Choose plant - Plant-based guide
A guide all about choosing a plant-based diet. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/the-incident License code: HZYMHVRTIY0HZWHV
A guide all about choosing a plant-based diet.
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WELCOME TO OUR PLANT-BASED GUIDE<br />
A <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> diet offers you a chance to explore all<br />
the delicious meals you can create while causing as little<br />
harm as possible to your body, to animals,<br />
and to the planet.<br />
But it can be tricky to know where to start!<br />
Is “<strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong>” different from “vegan” or “vegetarian?”<br />
Do you have to cut out animal products entirely?<br />
This <strong>Plant</strong>-Based <strong>guide</strong>,<br />
is here to help answer<br />
all those questions,<br />
and more.<br />
What is a <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> diet?<br />
Why are people choosing to switch to a <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> diet?<br />
How to start a <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> diet.<br />
Simple <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> recipes you’ll love.<br />
Sources
The five essential food groups<br />
Fruits and vegetables:<br />
A good rule to live by is that you<br />
can never eat too many veggies! Try<br />
to incorporate at least one fruit or<br />
veggie into every meal.<br />
Whole grains<br />
Whether its oatmeal topped with<br />
fruit, a sandwich on whole-grain<br />
bread, or a rice bowl, grains make a<br />
fantastic (and filling) base for<br />
breakfast, lunch, and dinner.<br />
Nuts and seeds<br />
These nutritional powerhouses<br />
aren’t just for snacking—they’ll give<br />
any meal a boost of flavour, texture,<br />
and healthfulness.<br />
Legumes<br />
Packed with protein and essential<br />
nutrients, legumes such as beans,<br />
lentils, and chickpeas will keep your<br />
belly full and your body nourished.<br />
Healthy fats<br />
From avocados to olive oil, omega-3<br />
fats are delicious, nutritious, and<br />
essential for healthy brain function.<br />
As a bonus, they make every meal<br />
rich and satisfying.<br />
What is a <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong><br />
diet?<br />
The first thing to know about a <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> diet<br />
is this: It’s a diet centred around <strong>plant</strong>s. Rather<br />
than focusing on what you can’t eat, a <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong><br />
diet focuses on what you can—remember that<br />
the point of a <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> diet isn’t to limit or<br />
restrict yourself, it’s to explore new ideas around<br />
what you put on your plate.<br />
A <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> diet is any diet that focuses around<br />
foods derived from <strong>plant</strong> sources. This can<br />
include fruit, vegetables, grains, pulses, legumes,<br />
nuts and meat substitutes such as soy products.<br />
People often have different interpretations of<br />
what ‘<strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong>’ eating looks like. Some people<br />
still include small amounts of animal products<br />
such as meat and fish, while focusing mainly on<br />
vegetarian foods – this is referred to as a semivegetarian<br />
or flexitarian diet. Plans that cut out<br />
meat but still include fish are referred to as<br />
pescatarian diets. People who don’t eat meat or<br />
fish but still include dairy and eggs are referred<br />
to as vegetarian, while those who cut out any<br />
animal derived products, including dairy, eggs,<br />
honey and gelatin are referred to as vegan, and<br />
often those following a vegan diet will also follow<br />
a vegan lifestyle ie. they don’t usually use any<br />
animal-<strong>based</strong> products like leather or wool.<br />
<strong>Plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> diets including vegan diets can<br />
be healthy, as long as they are balanced and<br />
nutritionally adequate. To build a well-balanced<br />
<strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> meal, try to include each of the five<br />
food groups.<br />
4 5
Why are people<br />
choosing to switch to a<br />
<strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> diet?<br />
Help fight climate change<br />
Experts agree that reducing global<br />
warming and greenhouse gas emissions,<br />
is achievable, but it will require<br />
governments, businesses, and individuals to make<br />
big changes.<br />
The Paris Agreement was the first legally<br />
binding, global climate change agreement and<br />
was put in place at the Paris Climate Conference<br />
(COP21) in December 2015. This agreement set<br />
out a global framework to limit global warming<br />
to well below 2°C. (European Commission, 2021)<br />
If we are able to achieve this goal and defy the<br />
heavily stacked odds and limit global warming to<br />
2 degrees we will already be living in a world that<br />
is far less hospitable as the one we know:<br />
brought the Rivers Po, Rhine and Loire to<br />
historic lows – will be the annual norm.<br />
• Human mortality will dramatically increase<br />
because of heat waves, floods, and droughts.<br />
• There will be rampant increases in asthma<br />
and other respiratory illnesses. The number<br />
of people at risk of malaria will increase by<br />
several hundred million.<br />
• Four hundred million people will suffer from<br />
water scarcity.<br />
• Warmer oceans will irreparably damage 99<br />
percent of coral reefs, disrupting ecosystems<br />
for nine million species.<br />
• Half of all animal species will face extinction.<br />
• A total of 60 % of all <strong>plant</strong> species will face<br />
extinction.<br />
• Wheat yields will be reduced by 12 percent,<br />
rice by 6.4 percent, maize by 17.8 percent,<br />
and soybeans by 6.2 percent.<br />
But what is the solution?<br />
Research shows the four highest-impact things<br />
you can do to tackle climate change are to:<br />
1. Avoid air travel<br />
2. Live car-free<br />
3. Have fewer children<br />
4. Eat a <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> diet<br />
Of these, only <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> eating will immediately<br />
have an impact on reducing the most urgently<br />
important greenhouse gases, methane and<br />
Researchers at the Worldwatch<br />
Institute estimated that<br />
livestock are responsible for<br />
51% of annual global emissions<br />
– more than all cars, planes,<br />
buildings, power <strong>plant</strong>s, and<br />
industry combined.<br />
atmosphere and animal agriculture is responsible<br />
for 37% of methane emissions and 65% of nitrous<br />
oxide emissions.<br />
Methane emissions: as they digest food, cattle,<br />
goats and sheep produce a significant amount of<br />
methane by belching and farting, which results<br />
in livestock being the leading source of methane<br />
emissions.<br />
Nitrous oxide emissions: livestock is the leading<br />
source of this greenhouse gas, which is produced<br />
by animal urine, manure and the fertilisers being<br />
used for growing feed crops.<br />
We cannot make a difference<br />
against climate change without<br />
addressing animal agriculture.<br />
• Sea levels will rise by 1.6 feet, flooding<br />
coastlines across the globe. 143 million people<br />
are projected to become climate migrants.<br />
• Armed conflict will increase by an estimated<br />
40% because of climate change.<br />
• Greenland will tip into irreversible melt.<br />
• Between 20 and 40% of the Amazon will be<br />
destroyed.<br />
• Global GDP per capita will drop by an<br />
estimated 13 percent.<br />
We are pumping greenhouse gases into the<br />
atmosphere at a rate that exceeds Earth’s ability<br />
to regulate them and this needs to be urgently<br />
addressed.<br />
We know we have to do something but without<br />
identifying the thing that we have to do, we<br />
cannot decide to do it and get started.<br />
nitrous oxide. Switching to <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> diet has<br />
the potential to reduce diet-related greenhouse<br />
gas emissions by 49%. And while it’s easy to feel<br />
powerless in the face of climate change, science<br />
shows that we can make a difference.<br />
Deforestation<br />
About 80% of deforestation occurs clearing<br />
land for crops for livestock and grazing and the<br />
cutting and burning of forests is responsible for<br />
at least 15% of global greenhouse gases per year.<br />
6<br />
• The European heat wave of 2003 – which<br />
cost more than seventy thousand lives and<br />
thirteen billion euros in crop losses and<br />
Greenhouse gases<br />
Methane and nitrous oxide are the second and<br />
third most prevalent greenhouse gases in the<br />
7
Pounds of CO2 associated with a serving of each food:
Supporting your health<br />
Lucky for you, the foods that are better<br />
for animals and the environment—whole<br />
grains, veggies, fruits, legumes—are also<br />
better for your own health. Here are some of the<br />
health benefits you can expect:<br />
Improve the lives of animals<br />
By refusing to eat animal products, you’re sending<br />
a powerful message to the food supply chain.<br />
Just a few years ago, restaurants rarely had vegan<br />
options. Now, some of the biggest chains (Burger<br />
King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and more) have<br />
<strong>plant</strong>s on the menu. Every purchase decision<br />
influences demand, which ultimately impacts<br />
supply—resulting in fewer animals being raised<br />
to suffer on factory farms.<br />
Reduced risk of heart disease:<br />
In 2019, a review of 99 different studies found<br />
that a whole-food, <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> diet is associated<br />
with a significantly lower risk of<br />
the disease—and can even help<br />
reverse it.<br />
Reduced risk of type-2 diabetes:<br />
Eating whole <strong>plant</strong> foods can also<br />
reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes,<br />
and can lead to better outcomes<br />
for those already fighting the<br />
disease.<br />
What you don’t eat: can also harm your health.<br />
Diets low in nuts, seeds, seafood, fruits and<br />
vegetables can also make your health risks go up.<br />
People who eat diets high<br />
in animal protein are four times<br />
as likely to die of cancer as those<br />
who eat diets low in animal<br />
protein are.<br />
10<br />
11
How to start a <strong>plant</strong><strong>based</strong><br />
diet<br />
There are a few different ways to get started.<br />
One option is to focus on incorporating more<br />
<strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> foods into your diet, like veggies and<br />
whole grains. As you increase your consumption<br />
of <strong>plant</strong>s—you’ll find that you naturally reduce<br />
your consumption of meat, dairy, and eggs.<br />
Or (and this is easiest for some people) you can<br />
focus on cutting out all animal products entirely.<br />
There’s no “right” way to go <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong>—the<br />
best way to do it is the way that’s easiest and<br />
most sustainable for you. Here are some tips for<br />
how to begin—and stick to—a <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> diet.<br />
12<br />
Try Meatless Mondays<br />
If going 100% <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> feels overwhelming at<br />
the start, try doing it just one day of the week—<br />
like Monday! As you explore new meals and<br />
recipes, you might be able to gradually go <strong>plant</strong><strong>based</strong><br />
other days of the week, too.<br />
Supplement with B12<br />
While you’ll get plenty of protein, iron, and other<br />
essential nutrients from a <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> diet, B12<br />
is the only one that can be difficult to get from<br />
<strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> sources alone. To ensure you have<br />
plenty of energy, we recommend taking a B12<br />
supplement.<br />
Explore <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> proteins<br />
When you’re used to creating meals around<br />
an animal-<strong>based</strong> protein (like a hamburger,<br />
sandwich meat, or scrambled eggs), it might<br />
seem challenging to change your routine. Never<br />
fear—there are <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> versions of all those<br />
foods! <strong>Plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> meats can be a convenient<br />
way to reduce your meat consumption while still<br />
enjoying the familiar foods you’re used to.<br />
Don’t replace one meat with another<br />
Many well-meaning people opt for an eggheavy<br />
vegetarian diet, or replace their red meat<br />
consumption with chicken or fish. Unfortunately,<br />
this can end up harming animals more than it<br />
helps. To make the most positive impact, try<br />
cutting back on all animal products equally, rather<br />
than swapping one for another.<br />
Indulge your cravings<br />
Most importantly, the key to sticking with a <strong>plant</strong><strong>based</strong><br />
diet is to make sure you enjoy your meals.<br />
If you’re craving meat-<strong>based</strong> “comfort food,” you<br />
might just be craving something rich, salty, and<br />
indulgent—and there are plenty of vegan meals<br />
to satisfy that craving!<br />
Try a <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> breakfast and lunch<br />
Not eating animal products for breakfast and<br />
lunch would save 1.3 metric tons of your carbon<br />
footprint per year. Not a bad starting point if<br />
you don’t want to go 100% <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong>.<br />
13
Improve the lives of animals<br />
By refusing to eat animal products, you’re sending<br />
a powerful message to the food supply chain.<br />
Just a few years ago, restaurants rarely had vegan<br />
options. Now, some of the biggest chains (Burger<br />
King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and more) have<br />
<strong>plant</strong>s on the menu. Every purchase decision<br />
influences demand, which ultimately impacts<br />
supply—resulting in fewer animals being raised<br />
to suffer on factory farms.
Simple <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong><br />
recipe ideas you’ll love<br />
Here you will find some great <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong><br />
dish ideas to inspire you. There are countless<br />
cookbooks, websites and blogs out there, with<br />
recipes and ideas, so have fun exploring and<br />
trying some new dishes.<br />
Buddha Bowls<br />
These colourful bowls, packed with <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong><br />
goodness like grains, legumes, steamed and raw<br />
veggies, and flavorful sauces are tasty, quick and<br />
easy to make. Try combining cozy roasted sweet<br />
potatoes, chickpeas, and brown rice to make your<br />
bowl hearty and satisfying. Rounded out with<br />
kale, radishes, carrots, and cabbage, but all sorts<br />
of veggies would work here. Experiment with<br />
roasted cauliflower, broccoli, or butternut squash!<br />
Finish a buddha bowl with tahini, peanut sauce,<br />
lemon vinaigrette, a dressing, hummus, or drizzles<br />
of sesame oil, soy sauce or tamari.<br />
Adzuki Bean Bowls<br />
Never tried adzuki beans? Learn how to cook<br />
them for this tasty grain bowl recipe! And don’t<br />
worry, if you can’t find them, black beans work<br />
here too.<br />
Veggie Burger<br />
This <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> burger is hearty, savoury, smoky,<br />
and satisfying. Oh, and it’s grill-able too!<br />
Instead of making a bean-<strong>based</strong> burger, you can<br />
try ingredients such as shiitake and portobello<br />
mushrooms, which give the meatless burgers a<br />
wonderful hearty texture and umami-rich flavor.<br />
And don’t forget you can easily experiment<br />
with giving some of your own favorite recipes a<br />
<strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> makeover. Replace the meat in your<br />
favorite chili with beans or lentils, cook up some<br />
wonderful veggie burgers, or make vegetables the<br />
star attraction in that stir fry instead of chicken.<br />
Kimchi Brown Rice Bliss Bowls<br />
Savoury grilled tempeh, kimchi, and peanut sauce<br />
pack this type of dish with bold flavour. Piled<br />
high with crunchy, creamy, savoury, and spicy<br />
components, these hearty bowls are healthy,<br />
satisfying, and (most importantly) fun to eat!<br />
Cauliflower Rice Kimchi Bowls<br />
Bowls of cauliflower rice topped with tofu,<br />
veggies, kimchi, and creamy coconut sauce make a<br />
fun, healthy weeknight dinner.<br />
Cauliflower rice acts as the base of this grain-free<br />
grain bowl. It’s light and fresh, but baked tofu,<br />
shiitake mushrooms, and a coconut-ginger-lime<br />
sauce make it flavourful and satisfying.<br />
Crispy Baked Falafel<br />
Falafela are fried balls of ground chickpeas or<br />
fava beans seasoned with herbs like parsley and<br />
cilantro and spices like coriander and cumin. Take<br />
one bite of this crispy baked falafel, and you’ll<br />
immediately go back for another. Decked out<br />
with pickled onions, tahini sauce, fresh herbs, and<br />
veggies, it’s an unbeatable <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> meal.<br />
16<br />
To find the full recipes and for further<br />
inspiration visit www.loveandlemons.com/<br />
<strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong>-recipes/<br />
17
Sources<br />
Page 2:<br />
The four highest impact things: Wynes and Nicholas “Climate<br />
Mitigation Gap”.<br />
Page 6:<br />
UK Climate Change Conference, UK 2021<br />
”Livestock (like automobiles) are” Goodland and Anhang.<br />
“Livestock and Climate Change, 12.”<br />
About 80 percent of deforestation: Food and Agriculture<br />
Organisation of the United Nations, “Deforestation Causes<br />
Global Warming, “<br />
Animal agriculture is responsible: Steinfeld et al., Livestock’s<br />
Long Shadow.<br />
Page 7:<br />
We are the weather, saving the planet begins at breakfast.<br />
Jonathan Safron Foer. Penguin 2020. Pages 58-59.<br />
https://www.worldanimalprotection.org/latest/news/141-<br />
trillion-cow-burps-and-237-billion-cowpats-damaging-planet-<br />
daily?_ga=2.171312864.1368675991.1705182190-<br />
749599825.1705182190 (accessed 14 Jan 2024)<br />
Page 9:<br />
Centre for Sustainable Systems “Carbon Footprint Factsheet”<br />
Page 10:<br />
https://thehumaneleague.org/article/<strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong>-dietfor-beginners#:~:text=Reduced%20risk%20of%20<br />
type%2D2,performance%20on%20all%20cognitive%20tasks.<br />
(Accessed December 2023)<br />
Page 11:<br />
We are the weather, saving the planet begins at breakfast.<br />
Jonathan Safron Foer. Penguin 2020. Page 101.<br />
18<br />
Produced by<br />
Elizabeth Vessey,<br />
2024
Choosing a <strong>plant</strong>-<strong>based</strong> diet, will not only be the<br />
most impactful thing you can do against climate<br />
change, it will also be good for your health and<br />
save animals.<br />
Sound too good to be true?<br />
<strong>Choose</strong> <strong>Plant</strong>!