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How to Eat Flax Seed?

How To Eat Flaxseed for Heart Health, Lower Cholesterol Levels & More?

- Add flaxseeds to your diet.

- You can eat them in oatmeal, salads, smoothies, etc.

- They contain omega 3 fatty acids which help lower cholesterol levels.

- They also have anti-inflammatory properties that may help prevent heart disease.

- The fiber content of flaxseeds helps keep you regular by helping with digestion.

- It's easy to add flaxseeds to any meal or snack.

Flax Seeds For Weight Loss - How Do I Use Them?

- Take 1 tablespoon of whole flaxseeds per day.

- Mix them into yogurt, cereal, salad dressing, soups, breads, muffins, pancakes, waffles, pasta dishes, sauces, dips, dressings, baked goods, etc.

- Sprinkle on top of vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, zucchini, carrots, peas, beans, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, mushrooms, peppers,

- Grind 2 tablespoons of flaxseeds into flour using an electric grinder.

- Make sure they're fresh before grinding as old ones will not work well.

- Store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 6 months.

- When cooking, mix one teaspoon of oil with two teaspoons of flaxseed flour.

- Heat over medium heat until hot but do not burn.

- Stir constantly while adding water slowly.

- Cook until thickened.

- Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Health Benefits Of Flaxseed

- Helps reduce bad cholesterol.

- May improve blood circulation.

- Contains lignans, phytosterols, antioxidants, vitamins A and B6, minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, iodine, potassium, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, vitamin C, folate, pantothenic acid, biotin, choline, folic acid, and protein.

- Can aid weight loss.

- Promotes good health.

- Improves brain function.

- Reduces risk of cancer.

- Lowers triglycerides.

- Prevents cardiovascular diseases.

- Protects against osteoporosis.

- Boosts immune system.

- Good source of dietary fibre.

- Rich in essential oil.

Can I eat raw flax seeds?

- Yes, but you should avoid eating them in large quantities.

- They can cause digestive problems if eaten in excess.

- You can use them in smoothies.

- You can also make bread with them.

How much flaxseed should I eat a day?

- 1 tablespoon per day.

What happens if I eat flax seeds everyday?

Flax seeds are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals. They also contain lignans, which are plant compounds that act as natural hormones.

Flax seeds are often used as a dietary supplement because of their health benefits. There are people who consume flax seeds daily without any side effects. Dr. Gregor recommends that you eat 1 tablespoon of flax seeds a day.

What are the side effects of eating flax seeds?

- Flax seeds can cause diarrhea. - Some people experience gas when consuming flax seed products.

- If you suffer from allergies, consult your doctor before trying out this product.

- Avoid drinking alcohol during consumption of flax seeds.

Side effects of flaxseed include:

allergic reactions.

diarrhea (oil)

intestinal obstruction.

bloating.

stomach ache.

constipation.

gas (flatulence)

Is there anything else I need to know about flax seeds?

Yes, here are few things you must remember:

Consume only organic flax seeds.

Don’t store flax seeds in plastic bags. Instead, buy glass jars and store them away from sunlight.

Keep flax seeds refrigerated once opened.

Always grind freshly purchased flax seeds. Old flax seeds won’t give you the same results.

Source Blog: How to Eat Flax Seed?

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What is a Whole Food Plant Based Diet?

A whole-foods plant-based approach means focusing on plants as primary sources of nutrition, with little or no processed ingredients.

Whole Food Plant Based Diet is a diet that focuses on whole foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, and whole grains.

It emphasizes plant foods over animal products.

It includes plenty of fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients.

It’ll help you lose weight, feel better, and live longer.

It includes plenty of fiber, protein, and healthy fats. It also avoids processed foods and refined sugars.

Plant based diets are often recommended for people who want to lose weight, improve their health, and live longer. They also tend to be lower in calories and fat than traditional diets.

This type of diet has become increasingly popular in recent years for its potential weight loss benefits.

How Does a Whole Foods Plant Based Diet Work?

Plant-based diets are often touted as being more sustainable than other types of dietary patterns.

A whole foods plant based diet is a healthy way to eat. The main difference between a whole foods plant based diet and other diets is that it includes all fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, grains, and dairy. This means that you don't need to count calories, carbs, fat grams, or anything else. Instead, you focus on eating real food that is high in nutrients and low in toxins.

What Are the Scientifically Proven Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet?

It’s good for your heart

It’ll help you lose weight

It‘ll make you feel better

It“ll keep you healthy

It”ll help you live longer

It’s easier on your body

You can eat more variety

You can control your High BP

You can reverse your Diabetes

Read More:

Whole Food Plant Based Diet Beginner's Guide

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Why sugar and jaggery are unhealthy

Sugar and Jaggery are Addictive & Unhealthy (and What to use Instead)

"Science finally tells us why it's so hard to quit sugar" - we came across this article by the New York Post recently. The article has been around since 2015 and is still relevant today, here's what it says.

A small new study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism might tell us why: Researchers at UC Davis found that eating sugar shuts down the release of the stress hormone cortisol.

"In other words, sugar soothes us when we’re feeling stressed, which could be making us come back for more and more."

Every time you eat something, it has an effect on your body.

You may be aware of some and others may be subconscious.

🍭 Sugary foods actually have a strong physiological effect on your body, this is why it's so hard to stop.

🍩 It gets even harder when the sugary product is high in fat especially refined sources of fat like oil or animal sources of fat like dairy.

🙍🏻‍♀️ If you are going through a stressful time quitting sugar may make you feel so much worse because your body is actually feeling comforted by it.

So should you just go ahead and have sugary sweets?

As you know, there is a huge downside.

While sugary sweets may help you feel better temporarily, in the long-run, you are doing more harm than good.

💉 Sweets with sweeteners like sugar, honey and jaggery spike your blood sugar levels.

⚠️ They are low in fiber and are harmful calories.

🩺 They have been shown to increase risk of chronic lifestyle diseases like diabetes and obesity.

🍫 The more sugary sweets you consume the harder it is to stop.

⏳ The longer you depend on sugary and fatty foods for relief, the harder it is to get off them.

👉🏽  Choosing sweets that are made with healthy sweeteners like dates, whole fruits, dry fruits and other zero calorie sweeteners that do not spike your blood sugar levels is a great way forward.

This festive season, Sampoorna Ahara team has curated a special festive sweet and snack gift pack made with only the healthiest ingredients.

Dates sweetened sweets

Oil-free snacks

Both decadent and delicious!

Check it out and start your festive celebration on a wholesome, delicious and healthy way!

Be Blessed by the Divine!

Dr. Achyuthan Eswar

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Plant-based diets: key study results you need to know

Plant-based diets: what are they?

Plant-based diets consist of consuming foods that are derived from plants. The plant-based diet focuses on whole foods in place of processed foods that are unhealthy.

A plant-based diet has many health benefits

Research suggests that Plant-Based Diet can reverse, prevent and treat lifestyle diseases.

Lose weight more effectively

A 2018 study found that a plant-based diet helped reduce obesity. A study in which 75 overweight or obese people were randomly assigned to a vegan diet or continued with a regular diet that contained meat examined the effectiveness of each diet.

Only the vegan group lost weight significantly after four months, losing 6.5 kilograms.

Reduced risk of heart disease and other conditions

Researchers from the Journal of the American Heart Association have found a reduction in heart disease risk in middle-aged adults who eat a plant-based diet.

Eat less meat, and you might also lower your risk of:

stroke

high blood pressure

high cholesterol

certain cancers

type 2 diabetes

obesity

Diabetic prevention and treatment

People with diabetes may benefit from plant-based diets, which may improve insulin sensitivity while reducing insulin resistance.

The average amount of type 2 diabetes among the 60,000 people studied in 2009 was 2.9% for vegans, compared to 7.6% for nonvegetarians.

Go Whole Foods Plant-Based.

Celebrate Health

Order your favourite foods with a Sampoorna Ahara twist.

Be Blessed,

Dr Achyuthan Eswar

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Plant-based diets are more effective for losing weight than Mediterranean diets, study finds

Research shows that a low-fat plant-based diet is a better tool for weight loss than the Mediterranean diet.

A  study recently published in the Journal of the American College of  Nutrition concluded that a low-fat, plant-based diet provides better weight loss results than a standard Mediterranean diet. Approximately  12,000 doctors from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine  (PCRM) conducted a randomized crossover trial. The study included  overweight participants without a history of diabetes who ate a low-fat plant-based diet, and those who followed the Mediterranean diet (which  emphasizes fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, low-fat dairy, and extra  virgin olive oil, but limit or avoid red meat). There were no changes to  exercise routines or medications in either group during the 16-week  study. Diets were not calorie restricted or modified. Following the  four-week "washout" period, participants then switched to the opposite  group for an additional 16 weeks.

"The Mediterranean diet  is often considered one of the best ways to lose weight, but when  tested, it failed miserably," study author Neal Barnard, MD, president  of PCRM, said. The Mediterranean diet did not result in weight loss in a  randomized, controlled trial. Dairy products, oils, and fatty fish  appear to be the problem. Conversely, a plant-based diet causes weight loss that is consistent and significant."

Slimming down with plants

A  vegan diet resulted in an average weight loss of 13 pounds, while the  Mediterranean diet had no significant change in weight. Plant-based  diets caused participants to lose an average of 7.5 pounds of fat mass  and reduce their visceral fat by roughly 315 cm3. Moreover, plant-based  diets reduced total cholesterol levels by 18.7 mg/dL and LDL cholesterol  levels by 15.3 mg/dL. Participants on both diets experienced decreased  blood pressure.

The Mediterranean diet and vegan  diet have both been shown to lower body weight and cardiometabolic risk  factors in previous studies, Hana Kahleova, MD, Ph.D., director of  clinical research for PCRM, said in a press release. "We tested the two diets side by side and found that, when it came to both weight loss and  health markers, the plant based diet was superior."

Researchers believe that a plant-based diet leads to weight loss because it lowers calorie intake, increases fiber intake, reduces fat intake, and reduces saturated fat intake. Kahleova said choosing a plant-based diet can help you achieve your resolution of achieving weight loss or achieving good health in 2021.

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"Transforming My Life": 'Will.I.Am' Praises Plant-Based Diets

Will.I.Am credits a plant-based diet for transforming his life.

In the spring of 2017, the former Black Eyed Peas member quit eating animal products - after visiting a doctor and deciding to make a change.

Benefits of a healthy food

Plant-based eating lowers his cholesterol, blood pressure, and makes him lose weight, as he has mentioned publicly.

Following a recent switch to veganism, Will.i.am brought up his family's history of high cholesterol and diabetes.

"So I would like to get this under control now so it won't cause me problems later."

‘I want juice now’

After avoiding animal products for a period of four years, the superstar says his life has been 'really transformed'.

After one has cleansed the body of toxins, cravings disappear. Now I really want juice." He told the Evening Standard.

"I've always exercised, but working out and eating right is an entirely different experience.". I'm not trying to build muscle and get all swoll. "I just wanted to get in shape."

Invest in healthy food. Go Plant-Based.

Be Blessed by the Divine!

Dr. Achyuthan Eswar.

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Research: Diet-based diets help prevent heart disease, strokes, and diabetes

A large UK study suggests that eating a plant-based diet can lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Several thousand British people were surveyed by a health check company to find out if eating meat or a plant-based diet had health benefits for them.

Findings of the study

According to the study, vegans had lower blood sugar readings (HbA1c) and were at a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, meat-eaters showed less non-HDL cholesterol (unhealthy) than vegetarians - meaning a decreased risk of heart disease.

Vegans also have a higher folate level in their blood than those who follow a non-vegan diet, according to the study. One of the B vitamins, folate, is necessary for red and white blood cells, as well as for converting carbohydrates into energy.

Vegans had a lower level of GGT (a marker for liver health) than omnivores.

Eating a plant-based meal

The Head of Clinical Excellence for Medichecks is Dr. Natasha Fernando.  In a statement, she said: "This 2020 study found that a plant-based diet supported the body's ability to control blood glucose levels, which is a determinant of type 2 diabetes."

According to a Lancet article published recently, diabetics have a 40 percent higher risk of developing COVID, a condition that can lead to death or critical-care. Science indicates that switching to a plant-based diet can reverse this.

A balanced, nutritious diet

Making a healthy, balanced and nutritious diet is a priority. Almost all of the underlying conditions associated with Coronavirus risk are preventable and, in some cases, reversible.

Switch to a Plant Based Covid-19 diet.

Be Blessed by the Divine!

Dr Achyuthan Eswar

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The concept of a plant-based diet goes beyond avoiding animal cruelty

Climate change can also be mitigated and the next pandemic potentially prevented.

The subject of diet is sensitive. Everyone dislikes being told what or what not to eat, especially if it doesn't run with their culinary traditions or taste buds. However, Neil deGrasse Tyson reminds us that science does not care about what you eat or how you prepare it. There's no denying that a plant-based diet slows climate change and prevents the next pandemic.

Human-non-human animal relationships are dysfunctional - particularly when centered around meat consumption - which is the root of both crises.

A major source of greenhouse gas emissions is industrial agriculture and increased meat consumption. While humans colonize animal habitats, they raise animals in cramped, unsanitary conditions and sell them in similarly unsanitary places, which increase the likelihood of novel zoonotic diseases spreading from animals to humans.

Our habits should be brought in line with what science deems necessary: Meat consumption should be minimized or eliminated entirely if we are serious about stopping the climate crisis and preventing the next pandemic.

Scriptures in Hinduism extoll the virtue of not killing animals for food as well as treating them (and the planet in general) with dignity and respect.

"What kind of compassion can he show, who eats the flesh of animals to feed his own body?" Saint Tiruvalluvar, a poet and philosopher of Hinduism's Shaivite sect, wrote this in his text titled "Tirukural."

In Hinduism's Vaishnavite tradition, the Srimad Bhagavatam declares, "Earth, air, fire, water, planets, trees, plants, rivers and seas, they are all organs of the Divine." An adept respects all living creatures by remembering this.

A great nation can be judged by its treatment of animals, according to Mahatma Gandhi.

Yoga's first yama is ahimsa (non-harming). The dharmic principle of abstaining from meat eating is the foundation of the Hindu religion.

Science also endorses this virtue.

In scientific reports published over the past decade, it has been shown that vegan diets have far greater environmental benefits than meat-based diets. Vegan diets are still better than meat-based diets. It has a profound effect even if you don't eliminate meat entirely.

Yet, there is often resistance worldwide to a whole food plant-based diet.

Often, vegetarian programs get labeled as an imposition by upper-caste Hindus attempting to enslave subaltern cultural practices of meat eating in India and the Indian diaspora. In the United States, particularly in ranching and big farming states, moving away from meat is perceived as an attempt to erase a way of life that has gone on for generations.

Although Netflix documentaries show how high-level athletes and bodybuilders perform just as well or better without animal products, veganism is perceived as unmanly, weak, and elitist. Across the globe, there are similar stories and objections, but with local flair.

There is no doubt about the need for action, however.

Chatham House published a report. 80% of globe's farmland is used to raise livestock, but only 18% of the calories consumed come from their flesh. If we restore pastures to their natural state, it could store seven years' worth of greenhouse gas emissions.

Add that to the American assertion. According to the Center for Disease Control, 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, and the next steps are clear.

We need to change our diets and farming practices to consume less meat and dairy - better still, none at all. We must stop taking over the habitats of other animals to the greatest degree possible.

Especially those already eating planet-friendly diets should not internalize doing this as failure or weaponize it as superiority.

A new circumstance or piece of evidence should never be a reason for us to avoid reassessing our habits and practices. Evidence shows that rethinking how we grow and consume food can help solve two of humanity's major threats: the climate crisis and future pandemics. A diet for covid19 like disease is a plant-based diet. A diet for diabetes is WFPB diet. Order a tiffin service near you based on plant meals. Eat a healthy food. Live a healthy life.

Be Blessed by the Divine,

Dr. Achyuthan Eswar.

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Times of India highlights the health benefits of eating plant-based

India's leading daily newspaper, The Times Of India, published a double-page article praising plant-based diets.

The author claims that a plant-based diet is the most nutritional and has the most negligible environmental impact.

Even though India is widely regarded as a vegetarian country, the article claims the traditional and sustainable diet is changing towards a more industrialized diet, topped with more meat, refined grains, and sugar.

Global warming

Climate change is believed to have caused raging heat waves in recent years, prompting the country to promote whole food plant-based diets.

An interview with a Harvard University professor of epidemiology and nutrition highlights the health benefits of plant-based eating.

Degradation of the ecosystem

Dr Walter C Willett, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said: "Eating plants is much more efficient than feeding them to animals and then eating the animals."

He concluded that we could sustainably produce about two servings of animal-sourced foods per day based on analyses of the global community.

He added that exceeding these numbers would be "incompatible with environmental sustainability." Also, he said: "The resulting ecological degradation would end up threatening global food production."

Beneficial effects on health

In terms of health benefits, Prof. Willett explained that plants rich in nutrients could replace meat in almost everything.

Plant-based proteins can reduce bad cholesterol.

Decrease in disease

Plant-based Health Professionals UK board member Rohini Bajekal also agrees. The Indian diet has been dominated by plant protein sources such as legumes and grains for centuries.

India can reduce the burden of chronic lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure by shifting away from ultra-processed foods and animal products, such as dairy.

"Animal agriculture is a major factor driving the climate crisis and global food insecurity", Rohini claimed.

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How protein helps in muscle building?

Protein is crucial in muscle building. This is because it is protein that is responsible for:

Stimulating muscle growth and regeneration

Protein synthesis

Muscle repair

Muscle metabolism

The amino acids in protein are responsible for building and maintaining muscles and tissues in your body among other vital functions.

In your everyday life, your body undergoes constant wear and tear.

This is higher if you are an athlete.

Protein is responsible for repairing these tissue and helps build them stronger. This is how you get stronger.

Apart from this, protein also helps carry vital nutrients to all parts of the body, helps builds your skeletal structure, and plays a vital role in keeping several other factors in check.

All of this is crucial for strength and muscle building.

Be Blessed by the Divine,

Dr. Achyuthan Eswar

[posityfuel]

A plant-based diet may help prevent the next COVID-19

All recent pandemics have one thing in common: They are all transmitted by animals. They are zoonotic infections.

Nonetheless, animals are not ultimately responsible for causing these diseases. They didn't throw COVID-19 over the backyard fence to attack humans. By saying that this pandemic is "animal-related," we mean that these diseases are caused by how society raises, harvests, and eats animals.

We can avoid the next pandemic by reducing animal product demand as part of a comprehensive policy strategy. Fortunately, an effective approach need not imply government telling people what they should or should not eat.

Plant-based diets have been proven to have numerous health benefits. An effective approach for government policy might be to support those already attempting to make dietary changes.

Food production and zoonosis

Many independent scientists are beginning to recognize that many of the world's pandemics originate in the animal and agricultural sectors. An earlier UN report expressed a similar concern.

The UN outlined some potential ways to improve health governance concerning food production in its report entitled Preventing the Next Pandemic: Zoonotic diseases and how to break the chain of translocation.

In addition to scientific inquiry into the environmental dimensions of zoonotic diseases, stronger biosecurity measures can be developed and implemented. Several policy measures are suggested (including strengthening wildlife health services) alongside enhanced capacity for monitoring and regulating the food production process.

Furthermore, the report calls for states to reduce their food consumption of animal protein. People may not associate our current pandemic with the western diet or agricultural sector, so reducing the demand for meat is not something we typically hear considered as a policy option.

Pandemic origins

WHO found a link between early cases of COVID-19 and markets in China dealing with wild animals. The average global consumer does not shop for pangolins or bats, which are suspected of contaminating crops. This pandemic, however, has deeper roots that are more complex.

The animal husbandry industrial production chain has been the source of many earlier viruses.

A public health outbreak of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) emerged in the United Kingdom in the 1980s, as did its human equivalent, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Chicken factories in China were the source of bird flu (H5N1) in 1997.

A strain of swine flu (H1N1) was detected in 2009 on a farm in Mexico and North Carolina in the United States.

Recent reports have identified COVID-19 strains on farms in Denmark that raise minks for fur coats.

Some researchers believe that preventing pandemics from spreading will require rising demand for meat and dairy, including Swedish chief physician Dr Björn Olsen.

It has been almost ten years since Olsen, known for being an early critic of his government's COVID-19 response, has issued another early warning that has been in books and articles for the past ten years. In a recent Swedish interview, Olsen says most pandemic viruses originated where humans and animals meet, and raising billions of animals will have consequences.

Think about it in reverse: there has been no plant-related pandemic in human history.

An effective policy strategy includes strengthening regulatory and monitoring capacity, but societies can also reduce pandemic risks by replacing animal-based foods with plant-based ones. According to Olsen, politicians are not paying enough attention to the link between animal protein consumption and pandemics.

A plant-based diet should be the policy

Politicians might not see plant-based diets as a viable policy option since they require individuals to change their behaviour, and some believe governments should not try to impose dietary choices on their citizens. However, there are good reasons to believe that people are already willing to switch to a plant-based diet.

According to a recent UN survey, approximately 30% of the world's population supports plant-based diets as a climate policy.

Guide to healthy eating

The government should also consider implementing its food guide and increasing access to plant-based foods, particularly for low-income, rural residents. We need to move towards subsidizing healthy food.

Environmental and health effects of diet are interrelated. Moreover, there is a clear link between animal products and zoonotic diseases, making it even more important for policymakers to support people who want to shift to a plant-based diet.

A new pandemic could strike at any moment, experts warn. Since the SARS epidemic in 2003, outbreaks of zoonotic infections have occurred more frequently. Another pandemic will not only occur but shortly.

A Plant-Based Covid-19 Recovery Diet will heal you fast.

A Plant-Based Covid-19 Meals will help you prevent it.

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CEO of Unilever: Plant-based diets are becoming the norm in "every single country."

80% of consumers worldwide now eat plant-based diets predominantly, according to Unilever CEO Alan Jope.

A plant-based diet is becoming more popular among consumers worldwide, according to Unilever CEO Alan Jope. Phytoeating is not just a fad, but an "inexorable" trend that's here to stay, jokes Jope. Almost every country in the world, including emerging markets, is moving towards plant-based diets, Jope told The Guardian. By 2027, Unilever plans to increase its plant-based meat and dairy products to €1 billion ($1.2 billion), a five-fold increase over its current sales.

The Hive in the Netherlands, a food development center hosted by Unilever, has received $94 million in investment to advance plant-based innovation. Jope hopes that the Hive will drastically transform the global food system by working with academic researchers, startups, and other partners to create plant-based meat and green packaging.

Unilever commits veganism

With the addition of vegan ice cream flavors to its Ben & Jerry's, Breyers, Talenti, and Magnum brands in recent years, Unilever has expanded its portfolio of plant-based products. 2018 marked Unilever's acquisition of Holland's De Vegetarische Slager ("The Vegetarian Butcher"), which has partnered with chain restaurants worldwide to introduce vegan meat options, including Burger King restaurants in Mexico, Germany, and China.

During Veganuary this year, Hellmann's in the United Kingdom expanded its vegan mayo offerings with three new flavors, including garlic, chipotle, and bacon sauce.

How we’re supporting plant-based eating this Veganuary… and beyond?

Plant-based foods from Unilever

Positive nutrition Strategy and goals

Click here to source Plant Based Foods in India

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Plant-based diets: can they save the planet?

According to scientists and writers, politicians should encourage change to a plant diet if they're serious about saving the planet.

Kwasi Kwarteng, the UK's business secretary, has suggested a "full plant-based diet" as a way to combat climate change, saying lifestyle changes to healthy food are essential to reach the government's new emissions target of 78% below 1990 levels by 2035.

Could a plant-based diet make a real difference? Government policy would also be necessary along with changing the way we eat, according to experts. Scientists and writers argue that politicians must incentivize dietary changes if they are serious about them.

Dietary reductions or eliminations of meat differ according to academic literature. Vegetarianism would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by only about 3% per person, according to some studies. Many studies have shown that halving meat consumption reduces emissions by 20-30%.

"It is important to emphasize the fact that emissions are not the only measure of sustainability. It is also important to examine how farming systems affect carbon sequestration, soil acidification, water quality, and broader ecological functions," stated Matthew Harrison, team leader at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture.

The use of farming systems that replace livestock is also a requirement, he said.

George Monbiot, an environmental campaigner, says scientists measure veganism differently. Two completely different ways of analyzing a diet's carbon footprint are possible: one looks at carbon released during food production - the carbon current account. The other one is 'carbon capital account,' which means that this food will have a lower carbon burden than another food," he said.

"When you produce meat, for instance, what might you do with the land if you took the meat away? It would be better to grow trees in that place."

We eat, as well as our transport habits, is a big issue, according to Monbiot. "It's a lot harder than one might think to change diet on an individual basis when you compare it to what needs to be done by governments. The impact of that is enormous," he said.

"There is more chance of success if the government changes the food system, but we should still work to change our diets even in the absence of government action."

One of the most comprehensive analyses of the environmental damage resulting from farming was released in 2018 and found there is one single most significant way to reduce your environmental impact: avoiding meat and dairy products. In the study, researchers concluded that we could reduce global farmland use by more than 75% without meat and dairy consumption - an area the size of the US, China, Europe, and Australia combined - while still feeding the world.

"We estimate that the food system is responsible for about a third of all greenhouse gas emissions globally," said Dr. Marco Springmann, senior researcher at the University of Oxford.

He explained that the overwhelming majority of emissions come from foods such as beef and dairy, so progress is difficult without reducing emissions from those products. A cow's methane emissions cannot be fixed technically, according to him.

"You can change the composition of feed, but that doesn't change the animal, and its need to consume a lot of feed product," he said. He believes the government needs to offer price incentives for sustainable products, making beef and dairy more expensive.

According to Frank Mitloehner, professor and air quality extension specialist at the University of California at Davis, the focus on the individual is a distraction from the need for policy changes. "Going vegan for two years can save as much as flying from Europe to the US for one year," he said.

"Changing policy is the only way we can reduce carbon emissions as effectively as possible. We need to have a cost for carbon that is appropriate. We need to incentivize those who can reduce greenhouse gas emissions to do so," he said.

His number one recommendation is to "go out and vote... That should be number one.".

"We cannot address climate change with silver bullets, said Martin Heller of the University of Michigan. Nothing in isolation will be 'enough'."

Researchers conclude that even if agriculture was improved by 2050 at an expected growth rate, feeding an anticipated population would exhaust "all emissions allowable within 2C".

A change in diet is necessary, he said. "That certainly isn't implying that a change in diet - or even going vegan - will save the planet. The diet shifts must also come from government, corporations, and every other sector." He continued.

"Likewise, it would probably be naive to assume that people will change their behaviors just because it benefits the environment. Restaurant and food service industries must change as a result of directed policy," he said.

Get Started on a Whole Food Plant Based Diet today. Download our ebook on WFPB Diet from Sampoorna Ahara.

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Plant based diet impact on environment – Savings of 3 billion hectares of agricultural land

In a nutshell

Agriculture accounts for half of the world's habitable land, and most of this is dedicated to raising dairy and meat animals. There are two sources of feed for livestock: grazing lands and land where crops, such as soy and cereals, are grown. What would be the effect of adopting a plant-based diet on our agricultural land use?

It has been suggested that a shift to a whole food plant-based diet would reduce global agricultural land use by 75%. Land used for grazing and crops could be reduced resulting in a large reduction in agricultural land use. There is also evidence that there is a much greater impact on health from cutting out beef and dairy (by substituting healthy food of plant-based diet).

Deforestation driven by agriculture

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/land-use-kcal-poore

Deforestation and the loss of biodiversity are caused by the expansion of agricultural land.

In the world, agricultural land constitutes half of all ice- and desert-free land. It is mostly used for raising livestock. The amount of land needed for meat and dairy production stretches from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.

Plant-based alternatives don't require as much land to produce a kilocalorie as beef or lamb. The chart illustrates this. In addition, beef and lamb require almost 100 times more land than peas or tofu to produce a gram of protein.

There is no doubt that dairy farms and sheep farms are not the same as crop farms. There are pasturelands and steep hills where it is difficult to grow crops, and where livestock can be raised. Crops cannot be grown on two-thirds of pastures.

In this case, we need to ask if we shouldn't stop using it for agriculture altogether. It would be beneficial for biodiversity and carbon sequestration to restore natural vegetation and ecosystems to these lands.

There is concern over how much food can be grown on the remaining cropland. Researchers have discovered that we can feed everyone in the world a nutritious diet on existing croplands, but only if we shift to a plant-based diet.

Diets rich in plants require less cropland

By shifting to a more plant-based diet, we would not only require less agricultural land, but also less cropland. Perhaps it goes against our instincts: if we replaced meat and dairy with beans, peas, tofu and cereals, wouldn't we need to expand cropland?

Let's examine why this isn't true. This chart shows how much agricultural land the world would need to feed everyone. Joseph Poore and Thomas Nemecek studied global food systems for the largest meta-analysis to date. According to the global average diet in 2010, the top bar represents the current land use.

It can be seen that nearly three-quarters of the land in this area is used as pastureland, the rest goes to crops. Animal feed is produced on around 80% of all agricultural land if we combine pasture and cropland.

Plant-based diets have a significant impact on how much land is needed. We would be eating more crops if we ate less meat and dairy. In the following bar chart, we can see that the 'human food' component of cropland would increase while the land used for animal feed would decrease.

Researchers estimate that our total agricultural land use would shrink from 4.1 billion hectares to 1 billion hectares if the whole world adopted a vegan diet. It is a reduction of 75%. That's the size of North America and Brazil combined.

Importantly, large land use reductions can be achieved without a fully vegan diet. It would free up pasture land if beef, mutton and dairy were eliminated from the agricultural land use. In addition to pastures, it also decreases cropland use.

A key conclusion from this research is that reducing beef and dairy consumption (by eating plant-based foods instead) has a much greater impact on health.

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/cereal-distribution-to-uses?stackMode=relative&country=~OWID_WRL

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-cereal-human-food

Humans consume less than half of the world's cereals

Is it possible to produce more crops for human consumption with less cropland? Looking at the bigger picture of how much crop we produce and how it is used reveals the answer.

We can see in the chart what cereals are used for around the world. It is distributed into three categories: direct human food (rice, oats, wheat, bread, etc. that we eat); animal feed; and industrial uses (mainly biofuels).

Humans consume less than half of the world's cereals - only 48%. 41% is used for animal feed, and 11% is used for biofuels.

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/energy-efficiency-of-meat-and-dairy-production

The share of food for human consumption is even lower in many countries. This is evident from the map. In most countries across Europe, less than one-third of cereal production is used for human consumption, and only 10% in the US.

The use of cereals for animal feed and biofuels is not limited to cereals. The same can be said for most oil crops. The percentage of soy used in human foods such as tofu, tempeh, soy milk and other substitutes is only 7% here. In addition to soybean meal used for animal food, most of the rest is used to produce soybean oil. However, animal feed dominates the economic value of these co-products.

Livestock produces nutrient-dense protein but wastes a lot of energy and protein

Humans consume meat and dairy products that are made from the grain fed to animals, as well as the grains fed to animals. Nonetheless, this process is very inefficient when it comes to calories and total protein. A high-quality, micronutrient-rich protein is produced by animals. An animal's energy is not entirely used to produce meat, milk or eggs. The majority of these are simply used for keeping the animal alive. The same is true for us: the majority of calories we consume are used to maintain our life and body weight. We gain weight only when we eat too much.

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/protein-efficiency-of-meat-and-dairy-production

Various animal products are compared in these charts for their energy and protein content. We can calculate how much of the calories or grams of protein we feed livestock becomes meat and milk later on. An example is beef, which uses about 2% of its energy. In other words, you can feed a cow 100 kcal and get only 2 kcal of meat for that. Our analysis shows that cows are the least resource-efficient, followed by lambs, pigs, and poultry. Smaller animals are more efficient as a rule of thumb.

We will need less farmland if we eat less meat because we'll eliminate large losses of calories. A natural, forested environment would be restored on billions of hectares by doing this.

Isn't it time to shift to a completely plant-based meals to save your health and your environment? If you can't cook, then consider a  healthy tiffin service in Bangalore!

Source: Our World in Data

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Plant Based Diet Revolution can Save Wildlife, says UN Research Report

UN-backed report: Nature's biggest enemy is the vicious circle of unhealthy, cheap food.

Globally, more than 80% of farmland is used for raising animals. These animals provide 18% of the calories consumed.

According to a report, the largest driver of environmental  destruction is the global food system. A shift to plant-based diets will help to stop the damage.

According to the Chatham House thinktank report, agriculture affects  86% of 28,000 threatened species. It stated that the loss of  biodiversity is likely to continue and threaten the ability of the world  to sustain itself without any change.

According to the report, the root cause is a vicious cycle of cheap  food. Low prices drive higher demand and more waste. More competition  leads to lower costs through increased clearing of natural land. And  also the use of pesticides and polluting fertilizers.

UNEP supported the report and focused on three options. The first is to shift to whole food plant-based diets as cattle, sheep, and other livestock have  the greatest impact on the environment.

The rising trend towards meat consumption can go back, removing the  need to clear land and further threatening wildlife. This also allows  for the use of existing land to restore native ecosystems and increase  biodiversity.

According to the report, the availability of land is also a key  factor in the third option, which is less intensive, more damaging  farming, but with lower yields. It said that organic yields average 75%  less than conventional intensive farming.

The report stated that fixing the global food system will also help  to address the climate crisis. The food system causes about 30% of  greenhouse gas emissions, more than half of it which comes from the  animals. Changes in the food production helps 3 billion people who are  either too fat or overweight. This is a huge problem that costs trillions of dollars yearly in healthcare.

Professor Tim Benton at Chatham House said that "politicians still  say that my job is to make food more affordable for you," regardless of  how harmful it is from a human or planetary health perspective."

"We  need to stop saying that we must subsidise the food system for the poor,  and instead help the poor by lifting them out of poverty."

Benton stated that the climate and health impacts of the food system  were becoming more widely accepted, but that biodiversity was often  considered a "nice thing to have".

Susan Gardner, Unep's ecosystems director, stated that the current  food system is a "double-edged knife" offering cheap food. But not  taking into consideration the hidden costs to our health or the  environment. She stated that it was a priority to reform the way food is produced and consumed.

Jane Goodall, a renowned conservationist, stated that intensive  farming of billions upon billions of animals was causing serious damage to the environment. Inhumane and crowded conditions could lead to new pandemic disease outbreaks.

Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta conducted a landmark review on Tuesday.  It concluded that the world was at risk from economic failures to  account for the rapid decline in biodiversity.

According to the Chatham House report, half of the world's natural  ecosystems had been lost and the average wild animal population had  decreased by 68% in the past 70 years. Farmed animals (on the whole cows  and pork) now make up 60% of all mammals in weight. Humans account for  36%, and animals only 4%.

The report stated that the convergence of global food consumption  around a generally plant-based meal is crucial to reforming the global  food system. It stated that a shift from beef to beans would result in  42% more US cropland being available for other uses, such as rewilding  and environmental-safe farming.

Another example is that the report stated that 72bn tonnes would be  stored if permanent pastures around the globe that were once forests  were returned to their natural state. This is roughly equal to seven years worth of global carbon emissions from fossil fuels. Benton stated  that the report did not advocate that everyone should go vegan. But, he suggested that people should eat healthier diets with less meat.

The Benton stated that the year ahead presents a unique opportunity  to rebuild the global food system. There are major UN summits on  biodiversity, climate and nutrition, as well the first UN Food Systems  Summit in the world and an international Nutrition for Growth Summit.  According to the report, the large amounts of money is being spent by  governments to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic offer opportunities  for policymaking that gives equal priority on public and global health.

Compassion in the World Farming's Philip Lymbery stated that, "The  future farming must be environmental-safe and regenerative." He also  said that our diets should become more plant-based and healthier to  ensure our survival. We are at risk of losing our future if we don't end  factory farming.

[posityfuel]

Switch Over to a Plant-Based Diet and Create 19 Million New Job, A New Study Reveals

New research just published touts the benefits of switching to a mostly plant-based diet, which will improve the health of humans and the well-being of the planet, lowering our carbon footprint, benefiting the climate and creating millions of jobs in our region over the next decade.

By switching from animal-based to plant-based diets, 19 million jobs would be created in economically hard-hit Latin America and the Caribbean. Tourism and trade have been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. Farming and growing communities are experiencing increasing economic hardship. Our favorite foods come from them.

It was estimated by the International Labor Organization and the Inter-American Development Bank that we could create 22.5 million jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean within the next ten years, 19 million in whole-food plant-based food production, by de-carbonizing our food systems.

Plant-based diets are not only better for human health and the planet, but they will also create more jobs in sustainable or low-carbon agriculture. Plant-based foods and ecotourism will create new jobs and help revive faltering economies that have been weakened by the pandemic. A Forbes report titled Jobs in a net-zero emissions future in Latin America and the Caribbean found that a transition to plant-based diets would be an important component of achieving net-zero emissions.

Opportunities for greater success

“The pandemic has cruelly exposed the vulnerability of our societies," the study authors write. "The troubling levels of inequality have ensured the coronavirus has hit hard even the most prosperous countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Informal workers, who represent 49 percent of employment, have been severely affected by lockdowns and social distancing measures, which have limited or temporarily halted their livelihoods."

The same could be true in North America, as they add: "As the global economy gradually restarts following the COVID-19 lockdown, now is the time to craft a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future. "

They added:  "This collaborative effort is the first to document how shifting to healthy food and more sustainable diets, which reduce meat consumption while increasing plant-based foods, would create jobs while reducing pressure on the region’s unique biodiversity."

Anyone interested in lowering their carbon footprint while helping economic opportunity in the region and around the globe should switch to a mostly plant-based diet, they concluded.

[posityfuel]

Plant Based Diet vs Animal Based Diet. A NIH study compares low fat, plant-based diets to low-carb animal-based diets

People who eat a low fat, plant-based diet had higher insulin and blood glucose levels. They had lower daily calories compared to high-fat group in the small study. National Institute of Health reveals in a breakthrough study.

High-fat foods have a high calorie intake due to their large number of calories per bite.

The researchers housed 20 people without diabetes in the NIH Clinical Center’s Metabolic Clinical Research Unit. Low-fat diets were high in carbohydrate. Low-carbohydrate diets were high in fats. Both diets had similar amounts of non-starchy veggies and were minimally processed. Participants were provided with three meals per day plus snacks and could eat as many as they wanted.

The main findings showed that low-fat people consumed 550 to 700 less calories per day than those on low-carb. Both diets resulted in weight loss, but the low-fat whole food plant based diet was more effective.

"Despite eating a lot of high-glycemic carbohydrate foods that caused pronounced swings of blood glucose and insulin levels, people who ate the low-fat, plant-based diet saw a significant decrease in calories and loss in body fat. This challenges the notion that high-carb diets lead to people overeating."

The result suggests that the overeating and more than just a diet which is high in carbs or fat causes weight gain.

The low-fat, plant-based diet had 10.3% fat and 75.2% carbohydrates, while the low-carb, animal-based diet had 10% carbohydrate but 75.8% fat. Subjects were free to eat whatever they wanted from the meals provided.

Interestingly, the findings suggest that both plant-based diets offer significant health benefits, even in the short-term.

Researchers note that the study wasn't designed to offer diet advice for weight loss. Results could have been different if participants were trying to lose weight.

Griffin P. Rodgers M.D., Director of NIDDK, stated that "to help us obtain good nutrition, rigorous science it is crucial - especially now, given the COVID-19 epidemic, as we aim at identifying strategies to help our stay healthy."

"This study helps us to answer long-standing questions about how our diet affects our health."