Vegan Diet Good for our Health and the Planet

The American Federal Panel which helps establishing new federal dietary guidelines and recommendations, advises Americans to consume less meat because according to them “this is good for the planet”.

The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee was founded in 1983 as a result of the growing awareness of the importance of proper diet. In 2015, this committee has included ecological sustainability in these recommendations for the first time. They have determined that a diet that doesn’t include so many foods based on animals will not only promote our health, but it will also preserve our environment.

Of course, the meat industry prepared a response in which they claim that the panel doesn’t have the necessary expertise and authority to come up with such conclusions.

However, the US Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Health will certainly take these recommendations into consideration when they prepare the final version of the guidelines for 2015.

The report that is 571 pages long, states that the average and standard American diet is harming the environment especially in terms of the creation of emissions of greenhouse gases. In addition, this type of diet is not efficient when it comes to the use of soil, water and energy. The best alternative is to practice diet that is rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts and seafood with moderate consumption of dairy products and alcohol and limited intake of red and processed meat, soft drinks, candies and refined grains.

This committee points out that the scientific studies that they have analyzed have proven that vegan diet comes with the highest number of benefits for human health. According to the report, organic vegan diet has the least negative impact on ecosystems and natural resources. Meat consumption in large quantities should be avoided because of the saturated fats that lead to various cardiovascular diseases. This is one of the reasons why the number of people suffering from these diseases in the developed countries has increased in the past two decades.

On the other hand, lobby groups created by the meat industry claim that thanks to the high amount of proteins in the meat people feel satiated for a longer period of time.

Although it’s true that average consumers rarely follow these official recommendations, Eric Mittenhall the vicepresident and spokesman of NAMI says that these recommendations are reflected in state programs such as medical recommendations related to supplements used by women and children, school nutrition programs and meals served in the military.

 

Source: The Hill