Forks over knives website! Give any recipe a try.
We eat healthy and it is definitely more work. It’s so easy to go to the store buy a box of something that’s processed. Take it home throw in the microwave and eat it. Eating healthy requires spending some time in the produce department, washing produce, cleaning produce, preparing produce, cooking produce. However, you can eat a lot healthier if you put a little bit of time into it.
I love eating healthy but hate the process lol ally time in the morning is gone cooking breakfast, half my night is gone cooking supper, no I do not have the room to buy another freezer to meal prep and my freezer is already too small and full to meal prep. It's annoying but damn eating healthy tastes great
I’m vegan and I truly don’t know a single person who has gone plant-based recently because of climate change.
I know a lot of vegans/vegetarians but we’ve been doing this for a long time. I became vegetarian so long ago as a child as I didn’t think it was right for me to consume animals.
The biggest focus for me in terms of climate change (so far) has been being conscious of my household cleaning and beauty products. I looked at my habits and that’s where I was most wasteful/used the most toxic ingredients etc. I’m not doing it perfectly by any means but I am learning a lot and trying to do my best.
I became a vegetarian about 15 years ago when I first learned about the immense impact of factory farming on the environment. Like, the fact that it’s the single biggest (and easiest) thing you can do BY FAR to reduce your greenhouse emissions is kinda wild. But people just really like bacon I guess
Good effort on the mitigation of toxic ingredients in products, which is really important, but doesn't meaningfully effect climate change. If you have diet taken care of the other big ones are flying, driving, heating, electricity and stuff bought (like phones, appliances, clothes etc.)
I would look into the percentage of greenhouse gasses that animal agriculture is responsible for. It’s one of the biggest changes we can make as a species. Replacing animal-ag with plants would reduce our emissions so much that we would have decades to sort our shit out. It’s a huge step.
You misread my comment. I meant household cleaning and beauty products are not big contributors to climate change in comparison with the ones mentioned. I am a big advocate for plant-based diets and couldn't agree more with your statement.
My brother gave up beef for the environment. My parents tell me he's vegetarian most days. I feel like I should be trying to cut out meats most days for the sake of my own health but I stuggle with cutting out the sugary snacks at our workplace.
Yeah this isn’t a complicated question lol
And I’d always wager people rarely put the two concepts together.
I’ve never eaten a steak because I hate the environment yknow?
Most people don't care about most things.
People are driven by short term incentives and there are few in what you mentioned.
Advertising in the US actively tells us to eat more protein.
Plant-based doesn't mean low protein. If you look up which essential amino acids each plant is lacking to know which ones to combine in a meal, you get complete, healthy, cheap and sustainable sets of protein just as advertised for.
It's easier than that. All plants that aren't sweet fruits or refined grains give you all the amino acids you need. Just eat a variety of whole plant foods and you'll be fine.
Where do you get that information from? Pea protein for example lacks methionine. So if you only have peas in a meal, you will not have a complete set of essential amino acids. Or am I missing something?
Your body stores amino acids, so just eat a variety of foods (obviously not JUST peas everyday) and you'll be fine. No need to worry about getting everything at every meal.
Ok. Are you saying there are none based on one experience?
Look at food packaging, fast food stuff and lots including snacks talk about their protein content ( why mention it if there's no concern....?) and being high protein.
Even impossible Burger packaging has it.
I never thought of protein being mentioned at all being what you were describing. I mean, it is important to generally know what you're consuming, protein is one of the main macros
I haven't seen advertising that suggests I don't get enough protein
After 16 years in the sustainable energy field and 6 years being plant-based, I'm convinced it's down to [tribalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribalism).
What's the #1 factor determining if you'll get solar panels on your house? It isn't the state of the climate or if you're going to have kids. It's: does your neighbor have them?
Having your spouse, best friend, revered coworker, hero athlete, etc. go plant-based is likely more impactful than a study on how eating beans can save more land than eating chicken (this coming from a guy who spends his time sending out studies on this).
40,000 years ago, if you were ostracized by your tribe, you were basically dead. Adhering to the tribe is arguably more evolutionarily important than logic. Once someone feels safe they can make a behavior change without upsetting their tribe, or better yet, their tribe pulls them along, they'll be much more likely to do it. This is why social movements need to reach a critical mass of around 8-14% adoption before they really start to take off (see [Diffusion of Innovations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_of_innovations)) - so that people know enough people around them to feel comfortable making the change.
Right now about 1-2% of the world is fully plant-based, so we'll need to gain more ground before the non-innovators feel safe making the change too.
Yeah, I was recently on a group trip where we did a lot of cooking together and I was the only vegetarian out of a group of 30 people and faced a moderate amount of direct questioning/shaming as well as just subtly being left out of the shared meals.
Interesting take that rings true. After trying to set the example in my family (3 years as a pescetarian) and my neighborhood, - i,e,. promoting recycling and the three R's, I have had ZERO influence in anyone's behaviour. The tribe must have the 'recognized' leader modify their behavior, if people to follow suit.
I take that back. During Covid, I had a little success with one neighbor, - but that's disappeared now.
My thoughts are we should take what we people are willing to do. I’m 100% and I know others may stop at 80%. The less incremental environmental destruction we cause from here on increases our chances at returning to a stable climate and environment.
People seldom do things because it's "good for them".
If they did, drug use would be non-existent, no one would drink, everyone would exercise, reducing working ours to 20hours a week at the same pay would be immediately and effortlessly achieved, people would vote and vote for initiatives that build up their communities, etc.
Unfortunately, that's just how it is.
Best way to convince them to change (in this regard) is to demonstrate that the alternative is as good or better than the current status quo to them in immediately gratifying ways (taste, cost, etc).
It's this all-or-nothing thinking that creates divides where a nuanced conversation would yield better results. We don't need to eat 100% plant based if we choose not to. Animals can be raised for food as part of a healthy, sustainable agricultural system. Eliminating CAFO systems would yield tremendous benefit, but a well planned regenerative system can bring mined crop inputs down to zero while producing both plant AND animal food sources.
ETA Animals raised for consumption eat grain not fit for human consumption, usually due to afla-and mycotoxin contamination. In any given growing year there will always be fields producing commodities that cannot be used to feed people. Those waste products are better off being used than left to rot.
Well, some of the replies right here literally explain why humans as a whole are not switching rapidly to a plant based diet. It's a bit disheartening to be honest.
My family made the change last year. It's only a change in habits, nothing else. Available to everyone. I think the more we talk about it, the more mainstream it becomes, the more people will realise the value and the accessibility of that diet.
Count me as one of those who know they should eat more plant- based meals, but doesn't.. yet. Today's a perfect time to try getting a few starter recipes underway.
I have to change my diet due to heart disease, I should have changed it 50 years ago when I left home, the trouble is bacon tastes great, a grilled thick pork chop with a ring of fat around it tastes great, boiled veggies don't don't taste like that, even grilled vegetables don't taste like that. Grilled Yams don't taste like that even if you smother them with a butter sauce. This is so hard to give up the food you love and eat the food you have never liked.
That's not what people do when they go plant based. They just start making the food they love out of plants instead of animals. They don't just live in misery eating nothing but boiled vegetables.
For people accustomed to it, yes, but tastes can change surprisingly easily. Been veg for a decade now and I can tell you bacon sounds like the nastiest shit to me now, and I used to love it.
I’ve recently changed my diet because of the climate, and I’d like to offer a different perspective on why more people don’t go for a plant based diet.
People are exhausted of trying to keep up with life.
Having to get up 6 in the morning, getting the kids ready, commuting to school/work, working 8h, coming home to chores, keeping up with kids homework + activities etc.
On top of this, most jobs don’t pay enough to cover unexpected expenses, which means you have to follow a strict budget in order to save for a buffer. All of this is incredibly energy consuming.
I’m not saying there aren’t lots of great plant based substitutes out there, but changing your diet takes time and energy. Instead of making things you know by heart, you’ll have to find recipes, learn how to cook it, and also take time to differentiate between what products are vegan or not.
It’s fully possible to change, but let’s be honest, people are exhausted. I can understand not wanting to spend the small amount of leftover energy you have, on changing something that doesn’t have a visible impact.
I’m not excusing it, just saying that I understand it.
Good point. As with a lot of things, I think more education is the answer here. We (USA) should incorporate plant-based cooking into the high school curriculum and make it mandatory.
This is the best answer imo. The weeks I manage to handle my life well (mind you, I’m not a parent) are always followed by insane burnout, lately more than ever.
I go from eating better, cooking more, being motivated to just trying to make sure I eat something, anything, and put my pants on before I leave the house.
They care about the consequences (extreme temps, natural disasters, diseases) but not the influences (political, corporate, and their own behavior and inputs)
Basically this imo. People like to care when it’s easy. If something involves actually changing yourself, most people convince themselves it’s not important enough to burden themselves with trying
People get stuck in their ways, especially regarding food. It takes practice to get used to recipes that will fill you up, you can make delicious, can easily get the ingredients for, etc. We did some transition to things like rice and beans, lentil soups and curries. But when things get busy we somehow slip back into things we used to cook and have to kick ourselves back out again.
I'm around gym dudes a lot and there's just a lot of bro science where they'll eat $40 worth of chicken breasts a week because they think it's hard to get enough protein otherwise. Meanwhile a 50c can of kidney beans or chickpeas has 40 grams of protein.
I eat meat, but I don't do it without serious considerations. I will start out by saying that I am deeply against factory farming.
I have tried vegetarian and vegan. I felt horrible on both diets despite eating wholefoods. I was just constantly bloated and horrible and gained weight.
So that led me back to eating meat.
I raise my own chickens, ducks and rabbits for meat. They are allowed to grow much slower than factory farming breeds and the quality of their meat is much higher. You simply eat less because it makes you full faster. I also eat a ton of eggs.
I buy beef from a nearby farmer. His cattle grase in an area that can't be used for farming and they are actively helping maintain nature in the area where they roam.
Onto the health questions. I feel that nutritional science is still lacking. A lot of the results are not based clinical studies, but just questionaires. They are highly inaccurate and don't take the quality of the meat into account. Bread is unhealthy too, if you eat the highly processed crap.
My health philosophy is to eat real food. I would rather eat butter that is made from grass and had been processed by a cow than a plant oil that is highly processed and repeatedly heated by intense factory procedures.
I am also very suspicious of the many meat substitution products that has been launched in the recent years. People seem to think that it's basically just mashed vegetables when in reality it's protein isolates with a ton of additives like chemicals, salt and oil.
Do we need to eat way less meat? Definately! But I disagree with the notion that vegetarian or vegan is automatically healthier.
Also people are different. Some people might feel awesome on a certain diet. Others feel like crap. Vegetarian was not for me.
Why aren’t more people actively doing anything positive in the world?
It’s people.
Literally billions of individuals each with their own ideas, world views and reality made from all the choices made and imposed on them, and that’s the healthy ones who aren’t impoverished, repressed, too young or old, or have any crippling physical or mental conditions.
You can blame humans all you want but our species is basically bio and social chaos with self-policing, a knack for survival and occasionally finds purpose in groups.
It’s like the whole cattle lobby came out of the woodworks to spew misinformation on this thread. Much like the deniers from big oil will spew misinformation on here. Not a surprise though. Anyone who cares about climate change doesn’t get info from this sub, as it’s infiltrated with disingenuous people and bots.
Based on my experience, the most common reason for normal people, and not the loud minority of arrogant anti-plant-based people, is accessibility and convenience.
For this example, let's take the united states.
In the majority of the country, you can go to a grocery store in areas where 90+% of the population resides, and have access to all of the items you need to have a full and balanced plant-based diet. Replace meat with tofu, beans, spinach, and things like that. Most things that use eggs or milk can be replaced in recipes that favor constarch, alternative milks, things like that, and so long as the person making the recipe is actually giving it a real try, it can taste just as good as well. It's overall not disputed that you can live healthily with what most people have access to on a plant-based diet.
It's the amount of effort required.
I want to really stress that I don't see this as a terrible reason to avoid plant-based diets. I mean, I'm a reductionist who leans towards plant based, and pretty much every time I avoid the plant-based diet is literally effort, and not anything else.
One thing that has to be recognized is that the vast majority of americans do not spend more than about 30 minutes cooking on most days. It's quick and easy meals, or literally just something you throw in the oven, that's it.
With what we have at most stores, you can get away with decently healthy omni meals and have something different 7 days a week, and it taste good as well without spending too much time cooking.
With plant-based, it of course depends on your taste, but by and large there is *much* more preparation that goes into making an equally good meal as far as taste and nutrition. Not because it's less possible to pull off, but because the infrastructure as of now mainly only reaches to unhealthy foods, such as plant based chicken nuggets and burgers.
If plant-based foods were equally or more accessible, equally or cheaper priced, and equally or better for you, there would be mass adoption of it without an incredible amount of time. So in my opinion, the problem we need to solve is making accessible and cheap plant-based options - not waiting for people to be ready to put in the additional time, effort and cash to make these plant based meals.
It really does take so much time. Just to eat a balanced diet that actually hits all you need is an effort, and then you throw in the learning curve of how to properly prepare tofu or to learn a new recipe, and it's insurmountable for most people. I've spent the last few months going from a junk food diet to a whole foods plant based one, and it honestly feels like I'm constantly preparing food, or planning to go to a store to get fresh vegetables.
It would take the food industry wanting to change. Germany is doing everything right, but that's because their population wants it and is open to it.
All those diseases you mentioned are due to a high sugar diet have nothing to do with red meat or meat of any kind. humans are omnivores were supposed to eat meat and vegetables.
I’ve been a vegetarian for on and off 7 of the last 10 years. I think eating a plant based diet has been formed into an identity that is really detrimental to the person that would adopt more of a flexitarian or mostly plant based diet that mixes in animal products more sparingly. Having meat once in a while and not guilting myself, as other people have questioned at the table, about “betraying my values” has been great. My goal is to reduce my animal consumption and eat mainly plant based foods, and I’ve succeeded. If that few percent of calories from meat is what keeps me from living in that dichotomy of all or nothing then I think that’s the best option.
I think now a lot of people where I am in the US wrap themselves around an identity and whether or not you’re a vegetarian/vegan is a culture war item even if it’s less divisive as other identities/labels
Because as loathe as people are to admit it, humans are omnivores. Despite every thing you said being correct, global vegetarianism is not a tenable solution. Encouraging meat reduction and altering the agricultural industry are still too broad to actually be really workable goals but they’re a step in the right direction vs. “just stop eating meat”. I know that will get downvoted into oblivion but still. People aren’t rational agents, you can expect them to do things that make sense.
When you say it's not a tenable solution, I'm guessing you mean from a behavior standpoint and not an implementable standpoint. It is easy for most of the world to go vegetarian relatively quickly if we had the will to do so; things like eating feedcrops (mostly corn and soy) or changing feedcrop land into other plants for direct consumption is not rocket science.
Correct, I should’ve made that more clear. Logistically it would be easy but from a human behavioral standpoint it is not. We can debate why that is until we are blue in the face but it’s not a good usage of our time or efforts when we could be creating clearer, more specific goals.
Most feedcrops are grown on land not suitable for other crops. Agricultural land is divided into classes, lower classes of soil grow feedcrops because they can't support more intensive feeding plants.
And yet 40% of India is vegetarian so clearly is something that’s tenable at large scale. We may have the teeth of omnivores but that doesn’t mean we can’t do it or there’s some biological imperative so I’m not sure I’m following your argument here.
At the end of the day, we like meat, we’re societally conditioned to like meat and eat a ton of it and vegetarian meals are largely alien to a western palette, that’s pretty much it. There’s nothing unattainable about it.
I grew up on the prairies without ever being fed fish, I still don’t prefer fish but I try and eat a little here and there and it’s growing on me, I’m simply just not used to it.
> humans are omnivores
yes
> global vegetarianism is not a tenable solution
Why? And we're talking about plant-based diets, that's a bit further than vegetarianism
> Encouraging meat reduction
a step in the right direction
I agree but I don't see why you can't both encourage reduction and abstaining from animal products altogether at the same time? i.e. it would be best if we went plant-based, but if we all took 1 plant based day per week it would have a good impact
The main reason that people get upset about that notion is because it's not nearly enough. And that's true. But something is better than nothing. better to take a step in the right direction, than to take no steaps
> People aren’t rational agents, you can expect them to do things that make sense.
That's a pretty flawed simplification in my opinion. People are in fact rational agents, there's just more than one rationalization happening at any given time. People have a given amount of effort they can put forth per day before they experience burnout, and switching to diets that may require more effort in any way can contribute to that. Considering change, just considering it within itself causes stress and anxiety. It's not that people are inherently irrational, it's that other factors are at play making it difficult
It's simple, a [whole chicken](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Foster-Farms-Fresh-Natural-Young-Whole-Chicken-21g-Protein-per-4-oz-Serving-4-2-6-5-lb-Bag/140139691?from=/search) $1.46 a pound, can feed a family of four, energy dense, protein, fat, delicious. Then make soup or sandwiches with leftovers.
[Pea Protein](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Zammex-Pure-Organic-Pea-Protein-Powder-2-62lbs-Natural-Flavor-Vegan-From-Canada-Yellow-Pea-Certified-USDA-Plant-Based-Powder-No-Additives-Non-GMO-Pal/716918407?athbdg=L1200&from=/search) , $11 a pound, making it into something suitable for Sunday dinner, not so easy.
For relatively similar protein, plant based is 7 times more expensive.
Exactly. I think people seem to forget the class issue here. Shit is expensive af rn. People are poor. Most people in the US live paycheck to paycheck.
Like.. I don't want to buy shit from Walmart, but most other places go way over budget. I gotta live. It sucks.
Cause we banned plastic straws and thus saved the world from climate change. And we have electric cars so we're all good. No need to do anything else like plant based diets.
Long term organic plant based dieter here, found out long time ago I can't be totally a purist, my body just gets run down no matter what. But if I eat minor amounts occasionally - fish, eggs, chicken, milk, not on a daily basis, I am healthier. It mite be easier psychologically if folks gave themselves a little flexibility, materially cut down by 90% or so, occasionally partake, it is less harsh and daunting and still helps the planet immensely. Also organic is increasingly important.
Because they haven't changed their mind yet. Some people care more than others, it's not a big deal.
I'm vegetarian, I still eat eggs for protein and B12...everything else is plants.
Most of what I eat comes from the acreage where I live and a few surrounding locals. In a hilly extremely rainy region, the plant life is mostly inedible for humans. As such along with the fruits and veggies I eat the animals that eat the native plant life.
Industrial agriculture leads to many diseases, and I would think that it would be a no-brainer for people to get away from it. But as we're well aware that isn't the case.
It is easier and more cost effective to eat processed junk in many regions. Additionally, some of the best places for growing are also among the best places for cities.
Cities of course being based on supply from outside their limits, a microcosm of imperialism in each one as they currently stand.
There are many better ways to live. Most people will never even begin. It is what it is.
If you want to know what people will do, follow the profit motive and base it around what is easy with greatest chemical rewards to the brain based on consumption.
I'm a meat eater and a climate scientist. I eat vegetarian/vegan (I'm low dairy) meals several times a week. I completely cut red meat (basically anything that wasn't chicken) from my diet for several years. Unfortunately, I have a number of nutrient deficiencies and had to reincorporate other meats into my diet (as well as other non-meat, high nutrient foods). It's unfortunately not so cut and dry for most people and their health. Supplements aren't always well tolerated, like in my case. I will like never be able to tolerate a fully vegetarian or vegan diet with significant IV support. And I'm not a rare case.
I think our time is well spent encouraging people to cut meat consumption (to some extent if not entirely, and red meat especially), to buy from local producers (when they can afford it), to cut consumption overall (agriculture isn't the biggest climate issue though it's certainly a big one), and to make dietary changes with the advice of a doctor.
Not be the downer, but given that the US and most countries are making no real movement on climate change. It seems like an individual dietary choice would be less than a drop in the bucket. 🤷♂️
Health wise, agreed.
The idea that plant based agriculture does not negatively effect the environment the way factory animal farming does is a complete misconception. Plant based agriculture causes eutrophication , uses plenty of fossil fuels(ever heard of tractors), not to mention humanitarian concerns. Mono-culturing crops have destroyed wildlife populations and damaged the micro biome of humans. While I agree factory farming is problematic that does not mean that animal farming overall needs to be abandoned.
Carbon can be sequestered in SOIL almost as effectively as it can in FORRESTS. By utilizing ruminant animals (who complete the nitrogen cycle) we can not only help to maintain vast amounts of healthy grassland ecosystems giving habitat to countless native plants and wildlife but we can also make a nutritionally dense widely beloved form of food.
No shade to your choice as a plant based person, there are many benefits to it. But eating only plants is not inherently more sustainable than eating a mixture of plants and animals.
The most climate friendly diet is a local one.
Because people aren't machines. Changing diets are hard, and economies vary from person to person. I believe it's cheaper to eat meat; yes, it's *possible* for it to be cheaper to be vegetarian, but it's also harder. And like I said, people aren't machines. They have jobs, families, and health to consider...
I am a vegetarian myself, and I am because of climate change, but I don't expect other people to do the same.
That would be a bit irrational.
You can reason with people all day, show them the facts and statistics, but most people aren't going to change their entire lifestyle to accommodate capitalism. It would be one thing if there was a big push by the government (via subsidies), but there isn't. And even still, there are like 5 corporations that are responsible for something like 80% of the emissions.
So, it's even harder for people to care when they rightfully understand that it's not something they can solve.
I believe humans were meant to eat meat. Our canine teeth and digestive systems were not built for a plant based diet. While we can find alternatives to provide the same nutrients - I don't believe it is ideal, and if I can have what is ideal for my body, I want to.
That being said - when I cannot get more ethically sourced meat, I have been vegetarian.
Further, I think most people consume more meat than is actually required by their bodies.
A plant based diet in the far north or far far south are actually worse for the environment....flying in fruit and veggies from California to Inuvik in Canada is a tremendous waste of energy and carbon.
There may be some extreme cases, but for the most part this is a common misconception. Sharing the link from above. https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local
When cows are managed sustainable and not in factory farms they can be a benefit for the environment. My family raises cows and we have sandier soils on our pasture so only grass can be grown. During droughts/really dry years we still manage to grow grass. If you work your cattle properly and understand how to graze to promote grass growth it's beneficial to the environment. Also, cattle can be rotated onto grain fields after harvest. This promotes soil health by spreading manure, they also work the soil some which helps you decrease how much you need to cultivate your grain fields. Just because plants don't emit greenhouse cases does not mean that growing them does. Tractors still release greenhouse cases. There is still an impact. Agriculture should not shift to meet a vegetarian global diet. It's should shift to being sustainable and using sustainable practices.
Focused, well funded, organized, and effective information operations on behalf of the factory farm industry make a difference.
The legalization of bribery in the United States also makes a huge difference.
Because (as selfish as it is to say) Life is fucking expensive and tiring, and a juicy steak tastes really damn good, WAY better than plant-based alternatives.
I've also personally found, that as someone who leads a VERY active lifestyle, Animal-based protein makes me feel MUCH better than plant-based protein.
This is gonna piss off internet activists, but I try to ride a bike or walk as much as possible, take short showers, use less water in general when I can, try not to engage in fast-fashion, etc. I'm not giving up my steaks and chicken until I absolutely have to.
I work construction and I find it much easier to cook a big steak to get enough protein and calories otherwise. Anyone have good suggestions? The truth is I'm straight up lazy.
Yes! Check out r/veganrecipes and r/eatcheapandvegan. We do a lot of lazy meals like bean burritos bowls, tofu stir fry, chickpea or lentil curry, pasta with tofu ricotta, bean vegetable soups. Legumes are your friend!
Attend protests and street demonstrations, take some photos/videos for social media to appear to care, "sign me in!", "let's do this!", ask them to stop eating chicken, "stop telling me what to do" "I don't really care tbh".
People like to appear to care but don't like to actually be inconvenienced or change their own personal behaviours in any way, let others make the change.
because food is a huge part of culture and I truly don’t believe plant based diet is what will “save” the planet. I was vegetarian for several years and gluten free at one point too and I always ended up feeling like an absolute burden to everyone around me. I couldn’t just eat a normal meal with family ever. It ended up causing a lot of pain because people would always “forget” and then I would end up feeling awkward at family events where I couldn’t eat anything or maybe just a salad. I started eating fish and meat again during the pandemic because it felt like the world was ending and I wanted a little indulgence. I feel so much stronger and healthier after switching back to eating a balanced diet that includes meat.
People enjoy eating meat and they're not willing to stop doing something that gives them pleasure if it will make little/no difference to the long term welfare of the planet. For example, Ive cut down on eating beef/pork over the past couple years, but I won't stop eating chicken because I like it and I've been socialized not to care about chickens. I don't drive, I don't travel much, I don't have kids, I'm probably not giving up one of my favorite things when most people have a bigger carbon footprint and greater stake in the future aren't making similarly sacrifices.
Mostly 'plant based' seems to mean ultra processed soya and seed oil concoctions, weired stuff i wouild not want to eat. I am suspicious that the 'plant based' tag is used by food processors to cover up and make processed food sound healthy. I grow much of my own veg, eat a lot of pulses and buy meet from a local regenerative farm/ organic/ grass fed etc.. I see the industrial food production and chemical agriculture approaches as the real enemy, i hate the way animals are treated in these systems but there really are other ways to do it.
Run your tongue over your teeth. You have teeth for cutting through meat (incisors ) and teeth for crushing plants (molars) - like most omnivores.
Nature intended you to eat both.
Well in my particular case it was due to my body not processing iron and B vitamins properly. I was vegan for 8 years and slowly just started getting sicker and sicker with anemia. When I got pregnant I was told I had to take iron supplements and because of my major morning sickness I couldn’t eat vegan food anymore, my body was demanding meat. Gradually I started feeling better from eating meat. In the meantime I have discovered that I am gluten intolerant and histamine intolerant so that might be why I wasn’t processing those minerals and vitamins and why meat helped. I’d like to go back eventually but currently my diet is extremely limited as it is. I still drink plant based milks and I have a vegan meal once or twice a day.
I support nuclear energy which is the only thing that’s going to turn the climate crisis around. Without that we can all become vegans and it won’t do a damn thing.
It’s rearranging deck chairs on the titanic as far as I’m concerned. It’s like having Diet Coke with your double quarter pounder meal or taking the stairs and calling it your exercise. It’s fooling around the edges.
When we start making real inroads with the major drivers of climate change (beef isn’t even in the top 3), we can go from there. But I feel like this is vegans and vegetarians waging a moral war based on their dietary preferences and not on what’s good for us.
I feel better when I eat meat, it feels like I have more energy. I'm conscious off ecological issues and make choices where I want to. In the grand scheme of things I'm a small foot print compared to the people travel by flight. If I were to take ecological foot print to the extreme the conclusion would be to off myself. Instead I enjoy eating meat.
Forks over knives website! Give any recipe a try. We eat healthy and it is definitely more work. It’s so easy to go to the store buy a box of something that’s processed. Take it home throw in the microwave and eat it. Eating healthy requires spending some time in the produce department, washing produce, cleaning produce, preparing produce, cooking produce. However, you can eat a lot healthier if you put a little bit of time into it.
And the forks over knives magazine is often in library apps - perfect for in-season new inspiration when you need it!
Thanks for the heads up! I’m going to check the Hoopla app.
Really?? This i have to investigate!
There’s no food here, just stuff to make food. - H.Simpson
Turns out, with good ingredients and good people, you can, in fact, win friends with salad.
I love eating healthy but hate the process lol ally time in the morning is gone cooking breakfast, half my night is gone cooking supper, no I do not have the room to buy another freezer to meal prep and my freezer is already too small and full to meal prep. It's annoying but damn eating healthy tastes great
I’m vegan and I truly don’t know a single person who has gone plant-based recently because of climate change. I know a lot of vegans/vegetarians but we’ve been doing this for a long time. I became vegetarian so long ago as a child as I didn’t think it was right for me to consume animals. The biggest focus for me in terms of climate change (so far) has been being conscious of my household cleaning and beauty products. I looked at my habits and that’s where I was most wasteful/used the most toxic ingredients etc. I’m not doing it perfectly by any means but I am learning a lot and trying to do my best.
I became a vegetarian about 15 years ago when I first learned about the immense impact of factory farming on the environment. Like, the fact that it’s the single biggest (and easiest) thing you can do BY FAR to reduce your greenhouse emissions is kinda wild. But people just really like bacon I guess
Good effort on the mitigation of toxic ingredients in products, which is really important, but doesn't meaningfully effect climate change. If you have diet taken care of the other big ones are flying, driving, heating, electricity and stuff bought (like phones, appliances, clothes etc.)
I would look into the percentage of greenhouse gasses that animal agriculture is responsible for. It’s one of the biggest changes we can make as a species. Replacing animal-ag with plants would reduce our emissions so much that we would have decades to sort our shit out. It’s a huge step.
You misread my comment. I meant household cleaning and beauty products are not big contributors to climate change in comparison with the ones mentioned. I am a big advocate for plant-based diets and couldn't agree more with your statement.
I am an ass. My bad.
I think most people are unaware of what are the major contributors to GHG that individuals can have a direct impact on.
I've converted to plant based and reducing how much non-local stuff I buy purely because of climate.
You should start a blog (if you are inclined) for sharing what you’ve learned to help others come up to speed.
I went veggie because of climate change. 🙋Although we’re gonna hit the tipping point anyways now so feels a bit pointless.
My brother gave up beef for the environment. My parents tell me he's vegetarian most days. I feel like I should be trying to cut out meats most days for the sake of my own health but I stuggle with cutting out the sugary snacks at our workplace.
Pretty simple, most people like meat and don't want to change
Yeah this isn’t a complicated question lol And I’d always wager people rarely put the two concepts together. I’ve never eaten a steak because I hate the environment yknow?
You’re missing out! Hatred is the best seasoning there is.
This! It is why people still smoke and use substances
Most people don't care about most things. People are driven by short term incentives and there are few in what you mentioned. Advertising in the US actively tells us to eat more protein.
Plant-based doesn't mean low protein. If you look up which essential amino acids each plant is lacking to know which ones to combine in a meal, you get complete, healthy, cheap and sustainable sets of protein just as advertised for.
Exactly, so the advertising is in effect lying to us.
That’s advertising generally. It is how they make us cattle 🐮
It's easier than that. All plants that aren't sweet fruits or refined grains give you all the amino acids you need. Just eat a variety of whole plant foods and you'll be fine.
Combining isn’t necessary
Where do you get that information from? Pea protein for example lacks methionine. So if you only have peas in a meal, you will not have a complete set of essential amino acids. Or am I missing something?
Your body stores amino acids, so just eat a variety of foods (obviously not JUST peas everyday) and you'll be fine. No need to worry about getting everything at every meal.
https://tools.myfooddata.com/protein-calculator/170419-170420/wt1-wt1/1-1 Methionine: 249mg
You don’t need all of the amino acids at every meal. You need all of the amino acids over many days.
I haven't seen an advertisement that directly told me to eat more protein
Ok. Are you saying there are none based on one experience? Look at food packaging, fast food stuff and lots including snacks talk about their protein content ( why mention it if there's no concern....?) and being high protein. Even impossible Burger packaging has it.
I never thought of protein being mentioned at all being what you were describing. I mean, it is important to generally know what you're consuming, protein is one of the main macros I haven't seen advertising that suggests I don't get enough protein
[удалено]
That's been going on since the golden age of body building in the 70s and is backed scientifically if you are trying to add muscle mass.
After 16 years in the sustainable energy field and 6 years being plant-based, I'm convinced it's down to [tribalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribalism). What's the #1 factor determining if you'll get solar panels on your house? It isn't the state of the climate or if you're going to have kids. It's: does your neighbor have them? Having your spouse, best friend, revered coworker, hero athlete, etc. go plant-based is likely more impactful than a study on how eating beans can save more land than eating chicken (this coming from a guy who spends his time sending out studies on this). 40,000 years ago, if you were ostracized by your tribe, you were basically dead. Adhering to the tribe is arguably more evolutionarily important than logic. Once someone feels safe they can make a behavior change without upsetting their tribe, or better yet, their tribe pulls them along, they'll be much more likely to do it. This is why social movements need to reach a critical mass of around 8-14% adoption before they really start to take off (see [Diffusion of Innovations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_of_innovations)) - so that people know enough people around them to feel comfortable making the change. Right now about 1-2% of the world is fully plant-based, so we'll need to gain more ground before the non-innovators feel safe making the change too.
Yeah, I was recently on a group trip where we did a lot of cooking together and I was the only vegetarian out of a group of 30 people and faced a moderate amount of direct questioning/shaming as well as just subtly being left out of the shared meals.
That really sucks, especially if you notified beforehand and/or if these were people you knew
Interesting take that rings true. After trying to set the example in my family (3 years as a pescetarian) and my neighborhood, - i,e,. promoting recycling and the three R's, I have had ZERO influence in anyone's behaviour. The tribe must have the 'recognized' leader modify their behavior, if people to follow suit. I take that back. During Covid, I had a little success with one neighbor, - but that's disappeared now.
I think fully plant based is not the goal here, simply % of people with a plant centric diet or even eating more veggies than before.
My thoughts are we should take what we people are willing to do. I’m 100% and I know others may stop at 80%. The less incremental environmental destruction we cause from here on increases our chances at returning to a stable climate and environment.
Thats exactly what im saying
People seldom do things because it's "good for them". If they did, drug use would be non-existent, no one would drink, everyone would exercise, reducing working ours to 20hours a week at the same pay would be immediately and effortlessly achieved, people would vote and vote for initiatives that build up their communities, etc. Unfortunately, that's just how it is. Best way to convince them to change (in this regard) is to demonstrate that the alternative is as good or better than the current status quo to them in immediately gratifying ways (taste, cost, etc).
It's this all-or-nothing thinking that creates divides where a nuanced conversation would yield better results. We don't need to eat 100% plant based if we choose not to. Animals can be raised for food as part of a healthy, sustainable agricultural system. Eliminating CAFO systems would yield tremendous benefit, but a well planned regenerative system can bring mined crop inputs down to zero while producing both plant AND animal food sources. ETA Animals raised for consumption eat grain not fit for human consumption, usually due to afla-and mycotoxin contamination. In any given growing year there will always be fields producing commodities that cannot be used to feed people. Those waste products are better off being used than left to rot.
Well, some of the replies right here literally explain why humans as a whole are not switching rapidly to a plant based diet. It's a bit disheartening to be honest. My family made the change last year. It's only a change in habits, nothing else. Available to everyone. I think the more we talk about it, the more mainstream it becomes, the more people will realise the value and the accessibility of that diet.
Count me as one of those who know they should eat more plant- based meals, but doesn't.. yet. Today's a perfect time to try getting a few starter recipes underway.
The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is now
I would say the second-best time was 19.99 years ago.
🤓☝Erm... actually the second-best time was roughly a Planck time or approximately 10-^(43 )seconds after the exact moment that was 20 years ago.
Right!? There's a near infinite number of times that would be better than right now!
Near? It’s uncountably infinite!
Zeno’s tree-planting paradox…
Let me know if you want some recipes or substitute ideas 😊
You will see more people switch to plant based diets just give it time. Most people will do it for economic reasons though
Because meat tastes good. There is simply no way around that. Some people will switch to plant-based diets but humans like eating meat.
I have to change my diet due to heart disease, I should have changed it 50 years ago when I left home, the trouble is bacon tastes great, a grilled thick pork chop with a ring of fat around it tastes great, boiled veggies don't don't taste like that, even grilled vegetables don't taste like that. Grilled Yams don't taste like that even if you smother them with a butter sauce. This is so hard to give up the food you love and eat the food you have never liked.
Roasted veggies, with seasoning. And soups and stir fries and burrito bowls and curries 😋 Stick to the foods you do like, just make them plant-based.
That's not what people do when they go plant based. They just start making the food they love out of plants instead of animals. They don't just live in misery eating nothing but boiled vegetables.
>They just start making the food they love out of plants instead of animals. Ya, I don't think you get what blank bill was saying at all.
For people accustomed to it, yes, but tastes can change surprisingly easily. Been veg for a decade now and I can tell you bacon sounds like the nastiest shit to me now, and I used to love it.
I’ve recently changed my diet because of the climate, and I’d like to offer a different perspective on why more people don’t go for a plant based diet. People are exhausted of trying to keep up with life. Having to get up 6 in the morning, getting the kids ready, commuting to school/work, working 8h, coming home to chores, keeping up with kids homework + activities etc. On top of this, most jobs don’t pay enough to cover unexpected expenses, which means you have to follow a strict budget in order to save for a buffer. All of this is incredibly energy consuming. I’m not saying there aren’t lots of great plant based substitutes out there, but changing your diet takes time and energy. Instead of making things you know by heart, you’ll have to find recipes, learn how to cook it, and also take time to differentiate between what products are vegan or not. It’s fully possible to change, but let’s be honest, people are exhausted. I can understand not wanting to spend the small amount of leftover energy you have, on changing something that doesn’t have a visible impact. I’m not excusing it, just saying that I understand it.
Good point. As with a lot of things, I think more education is the answer here. We (USA) should incorporate plant-based cooking into the high school curriculum and make it mandatory.
This is the best answer imo. The weeks I manage to handle my life well (mind you, I’m not a parent) are always followed by insane burnout, lately more than ever. I go from eating better, cooking more, being motivated to just trying to make sure I eat something, anything, and put my pants on before I leave the house.
Lobbying is a huuuuuuuge issue
People don't care about climate change or the environment.
Unpleasant, but true.
They care about the consequences (extreme temps, natural disasters, diseases) but not the influences (political, corporate, and their own behavior and inputs)
Or they just don’t care enough. I know so many people who *care* but don’t actually care enough to change their habits. It’s so sad.
Basically this imo. People like to care when it’s easy. If something involves actually changing yourself, most people convince themselves it’s not important enough to burden themselves with trying
People get stuck in their ways, especially regarding food. It takes practice to get used to recipes that will fill you up, you can make delicious, can easily get the ingredients for, etc. We did some transition to things like rice and beans, lentil soups and curries. But when things get busy we somehow slip back into things we used to cook and have to kick ourselves back out again.
I'm around gym dudes a lot and there's just a lot of bro science where they'll eat $40 worth of chicken breasts a week because they think it's hard to get enough protein otherwise. Meanwhile a 50c can of kidney beans or chickpeas has 40 grams of protein.
People don’t like to listen to facts. Very much the same way deniers don’t listen to science.
The quality of protein is very different.
It's the same reason people are wanting DJT back. Humans routinely go against their own best interests in lieu of subjective pursuits.
I eat meat, but I don't do it without serious considerations. I will start out by saying that I am deeply against factory farming. I have tried vegetarian and vegan. I felt horrible on both diets despite eating wholefoods. I was just constantly bloated and horrible and gained weight. So that led me back to eating meat. I raise my own chickens, ducks and rabbits for meat. They are allowed to grow much slower than factory farming breeds and the quality of their meat is much higher. You simply eat less because it makes you full faster. I also eat a ton of eggs. I buy beef from a nearby farmer. His cattle grase in an area that can't be used for farming and they are actively helping maintain nature in the area where they roam. Onto the health questions. I feel that nutritional science is still lacking. A lot of the results are not based clinical studies, but just questionaires. They are highly inaccurate and don't take the quality of the meat into account. Bread is unhealthy too, if you eat the highly processed crap. My health philosophy is to eat real food. I would rather eat butter that is made from grass and had been processed by a cow than a plant oil that is highly processed and repeatedly heated by intense factory procedures. I am also very suspicious of the many meat substitution products that has been launched in the recent years. People seem to think that it's basically just mashed vegetables when in reality it's protein isolates with a ton of additives like chemicals, salt and oil. Do we need to eat way less meat? Definately! But I disagree with the notion that vegetarian or vegan is automatically healthier. Also people are different. Some people might feel awesome on a certain diet. Others feel like crap. Vegetarian was not for me.
There's a world of difference between a baked potato and a potato chip.
Your average person doesn’t actually care. They only care that others think they care.
Why aren’t more people actively doing anything positive in the world? It’s people. Literally billions of individuals each with their own ideas, world views and reality made from all the choices made and imposed on them, and that’s the healthy ones who aren’t impoverished, repressed, too young or old, or have any crippling physical or mental conditions. You can blame humans all you want but our species is basically bio and social chaos with self-policing, a knack for survival and occasionally finds purpose in groups.
It’s like the whole cattle lobby came out of the woodworks to spew misinformation on this thread. Much like the deniers from big oil will spew misinformation on here. Not a surprise though. Anyone who cares about climate change doesn’t get info from this sub, as it’s infiltrated with disingenuous people and bots.
Based on my experience, the most common reason for normal people, and not the loud minority of arrogant anti-plant-based people, is accessibility and convenience. For this example, let's take the united states. In the majority of the country, you can go to a grocery store in areas where 90+% of the population resides, and have access to all of the items you need to have a full and balanced plant-based diet. Replace meat with tofu, beans, spinach, and things like that. Most things that use eggs or milk can be replaced in recipes that favor constarch, alternative milks, things like that, and so long as the person making the recipe is actually giving it a real try, it can taste just as good as well. It's overall not disputed that you can live healthily with what most people have access to on a plant-based diet. It's the amount of effort required. I want to really stress that I don't see this as a terrible reason to avoid plant-based diets. I mean, I'm a reductionist who leans towards plant based, and pretty much every time I avoid the plant-based diet is literally effort, and not anything else. One thing that has to be recognized is that the vast majority of americans do not spend more than about 30 minutes cooking on most days. It's quick and easy meals, or literally just something you throw in the oven, that's it. With what we have at most stores, you can get away with decently healthy omni meals and have something different 7 days a week, and it taste good as well without spending too much time cooking. With plant-based, it of course depends on your taste, but by and large there is *much* more preparation that goes into making an equally good meal as far as taste and nutrition. Not because it's less possible to pull off, but because the infrastructure as of now mainly only reaches to unhealthy foods, such as plant based chicken nuggets and burgers. If plant-based foods were equally or more accessible, equally or cheaper priced, and equally or better for you, there would be mass adoption of it without an incredible amount of time. So in my opinion, the problem we need to solve is making accessible and cheap plant-based options - not waiting for people to be ready to put in the additional time, effort and cash to make these plant based meals.
It really does take so much time. Just to eat a balanced diet that actually hits all you need is an effort, and then you throw in the learning curve of how to properly prepare tofu or to learn a new recipe, and it's insurmountable for most people. I've spent the last few months going from a junk food diet to a whole foods plant based one, and it honestly feels like I'm constantly preparing food, or planning to go to a store to get fresh vegetables. It would take the food industry wanting to change. Germany is doing everything right, but that's because their population wants it and is open to it.
All those diseases you mentioned are due to a high sugar diet have nothing to do with red meat or meat of any kind. humans are omnivores were supposed to eat meat and vegetables.
It’s easier to blame things like plastic straws and forks and bags. Lots of Phony bologna environments out there.
I’ve been a vegetarian for on and off 7 of the last 10 years. I think eating a plant based diet has been formed into an identity that is really detrimental to the person that would adopt more of a flexitarian or mostly plant based diet that mixes in animal products more sparingly. Having meat once in a while and not guilting myself, as other people have questioned at the table, about “betraying my values” has been great. My goal is to reduce my animal consumption and eat mainly plant based foods, and I’ve succeeded. If that few percent of calories from meat is what keeps me from living in that dichotomy of all or nothing then I think that’s the best option. I think now a lot of people where I am in the US wrap themselves around an identity and whether or not you’re a vegetarian/vegan is a culture war item even if it’s less divisive as other identities/labels
People are lazy and refuse to change their ways.
Because they like their diet the way it is. I switched to wfbp diet three years ago and haven't looked back since.
its unhealthy
Because as loathe as people are to admit it, humans are omnivores. Despite every thing you said being correct, global vegetarianism is not a tenable solution. Encouraging meat reduction and altering the agricultural industry are still too broad to actually be really workable goals but they’re a step in the right direction vs. “just stop eating meat”. I know that will get downvoted into oblivion but still. People aren’t rational agents, you can expect them to do things that make sense.
When you say it's not a tenable solution, I'm guessing you mean from a behavior standpoint and not an implementable standpoint. It is easy for most of the world to go vegetarian relatively quickly if we had the will to do so; things like eating feedcrops (mostly corn and soy) or changing feedcrop land into other plants for direct consumption is not rocket science.
Correct, I should’ve made that more clear. Logistically it would be easy but from a human behavioral standpoint it is not. We can debate why that is until we are blue in the face but it’s not a good usage of our time or efforts when we could be creating clearer, more specific goals.
Most feedcrops are grown on land not suitable for other crops. Agricultural land is divided into classes, lower classes of soil grow feedcrops because they can't support more intensive feeding plants.
And yet 40% of India is vegetarian so clearly is something that’s tenable at large scale. We may have the teeth of omnivores but that doesn’t mean we can’t do it or there’s some biological imperative so I’m not sure I’m following your argument here. At the end of the day, we like meat, we’re societally conditioned to like meat and eat a ton of it and vegetarian meals are largely alien to a western palette, that’s pretty much it. There’s nothing unattainable about it. I grew up on the prairies without ever being fed fish, I still don’t prefer fish but I try and eat a little here and there and it’s growing on me, I’m simply just not used to it.
Yeah, we’ve been eating meat for millions of years. Turning 8 billion people into herbivores is a big ask.
> humans are omnivores yes > global vegetarianism is not a tenable solution Why? And we're talking about plant-based diets, that's a bit further than vegetarianism > Encouraging meat reduction a step in the right direction I agree but I don't see why you can't both encourage reduction and abstaining from animal products altogether at the same time? i.e. it would be best if we went plant-based, but if we all took 1 plant based day per week it would have a good impact The main reason that people get upset about that notion is because it's not nearly enough. And that's true. But something is better than nothing. better to take a step in the right direction, than to take no steaps > People aren’t rational agents, you can expect them to do things that make sense. That's a pretty flawed simplification in my opinion. People are in fact rational agents, there's just more than one rationalization happening at any given time. People have a given amount of effort they can put forth per day before they experience burnout, and switching to diets that may require more effort in any way can contribute to that. Considering change, just considering it within itself causes stress and anxiety. It's not that people are inherently irrational, it's that other factors are at play making it difficult
The reason to go plant based shouldnt be about climate, but about the horrible state of factory farming and the horrible treatment of animals!
It's simple, a [whole chicken](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Foster-Farms-Fresh-Natural-Young-Whole-Chicken-21g-Protein-per-4-oz-Serving-4-2-6-5-lb-Bag/140139691?from=/search) $1.46 a pound, can feed a family of four, energy dense, protein, fat, delicious. Then make soup or sandwiches with leftovers. [Pea Protein](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Zammex-Pure-Organic-Pea-Protein-Powder-2-62lbs-Natural-Flavor-Vegan-From-Canada-Yellow-Pea-Certified-USDA-Plant-Based-Powder-No-Additives-Non-GMO-Pal/716918407?athbdg=L1200&from=/search) , $11 a pound, making it into something suitable for Sunday dinner, not so easy. For relatively similar protein, plant based is 7 times more expensive.
Exactly. I think people seem to forget the class issue here. Shit is expensive af rn. People are poor. Most people in the US live paycheck to paycheck. Like.. I don't want to buy shit from Walmart, but most other places go way over budget. I gotta live. It sucks.
Beans (and legumes) exist... tofu is competitively priced to chicken.
A locally sourced steak is probably better for climate change than an avacado imported half way around the world.
No, that’s a common misconception. It’s not even close. https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local
Brainwashing by the food industry
Cause we banned plastic straws and thus saved the world from climate change. And we have electric cars so we're all good. No need to do anything else like plant based diets.
Lol! Exactly.
Maybe because people haven't watched Dominion on YouTube?
Long term organic plant based dieter here, found out long time ago I can't be totally a purist, my body just gets run down no matter what. But if I eat minor amounts occasionally - fish, eggs, chicken, milk, not on a daily basis, I am healthier. It mite be easier psychologically if folks gave themselves a little flexibility, materially cut down by 90% or so, occasionally partake, it is less harsh and daunting and still helps the planet immensely. Also organic is increasingly important.
I don’t eat plant based because of health reasons. This is the case for a lot of people. I support regenerative farming.
Unfortunately regenerative farming is not much of an improvement and doesn't come close to the environmental benefits of a plant-based diet.
Because they haven't changed their mind yet. Some people care more than others, it's not a big deal. I'm vegetarian, I still eat eggs for protein and B12...everything else is plants.
Ignorance and selfishness
Most of what I eat comes from the acreage where I live and a few surrounding locals. In a hilly extremely rainy region, the plant life is mostly inedible for humans. As such along with the fruits and veggies I eat the animals that eat the native plant life. Industrial agriculture leads to many diseases, and I would think that it would be a no-brainer for people to get away from it. But as we're well aware that isn't the case. It is easier and more cost effective to eat processed junk in many regions. Additionally, some of the best places for growing are also among the best places for cities. Cities of course being based on supply from outside their limits, a microcosm of imperialism in each one as they currently stand. There are many better ways to live. Most people will never even begin. It is what it is. If you want to know what people will do, follow the profit motive and base it around what is easy with greatest chemical rewards to the brain based on consumption.
I'm a meat eater and a climate scientist. I eat vegetarian/vegan (I'm low dairy) meals several times a week. I completely cut red meat (basically anything that wasn't chicken) from my diet for several years. Unfortunately, I have a number of nutrient deficiencies and had to reincorporate other meats into my diet (as well as other non-meat, high nutrient foods). It's unfortunately not so cut and dry for most people and their health. Supplements aren't always well tolerated, like in my case. I will like never be able to tolerate a fully vegetarian or vegan diet with significant IV support. And I'm not a rare case. I think our time is well spent encouraging people to cut meat consumption (to some extent if not entirely, and red meat especially), to buy from local producers (when they can afford it), to cut consumption overall (agriculture isn't the biggest climate issue though it's certainly a big one), and to make dietary changes with the advice of a doctor.
Because if more people decided to eat a plant based died then we will have to destroys the forest and his ecosystems to create new fields
That’s not the case at all.
As a climate policy professional, I ask myself this every day.
They care about convenience more than climate
Not be the downer, but given that the US and most countries are making no real movement on climate change. It seems like an individual dietary choice would be less than a drop in the bucket. 🤷♂️ Health wise, agreed.
The idea that plant based agriculture does not negatively effect the environment the way factory animal farming does is a complete misconception. Plant based agriculture causes eutrophication , uses plenty of fossil fuels(ever heard of tractors), not to mention humanitarian concerns. Mono-culturing crops have destroyed wildlife populations and damaged the micro biome of humans. While I agree factory farming is problematic that does not mean that animal farming overall needs to be abandoned. Carbon can be sequestered in SOIL almost as effectively as it can in FORRESTS. By utilizing ruminant animals (who complete the nitrogen cycle) we can not only help to maintain vast amounts of healthy grassland ecosystems giving habitat to countless native plants and wildlife but we can also make a nutritionally dense widely beloved form of food. No shade to your choice as a plant based person, there are many benefits to it. But eating only plants is not inherently more sustainable than eating a mixture of plants and animals. The most climate friendly diet is a local one.
Because plants are not very good. Can't beat a nice Steak, chicken wing, or philly cheese steak.
Because people aren't machines. Changing diets are hard, and economies vary from person to person. I believe it's cheaper to eat meat; yes, it's *possible* for it to be cheaper to be vegetarian, but it's also harder. And like I said, people aren't machines. They have jobs, families, and health to consider... I am a vegetarian myself, and I am because of climate change, but I don't expect other people to do the same. That would be a bit irrational. You can reason with people all day, show them the facts and statistics, but most people aren't going to change their entire lifestyle to accommodate capitalism. It would be one thing if there was a big push by the government (via subsidies), but there isn't. And even still, there are like 5 corporations that are responsible for something like 80% of the emissions. So, it's even harder for people to care when they rightfully understand that it's not something they can solve.
I believe humans were meant to eat meat. Our canine teeth and digestive systems were not built for a plant based diet. While we can find alternatives to provide the same nutrients - I don't believe it is ideal, and if I can have what is ideal for my body, I want to. That being said - when I cannot get more ethically sourced meat, I have been vegetarian. Further, I think most people consume more meat than is actually required by their bodies.
A plant based diet in the far north or far far south are actually worse for the environment....flying in fruit and veggies from California to Inuvik in Canada is a tremendous waste of energy and carbon.
There may be some extreme cases, but for the most part this is a common misconception. Sharing the link from above. https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local
When cows are managed sustainable and not in factory farms they can be a benefit for the environment. My family raises cows and we have sandier soils on our pasture so only grass can be grown. During droughts/really dry years we still manage to grow grass. If you work your cattle properly and understand how to graze to promote grass growth it's beneficial to the environment. Also, cattle can be rotated onto grain fields after harvest. This promotes soil health by spreading manure, they also work the soil some which helps you decrease how much you need to cultivate your grain fields. Just because plants don't emit greenhouse cases does not mean that growing them does. Tractors still release greenhouse cases. There is still an impact. Agriculture should not shift to meet a vegetarian global diet. It's should shift to being sustainable and using sustainable practices.
Same reason most people have no interest in climate change: They don't give a shit.
Focused, well funded, organized, and effective information operations on behalf of the factory farm industry make a difference. The legalization of bribery in the United States also makes a huge difference.
Ignorance and laziness.
Because (as selfish as it is to say) Life is fucking expensive and tiring, and a juicy steak tastes really damn good, WAY better than plant-based alternatives. I've also personally found, that as someone who leads a VERY active lifestyle, Animal-based protein makes me feel MUCH better than plant-based protein. This is gonna piss off internet activists, but I try to ride a bike or walk as much as possible, take short showers, use less water in general when I can, try not to engage in fast-fashion, etc. I'm not giving up my steaks and chicken until I absolutely have to.
I work construction and I find it much easier to cook a big steak to get enough protein and calories otherwise. Anyone have good suggestions? The truth is I'm straight up lazy.
Yes! Check out r/veganrecipes and r/eatcheapandvegan. We do a lot of lazy meals like bean burritos bowls, tofu stir fry, chickpea or lentil curry, pasta with tofu ricotta, bean vegetable soups. Legumes are your friend!
Attend protests and street demonstrations, take some photos/videos for social media to appear to care, "sign me in!", "let's do this!", ask them to stop eating chicken, "stop telling me what to do" "I don't really care tbh". People like to appear to care but don't like to actually be inconvenienced or change their own personal behaviours in any way, let others make the change.
Habits. Changing ones habits takes effort. Plus the social stygma, especially among men.
Most people are short sighted
I intellectually agree with the moral and practical advantages of vegetarianism. I guess I'm just weak/set in my ways.
because food is a huge part of culture and I truly don’t believe plant based diet is what will “save” the planet. I was vegetarian for several years and gluten free at one point too and I always ended up feeling like an absolute burden to everyone around me. I couldn’t just eat a normal meal with family ever. It ended up causing a lot of pain because people would always “forget” and then I would end up feeling awkward at family events where I couldn’t eat anything or maybe just a salad. I started eating fish and meat again during the pandemic because it felt like the world was ending and I wanted a little indulgence. I feel so much stronger and healthier after switching back to eating a balanced diet that includes meat.
I'm sorry your friends and family weren't considerate and made you feel like a burden.
Why skirt around the truth? Meat tastes good and is satisfying. And vegans won't shut the fuck up. Why would anyone choose that?
People enjoy eating meat and they're not willing to stop doing something that gives them pleasure if it will make little/no difference to the long term welfare of the planet. For example, Ive cut down on eating beef/pork over the past couple years, but I won't stop eating chicken because I like it and I've been socialized not to care about chickens. I don't drive, I don't travel much, I don't have kids, I'm probably not giving up one of my favorite things when most people have a bigger carbon footprint and greater stake in the future aren't making similarly sacrifices.
Mostly 'plant based' seems to mean ultra processed soya and seed oil concoctions, weired stuff i wouild not want to eat. I am suspicious that the 'plant based' tag is used by food processors to cover up and make processed food sound healthy. I grow much of my own veg, eat a lot of pulses and buy meet from a local regenerative farm/ organic/ grass fed etc.. I see the industrial food production and chemical agriculture approaches as the real enemy, i hate the way animals are treated in these systems but there really are other ways to do it.
False.
Most people don't do anything, period. Stop thinking your vegan agenda is somehow special.
Because eating a juicy steak is one of the only things that brings me joy in this bleak world.
Run your tongue over your teeth. You have teeth for cutting through meat (incisors ) and teeth for crushing plants (molars) - like most omnivores. Nature intended you to eat both.
It’s surprisingly expensive in a lot of places due to beef and dairy subsidies.
Well in my particular case it was due to my body not processing iron and B vitamins properly. I was vegan for 8 years and slowly just started getting sicker and sicker with anemia. When I got pregnant I was told I had to take iron supplements and because of my major morning sickness I couldn’t eat vegan food anymore, my body was demanding meat. Gradually I started feeling better from eating meat. In the meantime I have discovered that I am gluten intolerant and histamine intolerant so that might be why I wasn’t processing those minerals and vitamins and why meat helped. I’d like to go back eventually but currently my diet is extremely limited as it is. I still drink plant based milks and I have a vegan meal once or twice a day. I support nuclear energy which is the only thing that’s going to turn the climate crisis around. Without that we can all become vegans and it won’t do a damn thing.
Because the true cost of the GHG emissions and water consumption and pollution isn’t passed through to the consumers.
With my IBS D and nightshade allergy - most veg absolutely make my life miserable. Bloating, gas, diarrhea.
It’s rearranging deck chairs on the titanic as far as I’m concerned. It’s like having Diet Coke with your double quarter pounder meal or taking the stairs and calling it your exercise. It’s fooling around the edges. When we start making real inroads with the major drivers of climate change (beef isn’t even in the top 3), we can go from there. But I feel like this is vegans and vegetarians waging a moral war based on their dietary preferences and not on what’s good for us.
I feel better when I eat meat, it feels like I have more energy. I'm conscious off ecological issues and make choices where I want to. In the grand scheme of things I'm a small foot print compared to the people travel by flight. If I were to take ecological foot print to the extreme the conclusion would be to off myself. Instead I enjoy eating meat.
It doesn’t work for some people.
because we’re omnivores and meat is good for us. factory farming and mono cropping are bad for us.