Don’t wait to be saved

Welcome to YouChoose, a blog about sustainable living. In this post I wanted to share some great information provided by Ashok Nagella, MD, on the impact of a plant-based diet on our health and our planet. The intention is not to scare people off into a vegan diet, but rather to share a few good reasons to reduce our consumption of meat and animal ingredients to a minimum and make more room for a variety of plant-based food. The full set of slides can be found here.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1BYlGiR6qPDcjtZatSCsziKoPtV_qwxSebRY39VKoHTc/edit?usp=sharing

Why is it important for our Earth that we reduce meat consumption?

If it is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, then the following two images should speak for themselves.

Agriculture emissions (in green) constitute about one fourth of global emissions. A large portion of these are due to cattle and animal farming (website: drawdown.org)

The animal industry alone is responsible for the same percentage of emissions as the entire transportation industry but with the additional damages of deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and enormous water consumption.

Electricity, agriculture, and industry are the largest sources of greenhouse gases. We, as individuals, can directly influence a few sectors, for example switching to electric vehicles, low consumption bulbs, and reducing the use of high consumption devices. The sector over which we can have the most effective impact is agriculture. In fact, emissions due to the cattle industry are higher than those due to the entire transportation sector. And it is not just greenhouse gases emissions, but also water consumption, because a great amount of water is necessary to raise, kill, and process animals.

Why is it important for Us to reduce meat consumption?

Check out these health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Significant increase in Fiber, Antioxidants, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, and Neurotransmitter Production
Significant reduction of Inflammation, saturated fat, and cholesterol
Increase in longevity while preventing cancer, heart disease, strokes, and dementia
Improvement in mood while reducing anxiety
Improvement in focus, attention, and memory

Often, we get frustrated about politicians not doing enough for the planet and the climate, at the same time feeling powerless and depressed. However, let’s think about this: We, as individuals, have complete control of what we eat. The greatest change we can make for our planet is also the one that requires the least effort and is good for us. We don’t have to wait for governments to take action on our behalf, we can take our own actions!

Send me your experience at info@choosesustainable.org and I’ll add it to this blog.

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