Is Vegan the ‘Game Changer’ we all need? - Part 2
In the first part of this Game Changers blog series, I discussed the nutritional arguments raised through the many recent documentaries promoting veganism and plant-based diets, and I addressed some common vegan health myths. If you missed part 1, you can read it here.
However, the decision to be vegan is often much larger than simply choosing to eat plant-based. It often extends to encompass more conscious and ethical lifestyle choices as well. So in this Part 2, I explore some of the environmental and ethical questions associated with our food choices.
When initially considering how to respond to the numerous questions I received earlier this year asking for my input on the popular The Game Changers documentary, I spent weeks pondering how to address this layered and multifaceted question. I have settled into the fact that the argument is much more nuanced than it appears and, as with most ethical issues, there can be a multitude of ‘right’ answers, all offering varying perspectives. Approaching how and what we eat with a “right and wrong” thinking doesn’t serve anyone.
A major tenant of Naturopathic philosophy is such that we all have a unique interaction with our diet, lifestyle, stress, and environment - a concept I have seen play out countless times over the past 15 years in clinical practice. As such, I don’t like to get involved in the ‘diet wars’ - instead I try to remain a neutrality, whilst applying my experience and understanding of human physiology and nutritional biochemistry. Furthermore, how people choose to eat often ties deeply into their sense of who they are. Whether they are influenced by their heritage or culture, by popular media, motivated by how particular foods make their body feel, or simply revert to eating in a way that reflects “how they were raised”. Others choose to take a more critical thinking and experimental approach, and I tend to see an even more significant identity investment with veganism and diets such as paleo.
There is no denying that eating meat is central to many global customs and celebrations and is deeply laced into our western culture (and that of many others). But this can arouse a psychological conflict for people, between their dietary preference for meat and their moral response to animal suffering - otherwise known as the “meat paradox”. When an individual holds inconsistent or contradictory beliefs or values, it can be a real source of emotional and psychological stress.
Cognitive dissonance is when our behaviour doesn't match up with our beliefs. Meat-eating involves a level of cognitive dissonance often, because the majority of people are against animal cruelty. According to psychologists Brock Bastian and Steve Loughnan, who research the topic in Australia, the “meat paradox” is the “psychological conflict between people’s dietary preference for meat and their moral response to animal suffering”. They argue that “bringing harm to others is inconsistent with a view of oneself as a moral person”.
So, can we be compassionate eaters and still consume meat?
In all of my years consulting, I am yet to meet anyone who likes the thought of animal cruelty. Most meat-eaters wish for animals to be treated as humanely as possible, and some may even take part in efforts to campaign against animal cruelty and industrialisation of animal farming. Others may more quietly but consistently vote with their dollar and support only small, local, sustainable, organic and pasture raised farms for purchasing their eggs, dairy, meat and poultry. In fact, I would go as far as to say that it’s likely that we (meaning omnivores and vegans) have more in common than we have differences.
“Cognitive dissonance occurs “when a person holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas or values or participates in an action that goes against one of these three.”
Ultimately, being a critical thinker as to where your food comes from, and making as “conscious” choices as possible, recognising in no uncertain terms that not all meat is created equal when it comes to your health, the environment and, of course, animal welfare. For those that choose to eat meat and animal products, keeping them as a “condiment” to a large plate of vegetables, and choosing options that are organic, pasture-raised, sustainably farmed and supporting small scale farms and local organic butchers will help you to become more cognizant of what you are putting on your plate.
Beyond animal welfare, many recent documentaries generally have an emphasis on how intensive livestock animal agriculture and cattle farming are significant contributors driving the deepening climate crisis.
With climate issues being a hot topic for discussion (and debate) and fuelling action at both a governmental and personal level, I would argue that it’s becoming more critical that we consider the role that our diets play in ensuring a sustainable environment.
One of the very first books I ever read on this matter was Diet for a Small Planet, a 1971 bestselling book by Frances Moore Lappé. In fact, this book was the first major book to note the environmental impact of meat production as wasteful and a contributor to global food scarcity. Almost four decades on, many of the book’s messages withhold and this book certainly impacted the trajectory of my eating habits, chosen studies and life.
In light of the current climate crisis playing out in Australia and, in fact, all over the world, anyone would be hard pushed to deny that industrialised animal agricultural practices are having a serious impact on the planet and the future generations depending on it. With more than 70 billion animals consumed globally every year*, to grow animal feed requires vast amounts of land. In fact, growing food for livestock is the single biggest source of habitat destruction. Water use, water contamination and air pollution are also significant considerations, and there has to be a better way.
Current food production is known to have a major impact on the environment, accounting for 20-30% of greenhouse gas emissions and two-thirds of water use as well as being the leading cause of deforestation and contributing to biodiversity loss. Emissions from livestock contribute approximately 70% of total agricultural emissions and include methane from enteric fermentation of livestock (58% of all methane comes from agriculture and has 25 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide), nitrous oxide (76% of all nitrous oxide comes from agriculture and has 297 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide), manure management, rice cultivation, agricultural soils, savanna burning and field burning of agricultural residues.^
Climate change and other environmental changes threaten food systems’ capacity to provide healthy diets for all in the future. A report from the United Nations authored by 107 experts from 52 countries noted: “Observed climate change is already affecting food security through increasing temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and greater frequency of some extreme events.”**
The risk to our food security will be increasingly affected by projected climate change, with fruits and vegetables, the key components of a healthy diet, particularly vulnerable. On a global level, pastoral farming practices, which are practised in over 75% of countries by between 200 and 500 million people, are especially at risk.
“A 2015 study concluded that a diet that is vegetarian 5 days a week and includes meat 2 days a week would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water and land use by about 45%.^”
There is no denying that our food choices have an impact on our environmental footprint. Have you stopped to consider what drives your food choices daily? Is it convenience? time? cost? taste? or ethics and sustainability? If we can take a moment before eating each time, pausing to ask ourselves if the food on your plate reached you by a path that honours your ethical and moral standards, the world may be a better place. Whilst it takes some investment and planning to ensure that our daily choices reflects food as close to its natural state as possible, with minimal packaging, and is sourced from local, in season, organic and sustainable practices, I would argue that it is entirely worth it - in fact, is there anything more important than what we choose to put in our bodies? We are creating our destiny with everything we eat!
In addition to the impact of our choices on the planet, there is no doubt in my mind that what we eat has a measurable impact on our health, as my co-author Dr Sarah Lantz and I outline in our book One Bite at a Time. Western Food systems are broken, and the true cost of a generation having lost its skill in the kitchen is becoming apparent especially with the enormous increases in chronic lifestyle diseases and the poor health of our children as a whole.
Despite this, there is growing evidence that health and environment “win-wins” are possible, and it’s not too late to turn this situation around. A healthy diet that has a lower environmental impact includes a wide variety of foods, with an emphasis on plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and pulses, nuts and seeds) and on locally-produced, home-prepared foods. It includes sustainably sourced fish/shellfish (low on the food chain), moderate amounts of dairy products, fermented when you can (or dairy alternatives), moderate eggs, and modest amounts of quality fats and oils, especially from nuts, seeds and XV olive oil. If eaten, red meat, poultry, and other processed meat products are best to be included sparingly, and sweetened beverages plus processed foods (otherwise knows as “edible-food-like-substances”) are to be substantially limited.
As someone who wants to contribute to a healthier and more compassionate world, I have created several resources to support you in your personal health and nutrition journey: including a vegan meal planner, seasonal meal planners with a focus on abundant and varied plant produce, Be Your Own Solution eBook, a how-to guide to help you transition your household to a greener, safer environment and our book One Bite At A Time: Reduce Toxic Exposure and Eat the World you Want.
It’s important to support small local business and continue to look for ways to incorporate more of the food rainbow into our meals – with diverse, plant-predominant eating. Beyond what is on our plates, I have included below some easy ways we can promote a more sustainable, healthier environment for both our health and our Earth.
To become more proficient at including more plant-based meals into your week, and for some inspiration, please check out our Vegan Meal Planner, which offers a practical plant-based weekly plan with recipes.
If you would like to learn more or are considering a transition to a plant-based diet, book in for a consultation so we can discuss your own unique needs and ensure the most successful outcome. To book in your consultation, feel free to use the online system or contact us for more information.
* Poore, J. and T. Nemecek. 2018. "Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers." Science 360:987-992
^ https://sustainabletable.org.au/all-things-ethical-eating