Plant-based alternatives: a gutsy way to reduce food waste
By Edward Chan, Jonas Lui, Kayton Lee and Ethan Law
Photo byJill Burrow from Pexels
Food waste is a huge issue in the modern world. Every year, more than 1.3 billion kilograms of food goes to waste; a third of all food produced! This is an amount that can feed more than two billion hungry people (Huber, 2017)!
One way of reducing food waste is following a plant-based diet. Plant-based or plant-forward eating focuses on foods primarily made from plants. It includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, and beans. A plant-based diet provides an option of crafting your meal using healthier, green products, while still providing the same nutritional content as would be found in a meatier diet.
The breeding of animals for human consumption uses up a lot of natural resources that could be used elsewhere. Animal agriculture is a major contributor to the production of greenhouse gases like methane that leads to global warming. Cows in particular need plenty of grazing ground, which in turn takes up precious land resources. This need can manifest itself through ways such as excessive deforestation for pasture and the over-use of water for pasture cultivation. The largest source of anthropogenic methane emissions is agriculture, which is responsible for around a quarter of total emissions. This is closely followed by the energy sector, which includes emissions from coal, oil, natural gas and biofuels. Even though the energy sector, which is often seen as the most environmentally damaging, releases less greenhouse gases, the demand for beef remains high. And because of that the agricultural sector is due to continue developing this unsustainable industry.
Choosing a plant-based diet solves problems on multiple fronts. Eating a plant-based diet improves the health of your gut so you are better able to absorb the nutrients from the food. It can also support your immune system and prevent colitis. Plant-based diets generally also include more fibre, which can lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar. They are also great for cultivating a healthy gut microbiome.
Many athletes are changing to a plant-based diet because eating red-meats has been shown to initiate inflammation, making it harder for athletes to recover after a strenuous workout. Athletes who are transitioning from an omnivorous to a plant-based diet include Lewis Hamilton, Kyrie Irving, Venus and Serena Williams, as well as Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2018, Arnold Schwarzenegger filmed a documentary called the Game Changers that profiled several vegetarian athletes and celebrities. He pointed out that many companies “sell the idea that real men eat meat. But you’ve got to understand: that’s marketing. That’s not based on reality.” (Shwarzenegger, 2019).
To sum up: consuming a plant based diet reduces the risk of developing health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and atherosclerosis; vegetarianism also helps cut down on body fat by making you feel fuller for less calories after each meal, when compared with meats; additionally, plants release oxygen and fixate carbon through photosynthesis, which helps reduce greenhouse gases.