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The impact of the diet that you choose to consume goes far beyond your own personal health and has the power to make a global impact. The world is currently being faced with two major problems: climate change and a rise of chronic diseases. Both are life-threatening issues that need our attention. However, the same solution might exist for both, and that is to consume a largely plant-based diet.

“…it is not necessary to eliminate animal-based foods completely…”

Animal-based foods such as beef and pork produce twice the amount of global greenhouse gas emissions as plant-based foods, such as soybeans and legumes. The global greenhouse gas emissions produced by animal-based foods is around 57% of the food production related greenhouse gas emissions, whereas only 29% of those emissions come from plant-based foods. To make the switch from an animal-based diet to a largely plant-based diet, that is both healthy and sustainable, it is not necessary to eliminate animal-based foods completely, but there would need to be a decrease of red meat consumption by about 50% over the next 25 years. In alignment with that, there would need to be a 100% increase in consumption of nuts, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. These sizable changes may be difficult, but with the help of physicians providing the proper nutritional guidance to their patient’s, it is possible.

“The global greenhouse gas emissions produced by animal-based foods is around 57% of the food production related greenhouse gas emissions, whereas only 29% of those emissions come from plant-based foods.”

The continuously growing demand for meat has resulted in cheap, unsustainable livestock farming methods to make it more accessible for consumers. There is a hidden cost involved in these poor farming practices which have a negative effect both on our health and on the health of the planet. Cheap production of meet is associated with the massive use of antibiotics to treat intestinal inflammatory conditions in the animals, which in turn accelerates the development of antibiotic resistance of gut microbes. Global meat consumption is the driving force behind the deforestation of the Amazon, accounting for around 80% of the reason behind its destruction. The tragic loss of these native ecosystems is happening in order to support the mass production of animal-based products. Additionally, animal agriculture has tripled in the last 50 years and is responsible for contributing to the emission of greenhouse gases. Specifically, it accounts for 50% of methane and 60% of nitrous oxide gas emissions, which on a widespread level have a significantly higher threat to global warming than carbon dioxide. Furthermore, majority of the nitrogen pollution in water is from unsustainable livestock farming practices, leading to acid rain and dead zones in aquatic life.

The world is waking up to the urgent action that needs to be taken towards the threat of global warming. Climate change has been addressed as a global emergency by the United Nations Climate Change Conference. The American Medical Association (AMA) declared that climate change is a public health crisis. In order to restore the state of the world and take action towards climate change, a legally binding international treaty, called the Paris Agreement, was put into place in 2016. The goal of the Paris Agreement is to strengthen the measures that nations are taking towards climate change by limiting the increase in global temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. While 2 degrees Celsius is the limit, nations are encouraged to make a strong effort to limit temperature increase even further by aiming to keep it below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The overlap between individual diet and the global environment has become clear, especially in recent years with the Covid-19 pandemic. The evidence shows that additional pandemics could happen in the future as a result of the continued industrial livestock farming practices that are currently in place. In parallel, plant-based diets have been associated with lower risk and symptom severity of those exposed to Covid-19. Our dietary choices play a huge role when it comes to health and are shown to be the main driving factor behind developing chronic diseases. Multiple studies have also shown that plant-based diets are effective in lessening the risk of developing chronic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease.

“The evidence shows that additional pandemics could happen in the future as a result of the continued industrial livestock farming practices that are currently in place.”

Physicians are now in a position where they can not only change the lives of their patient, but the life of the planet as well. Surveys show that less than 5% of the US population is currently meeting the recommended amount of daily fiber intake due to lack of plant-based foods in the diet. By patients adding more plant-based foods into their diet and limiting animal-based products, this would result in and increase in their personal health and a decrease in pollution, climate change, and food scarcity on a worldwide level. Adopting a plant-based diet, that follows standard dietary guidelines, can have the potential to reduce global mortality, decrease food-related greenhouse gas emissions, and benefit the economy.

“By patients adding more plant-based foods into their diet and limiting animal-based products, this would result in and increase in their personal health and a decrease in pollution, climate change, and food scarcity on a worldwide level.”

Further action also needs to be taken to support the increase of plant-based foods. Along with physicians, cities, schools, and medical organizations also have the ability to play a major role in encouraging this. Incorporating the proper nutrition training in medical schools is one major way in which these recommendations can take effect. The evidence regarding the benefits of largely plant-based diets for both the health of the people and the planet makes a strong case as to why there needs to be an increase in spending towards programs that can provide further education on the importance of sustainable diets.

As for now, physicians hold a great amount of individual power through the dietary recommendations they provide to their patients. The messaging towards diets can be overwhelming nowadays with so many fad diets around and health influencers pushing diet advice with no scientific evidence to support their claims and most of the time without considering the environmental impact of such diets.

Overall, it is important to focus on consuming a largely plant-based and whole food diet, with limited to no intake of ultra-processed foods. It is also key to be mindful of eating everything in moderation and adding a variety of healthy foods in the diet to strengthen the gut microbial ecosystem, which protects us against viral infection and against the development of low grade inflammatory changes in our organs. It may seem like one person’s diet would not impact the world, but it does. Eating a largely plant-based diet has the power to change the health of the people, of our gut microbes and of the planet.