Why Eat a Plant-Based Diet

Six Arguments for a Greener Diet

From the Center for Science in the Public Interest

Six Arguments for a Greener Diet for free!

A diet based more on plant-based foods than meats and dairy can lead to extra years of healthy living. This very same diet reduces environmental damage and farm animal suffering. CSPI's new Eating Green brings to bear the science on a greener diet and its impact on the environment.

Six Arguments for a Greener Diet. CSPI's new book provides thoughtful advice to consumers and policymakers alike on moving to a plant-base diet.

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The Argument for a Vegetarian Diet Part One

The Argument for a Vegetarian Diet - Part One

by Gary Null, PhD, and Martin Feldman, MD

In recent decades, vegetarianism has shed its image as an offbeat lifestyle choice and attracted many Americans who want to take advantage of the benefits offered by plant-based eating. These people are adopting a vegetarian diet to improve their health, avoid the chemicals used in animal foods, reduce food costs, conserve natural resources, adhere to religious disciplines, and respect animal life. More than 7 million Americans now eat a vegetarian diet for these reasons and others.

Despite these gains, the US remains a leading consumer of meat; and the rationale for vegetarian eating must continue to be made to the American public. A typical US diet – including, for example, eggs and bacon for breakfast, a hamburger and glass of milk for lunch, and a meat dish for dinner – can supply more than 200 grams of protein a day, or about four times the highest recommended intake. These eating habits carry serious consequences for the health of individuals and the ability of countries to feed the greatest number of people from the available food-production resources.

This article will present some of the key arguments in favor of a vegetarian diet, giving health-care providers the information to help their patients (and themselves) make healthful dietary choices.

Click to read the full article

Livestock's Long Shadow - environmental issues and options

This report aims to assess the full impact of the livestock sector on environmental problems, along with potential technical and policy approaches to mitigation. The assessment is based on the most recent and complete data available, taking into account direct impacts, along with the impacts of feed crop agriculture required for livestock production. The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.

The findings of this report suggest that it should be a major policy focus when dealing with problems of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortage and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity. Livestock's contribution to environmental problems is on a massive scale and its potential contribution to their solution is equally large. The impact is so significant that it needs to be addressed with urgency. Major reductions in impact could be achieved at reasonable cost.

You may down load this UN FAO report for free: Download or order from Earthprint: Order

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