To Your Health
June, 2024 (Vol. 18, Issue 06) |
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More Plant, Less Animal
By Editorial Staff
Care about your health and the climate? Then keep the phrase, "More plant, less animal" in mind when it comes to your diet. That's because evidence links a plant diet to numerous benefits impacting your body and the planet.
If you're a meat eater, you don't need to become a vegetarian / vegan to make a difference, suggests research; even partial substitutions matter. For example, according to findings published in a recent issue of
Nature Food, partially substituting red and processed meat or dairy with plant protein foods increases life expectancy while decreasing diet-related greenhouse gas emissions. The benefits were primarily attributed to substituting red / processed meat with plant-based protein, with smaller benefits for replacing dairy with plant products.
If you're considering changing your diet to favor "more plant, less animal," it's important to consider how you'll replace potential nutrient deficiencies that could occur; namely getting less calcium if you limit dairy consumption specifically, and less protein if you limit meat / dairy consumption in general. Talk to your doctor for more information on how you can pursue a plant-based diet and still meet the recommended daily requirements for all the macro- and micronutrients your body needs to thrive.
