
3. Health: they are good for you

The good news is that you don’t need to necessarily go fully into a plant-based lifestyle to reap the benefits; simply reducing the amount of animal products can make a positive impact. Let’s learn why.

Ethics

Being vegan reduces the demand for animal products and shows compassion for other sentient beings.

The Vegan Society

Not many of us, including myself until quite recently, are aware of the implicit cruelty of the animal food industry. It is not information that is going to be pushed to you necessarily, because it can be disturbing and uncomfortable.

We love our pets. But what makes a dog or a cat different from the animals farmed for food, like chickens, cows or pigs? These animals are raised in crowded farms with little space to move around (if any), fed and medicated to become food in the shortest amount of time and at the lowest cost. The egg and dairy industry, even if they don’t directly slaughter the animal, are not any better. Hens live in tiny cages laying egg after egg. Cows, like humans, need to give birth regularly to product milk. Fish farming is problematic too, since fish usually live in crowded spaces, medicated and fed similarly to terrestrial animals. To learn more, I suggest to start with the website of the pioneers of the vegan movement, The Vegan Society.

Many yogis are vegetarian, as they respect the principle of “Ahimsa” or no harm, no violence. Animal farming at scale does not align with this principle. For some people, their diet might be an expression of their spiritual values, beyond religion.

If you have access to local farms, you may be able to achieve a compromise where the cruelty is not that extensive. You may want to choose organic, animal welfare certified or pasture raised products, to reduce the impact.

Frequency counts too. If you decide to continue eating animal products, I invite you to consider decreasing the amount and frequently, and opting for the humanly raised options I just mentioned. This can seem more expensive, but since you are reducing the volume, your budget will rarely notice it. You may even save money.

Sustainability

Quite simply, we do not have enough land to feed a growing population an animal-based diet.

The Vegan Society

Some of us may choose to drive an EV (Electrical Vehicle) for ecological reasons. But you know what? There is a much easier and economical way to minimize our carbon footprint:

Eat more plants. And less animals.

The environmental impact of animal food is huge. From deforestation to grow soy crops used to feed cattle, through intensive water use and contamination, to toxic substances spilled into the environment, and something as banal as many cows passing gases (yes, farting!).

Global warming is real, and we can all help stop it now with our grocery store choices, in addition to our car dealership ones.

You may want to check the Vegan Society website again if you’d like to learn more about how your food choices can benefit the environment.

Health

Who does not want to be healthier?

Plant-forward diets are high in gut protecting fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, polyphenols and other so-called nutraceuticals, and water; and they are low in saturated fat (with a couple of exceptions) and cholesterol free. A well planned plant-forward diet can be high in protein and not deficient in iron, calcium, zinc, iodine and even vitamin B12. Well-planned is the key here. A badly planned vegan diet can be detrimental to our health, like any other diet, and lead to deficiencies.

On the other side, animal-centric diets are usually lower in fiber, antioxidants, nutraceuticals and water; and high in saturated fat and cholesterol. They can be higher in calories too, as a result of the amount of fat and the lack of satiating fiber, although this is going to be very dependent on the specific choices. Excess of protein can be detrimental and overload some bodily organs like the kidneys. Even if nutrition deficiencies as less common with omnivore diets, they can still be low in vitamin D, iron and other micronutrients.

Today’s research is clear: plant-based diets minimize the risk of chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer. They can even prevent infectious diseases, as the nutraceuticals they contain help strengthen the immune system. No conclusive research proves that animal centric diets can benefit our health.

How to transition

Should you choose to reduce the animals in your diet, you can do it very progressively or more aggressively. I recommend the progressive option for long lasting and consolidated changes, although we are all different and the aggressive approach may be more motivating for some people.

If you prefer a progressive approach, some ideas are:

• Choose one day of the week to not eat animal products, like Meatless Monday.
• Explore foods you usually eat that are “vegan by accident“: chilis, curries, ratatouille, chips, Oreo cookies (no kidding – they are vegan), Asian dishes with tofu, etc. – and try to eat these more often.
• Swap your milk for a plant based beverage. Unsweetened, plain soy milk is the closest to cow’s milk – just make sure it is fortified with calcium. My go to brand is Silk Organic, which is also fortified with B12 as bonus.
• Choose 2-3 dinners per week when you don’t eat animal products.
• Try 1-2 new vegan recipes per week. Excellent sources are:
  • Veganuary: https://veganuary.com/en-us/recipes/
  • No meat May: https://www.nomeatmay.org/food/recipes
  • It doesn’t taste like chicken: https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/
  • Plant based on a budget: https://plantbasedonabudget.com/
  • Oh she glows: https://ohsheglows.com/categories/recipes-2/
  • Flora and Vino: https://www.floraandvino.com/recipes/
  • Vegan food and living: https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/vegan-recipes/
  • The Blue Zones: https://www.bluezones.com/recipes/
• Explore and learn to cook tofu. It is not bland at all – if you know how to use it.

Do you prefer a full immersion? Then you might want to join a vegan challenge. There are multiple year round, although you can start at any time. The most famous is Veganuary, but also No Meet May, or 10 Weeks to Vegan. These challenges are free and usually provide meal plans, recipes, nutritional information and supporting communities via Facebook groups or other social networks.

If you decide to go full vegan, please educate yourself through the resources mentioned above, or even better, talk to a professional to discuss menu planning and possible supplementation. Holistic Nutritionists, like myself, can help. You will find practical information on my website too.

My personal journey

I started as a flexatarian a few years ago, for health reasons. The flexatarian diet is not fully plant-based, but still includes animal products occasionally. It is considered a variant of the vegetarian diet. Any reduction in animal products is going to benefit the animals, the planet and your health. The flexatarian choice is excellent for those not ready for a full change.

I was one of those people who loved red meat and cheese, and yes, I also said “I could never go vegetarian” (not to mention vegan). “We are omnivore”. “Being vegetarian is difficult”, “Where would I get my protein”, and so on.

But for me, the progressive evolution from omnivore, to flexatarian, to vegetarian, to vegan has been a road of self-discovery, education, and better health. That much that I even decided go become a certified Nutritionist. I started for health reasons, and in the process I discovered the ethical and environmental reasons. And as of now, I don’t think there is a turning back. There is a moment when you stop craving any animal product, they simply don’t register in the grocery stores, the menus or online.

Do well, be well

Explore and have fun! Vegan food is not limiting – I truly believe this is a myth! On the contrary, you will probably discover a myriad of textures, flavors, spices, cultural food and much more that you would not get to know if you continue eating the same 3-4 animals or fish.

Your call to action

Ready to make an impact? For the next 4 weeks, I invite you to:

1. Review your usual dishes and identify those “vegan by accident”.
2. Pick two dinners of the week and commit to eat one of those dishes, ideally replacing an animal centric dish. You can also batch cook and use the same dish for both dinners.
3. Pick a plant-based recipe and cook it for the week. You can also batch cook this and cover two dinners.
4. Explore the vegan challenges mentioned above. Maybe subscribe to their newsletters.

With this easy approach, you will be making an impact already: in the animal welfare, the planet, your health.

Did you like it? Then keep exploring, keep swapping animal foods by plant foods, cooking new recipes. Maybe do sign up for a vegan challenge.

Did not quite like it? That’s OK! I invite you to eat those “vegan by accident” foods more often anyway. And maybe evaluate the flexatarian alternative.

Until my next article,

Isabel