Plant Based Nutrition & Sustainability

Plant-based is what it sounds. Eating more foods derived from plants. Basically, making it more of a focus and not just a side dish or an after-thought.

Eating plant- based food for sustainability is something most people have heard about and isn't very hard to understand when our communities are now emphasizing how what we eat truly impacts the environment.

And what of the health benefits? We have all heard the message- research consistently says people need more fruits and vegetables to improve and optimize health. We can take a minute and get specific about what I mean by sustainability (by helping the planet thrive) and the health benefits of plant based foods for all of us (to help us thrive too)!

Before I lose anyone- let me start this topic by defending carnivores. Even though plant-based nutrition may implying that those who practice are vegan or vegetarian, I am not suggesting that any meat-eaters stop eating meat. Meals comprised of meats are the foundation of many cultures and lifestyles. And some people will choose to shift into a vegetarian lifestyle while others may feel that saying goodbye to meat is not realistic or necessary for them- and that's all good! The main point of plant based eating is no longer allowing other foods to consistently crowd out these great sources of nutrients, fiber and phytochemicals. Even many vegetarians could make this shift toward a plant-based eating style. And furthermore, plant-based nutrition is really an opportunity to enhance what you are already doing! My intent is to inspire you with this information, as I was inspired, to think about what you can really do for yourself and for the planet with this nutrition practice.

Meals are traditionally planned around the meat source and in large quantities. As for many people, including vegetarians and vegans, it can be easy to fall into a trap consuming refined grain products, processed foods and snacks. As a dietitian and someone profoundly interested in my own health, I think talking about plant-based foods are what all my conversations are leading to, but I also find it takes great inspiration, planning and practice to really make it work. See more information on eating plant-based on my other blog post, The Practical Plant-Based Eater.

So whether you eat meat, or are a vegetarian or vegan or specific subcategory of these, what are some of the real benefits and meaning behind plant based nutrition? Starting with...

The environment.

Every year Americans consume and average of 222 pounds of red meat and poultry for every man, woman and child- which is actually 3 times the global average. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, livestock contributes 18% of total green house emissions- more than the global transportation sector which includes combining all emissions from airplanes, trucks, steam boats and cars from all over the world. (1)

Livestock now use 30 percent of the earth’s entire land surface. As forests are cleared to create new pastures, it is a leading driver of deforestation, especially in Latin America where, for example, over 70 percent of former forests in the Amazon have been turned over to cattle grazing.

Raising animals is also considered an inefficient waste of natural resources. A position paper from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reviewing the vegetarian diet looks into the amount of resources it takes to raise 1 kilogram of beef compared to 1 kilogram of kidney beans. It is found that raising beef requires 18 times more land, 10 times more water, 9 times more fuel and 12 times more fertilizer and 10 times more pesticide than growing the kidney beans.

According to the EPA, about 70% of all water pollution in rivers and lakes in the US is a result of pollution from animal farms.

Greenhouse gas emissions from consuming a vegetarian diet were found to be 29% lower than from the use of a non-vegetarian diet. A vegan diet can have over 50% lower greenhouse emissions compared to a non-vegetarian diet. (2) This is only some evidence showing that our food choices do make a great impact on the environment and how plant-based food sources are truly a sustainable solution.

Our health.

Our lifetime risk for cancer is 50 %, The Mayo Clinic confirms that half of all people will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime. (3) In particular, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

The WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer wrote a review in October of 2015 about the risks of cancer and meat consumption. They classified processed meat as a carcinogen- meaning eating processed meats causes cancer. They also classified red meat as a probable carcinogen, meaning red meat probably causes cancer. Processed meats include hot dogs, ham, bacon, sausage, and some deli meats- referring to meat that has been treated in some way to keep in preserved or flavor it. Processing includes salting, curing, fermenting, and smoking. Red meat includes beef, pork, lamb, and goat. 4

What we know from this literature review is that there is an 18% increase cancer risk for every 2 ounces of processed meat consumed a day. (That’s the equivalent of about 4 strips of bacon or 1 hot dog). And a 17% increase risk of colorectal cancer for every 4 ounces of red meat consumed per day. 4 On average meat eaters consume 4 ounces of red meat daily linking the average meat eater to this associated cancer risk!

Human health & plant based nutrition.

There is a very large ongoing study in progress studying people who live in the US that follow different variations of a vegetarian or vegan diet called the Adventist Health Study 1 and 2. These different eating styles (how often and if they eat meat, eggs and/or dairy) are recorded and their health and lifespans are looked at so that we can have a better understanding of how eating plant based diet actually impact the risk of developing diseases and the overall lifespan.

Results from the Adventist Health Study-2 found that vegetarian diets appear to lower overall cancer risk, and especially a lower risk of gastrointestinal cancer. Furthermore, a vegan diet appeared to confer a greater protection against overall cancer incidence than any other dietary pattern.

It's consistently shown that eating a diet of fruit, vegetables, legumes, or whole grains is shown to reduced risk of certain getting cancers. These phytochemicals that are in these plant-based foods are known to interfere with a number of cellular processes involved in the progression of cancer. (2)

The bottom line.

Plant-based eating has many benefits to human health and offers protection to diseases, like cancer.

Plant- based foods like fruits, vegetables, beans & legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains tend to be crowded out of the typical American diet. By adjusting the focus of the meals to accommodate vegetables, fruits and grains we can actively make changes to our health. For details on these foods and making them part of your health practice, see blog post The Practical Plant-Based Eater.

Plant-based foods clearly promote animal welfare and realistically supports the health of the planet. This nutrition approach has great potential as a sustainable food source, positively impacting our plant's future food supply and poses solutions to global climate change.

1 FAO Newsroom. Livestock a major threat to the environment.

http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html

2 Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Association: Vegetarian Diets. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2016;116:1970-1980.

3 World Health Organization. Q&A on the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat. 2015, Oct. https://www.who.int/features/qa/cancer-red-meat/en/

4 Mayo Clinic. Cancer Risk: What the numbers mean. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/in-depth/cancer/art-20044092