Studies show plant-based diets reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, dementia, high blood pressure, obesity, some cancers, and more. —David Suzuki
While we ourselves are the living graves of murdered beasts, how can we expect any ideal conditions on this Earth? —George Bernard Shaw
Dear friends, If you wish to do something positive for the planet, and for your own health, you may want to consider eating a plant-based diet. Excessive meat-eating is a luxury that our species can no longer afford if we are to address the climate crisis and our chronic health diseases. I’m not talking about tribes like the Inuit in Alaska, where meat eating is a necessity, but those communities that have access to fresh vegetables and fruit throughout the year.
An Oxford University study published in 2023 (Scarborough et al.) demonstrates that people eating a plant-based diet significantly improve the health of the planet. “The study linked dietary data from 55,504 people—vegans, vegetarians, fish-eaters, and meat-eaters—with food-level data on greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, eutrophication risk, and potential biodiversity loss from a review of 570 life-cycle assessments covering more than 38,000 farms in 119 countries.”
Vegans had 25% of the dietary impact of high meat-eaters on greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and eutrophication, 34% of the impact for biodiversity loss, and 46 % of the impact for water use. Given that food systems create about a third of global emissions, and are responsible for 70% of freshwater use and 78% of freshwater pollution, these findings are highly important. And methane emissions were 93% lower for plant eaters than high-meat eaters!
This story is from the September 2024 edition of Heartfulness eMagazine.
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This story is from the September 2024 edition of Heartfulness eMagazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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