Benefits of Consuming Plant-Based Foods
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Environmental Benefits
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Benefits to Human Life
What is a plant-based diet exactly and why is it good for you? While meat is not completely off the dining table, a plant-based diet focuses on consuming foods primarily derived from plants. This is not limited to only fruits and vegetables, but also legumes, nuts, oils, seeds, and whole grains. Let’s discuss some benefits of consuming plant-based foods.
Environmental Benefits
Decreased water consumption. Did you know that producing just one pound of beef requires 1,800 gallons of water? It is estimated that cutting the consumption of animal products in the U.S. by half would lead to a 37% decrease in water consumption.
Decreased agricultural land use. By reducing the amount of land allocated to livestock, we would use approximately 42% less land. This land could, in turn, be allocated to crops or other more productive uses.
Alleviate impact on climate change. It is found that food production creates up to 30% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with animal production making up about 22.5% of those effects. Plants consume one of the most prevalent greenhouse gases, CO2; a shift from animal consumption to plant-based agriculture would result in significantly less GHG emissions and consume existing harmful CO2 emissions.
Benefits to Human Life
Reduced hunger. Over 820 million people around the world suffer from insufficient food and starvation, while “almost two-thirds of all soybeans, maize, barley and about a third of all grains are used to feed animals.” By decreasing animal production, we would free up more food for humans and use less land in the process; this land could then be allocated to growing more plants and using land more efficiently.
Decreased diseases and saved lives. According to a report by The Lancet, an unhealthy diet is the leading cause of death and disease worldwide. It is estimated that consuming more plants and fewer animals in your everyday diet could prevent about 10.9 to 11.6 million premature deaths from chronic conditions every year.
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