By Alice Perera

You may be considering if you should pursue a plant-based diet as the hype around plant-based meat continues to rise. For a number of causes, vegetarianism and veganism have been practiced for thousands of years, and in 2019, due to a multitude of plant-based options, it’s becoming easier to give up meat and animal products.

There’s no doubt that eating a nutritious diet rich in fruits and vegetables benefits the body and mind. Indeed, some studies show that vegans and vegetarians have greater health indicators than omnivores. Many health professionals advise patients with heart disease, elevated blood pressure, asthma, and other illnesses to eat a plant-based diet. There is a wide range of vegan products in Sri Lanka to choose from in regards to your convenience.

People give up animal products for a variety of reasons, one of which is health concerns about animal protein, especially red meat. Consumers have been advised to eat less meat, especially beef and pork, for decades by public health authorities and health practitioners. They mentioned heart attacks, strokes, cancer, and other health issues.

Latest analysis, however, suggests that people might have maintained the wrong belief about red meat all these years, pointing out that the evidence linking red meat, processed meat, and disease was at best shaky. Another long-held misconception about red meat has recently been debunked: that its saturated fat content clogs arteries.

However, no one dietary guideline is suitable for all, so use the facts as you see fit. If you have bad reactions to animal protein, switching to plant-based meat is a good idea. And whether actual beef or fake meat is better is the decade’s biggest debate.

This is a major factor in many people’s decision to begin and maintain a vegan diet. Many vegans claim that all species, including those that have long been staples of human diets, have the right to life and equality. That’s an understandable point of view, and making emotional attachments to animals also adds to it.

For example, studies on the reasons people want to eat a vegan diet suggests that having more pets as a child (and a wider range of pets, not just cats and dogs) increases the likelihood of later avoiding meat consumption.

If you ask a vegan why they want to eat vegan, they’re likely to say something about the world. Many people who follow a plant-based diet are adamant about environmental protection, and with good reason: we should all try to do our bit to save our planet.

Many consumers and even environmental experts blame animal agriculture for global environmental problems, citing flashy figures regarding greenhouse gas pollution, water and land use, pollution, labour costs, and transportation.

Animal agriculture, though, may not be as harmful to the earth as you believe. According to some studies, even though the whole world went vegan, greenhouse gas emissions would only decrease by 2.6 percent. People would be better off for the environment if they worked on eliminating food waste, avoiding single-use plastic, and using public transit, cycling, or biking instead of driving.

Some people follow a plant-based diet because they think humans do not need animal sources of food to sustain and prosper. While there is some truth to the assertion — you can probably fulfill the daily nutrient needs on a vegan or vegetarian diet, even if you exercise often — someone eating a plant-based diet should take care to ensure they ingest adequate nutrients that come in large quantities.

Plant-based diets with fortified nutrient profiles, such as the Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger, have comparable nutrient profiles to real beef. Give one of these fake meat burgers a shot if you’re hunting for plant-based options but don’t want to lose nutritional deficiencies.

Some people prefer plant-based diets for all of the reasons mentioned above, and others do so merely because they don’t like animal protein or dairy products, or because they have sensitivities to them, such as lactose intolerance. After all, you don’t need an excuse to choose a plant-based burger to a standard burger, and you shouldn’t be obligated to justify your food preferences to anyone if you don’t want to.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I have been working with challenging clients for over three years. I’m an expert in ghostwriting, content writing, financial writing, web writing, poetry, and creative writing.  You can easily communicate with me as I have excellent communication skills. I can understand and analyses any restrictions in a comprehensive way.