Expert advice: Why a plant-based diet is environmentally friendly
Monique Piderit, a registered dietitian, addresses the benefits of a plant-based diet on the environment.
The vegan movement has gained momentum in recent years.
Millions of individuals around the world have adopted vegan and meat-free diets as a means of improving their health and picking options that are friendlier to the environment.
Monique Piderit, a registered dietitian at Nutritional Solutions, explains that “vegetarians do not eat meat, chicken, or fish. Depending on their personal restrictions, they may be ovo-vegetarian (eat eggs), lacto-vegetarian (eat dairy) or lacto-ovo-vegetarian (eat both dairy and eggs).”
She adds that vegans, on the other hand, “take it one step further and do not eat any animal or animal product at all, including eggs and dairy. For ethical reasons, most vegans will also not eat honey, an animal-derived product”.
READ: Can a vegetarian or vegan child be healthy?
Apart from the health reasons that many people choose to cut meat out of their diet, one of the major benefits of being vegan or vegetarian is the environmental benefits.
According to Our World in Data, 80 billion animals are slaughtered each year for meat.
Monique says going vegan or vegetarian “helps support the planet’s vulnerable food production systems in an ever-increasing population”.
Our World in Data reports that over the past 50 years, meat production has more than tripled and the world now produces more than 340 million tonnes of meat each year.
Monique says that “while the environmental impact of different foods varies hugely, food production as a whole is responsible for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming”.
This is because the production of meat has large environmental impacts such as increasing greenhouse gas emissions, and agricultural land and freshwater use.
According to The Vegan Society, ‘in 2016, a study from the University of Oxford found that if the world went vegan, it could save 8 million human lives by 2050, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by two-thirds and lead to healthcare-related savings and avoid climate damages of $1.5 trillion’.
As a result, Monique says a “plant-based diet is therefore also about sustainable eating and includes a focus on environmental impacts”.
However, like any other diet, it is crucial for you to know what your body needs and be sure that you have no deficiencies. This is why Monique says "it’s important that if you choose this way of eating to work with a dietitian to help guide you on reaching your nutrient requirements, potentially checking for deficiencies with blood tests, and guiding you on supplementation as and when needed".
Below is one of her great meat-free dishes for you to try:
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