Ten Great Reasons To Lean Toward a Plant Based Diet

I transitioned to a whole foods plant based diet about eleven years ago. I have a family history of heart disease and my cholesterol numbers were always high. It finally got to the point where my doctor told me enough was enough. She said I needed to think about going on a statin and she prescribed some advanced cardiovascular screening tests. You see, I always thought that because I was so athletic, it didn’t matter because my fitness would negate any ill effects of my high cholesterol. I was very wrong. Luckily the tests showed that my arteries were clear, and I was committed to keep them that way.

I knew about the work of Dr. Dean Ornish who proved that you could reverse heart disease with a plant-based diet. I decided to give it a try.  Going 100% plant based seemed daunting so I became a “pescetarian,” a vegetarian who ate fish. After about 6 months, I had my cholesterol retested and I had a significant drop that encouraged me to make more changes, and to go 100% plant based; no more fish, dairy or eggs.  After one year of being on this diet, I had lost about five pounds, though I didn’t need to lose weight. More importantly I felt strong and clear, and my cholesterol numbers were finally “normal.”  My doctor was astonished!

 Along with the amazing health benefits of a plant-based diet, there are many other reasons to eat plant based including showing more compassion for animals and agriculture workers and respect for the planet.

You don’t have to go 100% plant based. Rather, just by leaning in and incorporating more plant-based meals you will be healthier and you will be helping the planet and making the world a more compassionate place. The more you lean in, the greater the benefit.

 It is Good for Your Health 

The convergence of scientific evidence overwhelmingly points to the fact that eating a predominantly plant-based diet is best for our health.  Studies also show that if you want to reverse heart disease, type 2 diabetes, reduce symptoms of auto-immune disease, or reduce your risk of cancer, eating 100% plant based is the way to go.

We Can Feed More People

795 million people on our planet are hungry; that is 1 out of every 9 people. An additional 4 billion people in the world could be fed if the land currently used to grow crops for livestock were converted to crops for human consumption.

Exploitation of Workers

 Factory farm workers routinely inhale hazardous levels of particulate matter as well as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide gases. They are subject to many repetitive stress injuries.  On a daily basis, these workers are exposed to a variety of known hazards while being required to routinely mutilate animals by performing castrations, teeth clipping, tail cutting, ear notching and de-beaking, as well as killing animals who are weak and dying. Many of these practices are not unique to large-scale factory farms. Even on smaller farms, workers are required to perform many of these same mutilations. The average factory farm worker makes about $23,000 per year and works about 10 hours per day. The poverty line in the US is $22,000.

 Reduce Animal Suffering

Americans eat about 9 billion land animals per year. More than 98% of these animals are kept on factory farms where they live in filthy, crowded conditions, and never see the out of doors. They are mutilated and abused to make the “farm operations” more profitable and many of them will never have the chance to express natural behaviors like spreading their wings or even turning around.

Reduce Antibiotic Use

The CDC has warned that the extensive use of antibiotics is creating more antibiotic resistant viruses.  80% of the all the antibiotics used in this country are given to animals to speed growth and reduce disease.

“Consumers Union has concluded that the threat to public health from the overuse of antibiotics in food animals is real and growing.  Humans are at risk both due to potential presence of superbugs in meat and poultry, and to the general migration of superbugs into the environment, where they can transmit their genetic immunity to antibiotics to other bacteria, including bacteria that make people sick.”

Save Wildlife

 Important predator species become endangered because they are killed to protect grazing livestock.  Grass-eating species such as elk and deer have been killed en masse to reserve more feed for cattle. Important habitat-creating animals such as beavers and prairie dogs have been decimated because they disrupt the landscapes desired by livestock managers.

 Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Studies show that meat production produces significantly more greenhouse gases than vegetables. These include carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide that are the three main contributing sources of greenhouse gas. Beef was found to produce a total of 30 kg of greenhouse gas (GHG) per kg of food, while carrots, potatoes and rice produce only .42, .45 and 1.3 kg GHG per kg of food, respectively.

Save Water

The water needs of livestock are much greater than those of vegetables and grains.

– Approximately 1,850 gallons of water are needed to produce a single pound of beef.

– Approximately 39 gallons of water are needed to produce a pound of vegetables.

Americans consume nearly four times the amount of animal protein compared to the global average. When compared with current food intake in the US, a vegetarian diet would reduce water consumption by up to 58% per person.

 Clean Air

Factory farms produce an enormous amount of manure that in turn produces gases that are harmful to human health.  According to a paper by the Congressional Research Service, Factory Farms, can adversely affect air quality through emissions of gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, hazardous air pollutants, and odor. These pollutants and compounds have a number of negative environmental and human health effects. In other words, factory farms produce a lot of stink and make people and the environment sick.

Save Our Oceans

 Run off from factory farms finds its way to the oceans creating algae blooms and dead zones.  We are also eating too many fish. 90% of the predator fish population such as tuna and shark are already gone. These predator fish are also contaminated with high levels of mercury.

Save Our Soil 

As my friend Eden Vardy, from Aspen TREE says, healthy humans start with healthy soil. The production of feed for animals such as corn and soy, deplete soil quality and the structure of the soil.  We live in an age of monoculture, which means we grow acres and acres of just one thing like corn.  Soil is healthier when crops are rotated.  Over grazing also depletes soil.