BRING IN THE SUBSTITUTES

How meat alternatives of going on a plant-based can aid in the transition diet

- Aaron Pereira

From clearing land to farm livestock for consumption, to greenhouse gas emissions from the slaughtering of animals, there is surmounting evidence that eating meat is harmful to the environment, and also impacts our health differently.

Studies have shown that meat consumption is linked with obesity, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases. A report in 2019 says that 50.1 per cent of Malaysians are overweight, which is worrying. However, there’s been an upward trend of adopting healthy eating habits, and we’ve seen a rise of people moving to a plant-based or vegan diet. Having said that, it’s not a simple switch that many can make overnight. Enter meat alternatives, which can aid in the transition of carnivorous humans to being more open to a flexitarian or plant-based diet.