Save the planet with your next meal

The things you eat and how often you eat them are known to have an effect on the health of the planet and we all have a responsibility to improve environmental health in all areas of our lives. Today, we will be discussing how to help the planet with the things you choose to eat.

A plant-based diet describes a diet which mainly consists of plants (fruits and vegetables) or is solely based on plants [1]. These diets have lower environmental impacts as they limit the consumption of meat as the production of meat releases large amounts of greenhouse gases and requires large amounts of land and water [2]. There are actually various types of plant-based diets and each type of diet exists for different reasons and this post will help you find the diet best suited to your lifestyle.

Types of plant-based diets

There are 4 main types of plant-based diets which are categorized according to the extent to which animal products are prohibited from the diet. The strictest form of plant-based diet would be vegan, this type of diet solely consists of plants and all meat and animal products are prohibited. There are the 3 type of vegetarian diets which have different allowances for animal products. The first is the most common form of vegetarian, lacto-ovo-vegetarian who eat a plant-based diet but include dairy products and eggs. Lacto-vegetarian is the second type which is plant-based including dairy products but not eggs, while ovo-vegetarian includes eggs but not any dairy products. There are other types of plant-based diet variations which are not as strict as the vegan and vegetarian diet but would be ideal for someone looking to start eating a plant-based diet. [3]

The first variation would be pescatarian, which is a plant-based diet that allows for the consumption of fish, shellfish and other seafood. This type of diet can also include the consumption of eggs or dairy products but there are also pescatarian diets which restrict dairy products and eggs. This type of diet is environmentally friendly, provided that the fish have been sustainably raised, caught and processed. [3]

The next category of variation would be a partially plant-based diet or 'flexitarian' diet. The flexitarian diet includes the consumption of meat and meat products but in highly restricted amounts [3]. This kind of diet would require more intensive monitoring of the production of the meat products you would choose to consume to ensure that the meat has been raised, killed and produced in a sustainable manner. A flexitarian diet would be best suited for someone looking to begin eating a plant-based diet as this would gradually help you to begin eating plant-based.

How to begin eating a plant-based diet

When you want to start the switch to a plant-based diet, it would be easiest to take on a gradual change, such as the flexitarian diet, or you could decide to not eat meat on certain days of the week. A popular example of this would be Meat-Free Mondays, which encourages people to not eat meat on Mondays [4]. You could choose another day of the week to do something similar.

Enjoy eating your way to a healthier planet with these useful links:

• Before you start you dietary change, it would be useful to know which things to pay attention to as a starting point: https://www.wwf.org.za/?17181/10

• Recipes to kick-start your Meat-free Mondays: https://www.meatfreemondays.com/recipes/

• You can find some sustainable seafood recipes to start your journey here: http://wwfsassi.co.za/sustainable-seafood-recipes/

• Find out about the South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative: http://wwfsassi.co.za/

• Which seafood is sustainable according to the SASSI list: http://wwfsassi.co.za/sassi-list/

• Find alternatives for orange or red listed seafood: http://wwfsassi.co.za/table-of-alternatives/

Live green, see green

Shannon

References:

1. British Dietetic Association (2020). Plant-based diet: Food Fact Sheet. British Dietetic Association. [Online] Available at: https://www.bda.uk.com/recource/plant-based-diet.html (Accessed 08/05/2020).

2. Van der Zee, B. (2018). What is the true cost of eating meat? The Guardian. [Online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/may/07/true-cost-of-eating-meat-environment-health-animal-welfare (Accessed 10/05/2020).

3. Hill, A. (2020). The 4 Main Types of Plant-Based Diets. Clean Green Simple. [Online] Available at: https://cleangreensimple.com/article/types-of-plant-based-diets (Accessed 09/05/2020).

4. O’Malley, K. (2019). Paul McCartney Celebrates Decade of Meat Free Monday with New #MFMCountMeIn Campaign. Independent. [Online] Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/meat-free-monday-paul-mccartney-10-years-vegetartian-mfmcountmein-a8962211.html (Accessed 10/05/2020).