Study Finds Veganism To Be The Most Sustainable Diet, Published By PLOS

[Bebe 17,289]

1 minute ago, Thomas P said:

I might try it when I go to university, but for now my parents still make a lot of my meals. When I live in my own I think I'll give it a shot.

Maybe one night a week, or whenever you cook, you can try cooking some delicious vegetarian friendly meals for your family and get a head start on building up some go to meals  

[Anastasia 6,093]

11 minutes ago, Thomas P said:

I can't go vegan. I don't have the will power to give up meat. It's my favourite food. Burgers, steak, chicken, ribs, etc. I couldn't t possibly see myself ever stop eating. I know it's bad for me, but honestly I don't really care. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for animal rights, I just like meat, and I can't see myself not eating it.

I REALLLLYYY respect people who are able to go vegan or vegetarian though, it's good for health, and for the planet. 

It's a lot easier than you may realize, I still eat all the same things I did before but they are alternatives. I don't just sit and eat tofu and salad. All efforts count and are amazing, rather than going fully vegan you could try meatless Mondays, or pick a few days out of the week to go vegan. This can help you become more comfortable with choosing alternatives.

Just know that I still eat pasta, pizza, pierogies, tacos, fajitas, soups, chili, 'steak sandiwiches', nachos, stir fry, etc. I still eat foods that I CRAVE and that I love. I just find alternative recipes and ingredients for them. You seem very open-minded, if you would like some recipes to try on days you feel like experimenting PM me and I can help. It takes a special person to be able to listen to other points of view, and I am eternally grateful that you would listen to someone like me. Remember, small choices can have impact.

[Hyperballad 4,311]

9 hours ago, MonsterJC said:

99% of this forum can't go vegan anyways because they swallow 

Hey gaysss !!!

I spit out my coffee  

[Anastasia 6,093]

8 minutes ago, Bebe said:

"Don't get me wrong, I care about animal rights! I just love meat so I'm okay with caging animals, torturing them and killing them!" 

In all seriousness though, I'm vegetarian as of now trying to work myself up to vegan, and it can be a hard adjustment for some people to just jump from a diet full of meats to a diet that's completely free of meat. I totally understand that sentiment and how it's a large barrier for a lot of people.

What helped me is each week introducing a new vegetarian/vegan meal into lunches and dinners. (My breakfast was already vegetarian/vegan friendly - depending on whether I had cereal and milk or toast - so I didn't need to worry about that )

Eventually I just found a ton of vegetarian and vegan meals that I found really delicious! It became less about "Oh no I'm going to miss out on this meat meal!" and more "Oooh yum! I love this veggie dish!" Once you have a bunch of vegetarian recipes and meals under your belt it becomes a lot easier.

This is a fantastic strategy, thank you for sharing this. I went vegan over night and I struggled the first two weeks, I thought I had to eat vegetables and smoothies the entire time. It worked out for me but I still recommend going slowly and introducing vegan recipes for fun rather than obligation. 

[Anastasia 6,093]

7 minutes ago, Goosey said:

Well, clearly... this only considers the environmental impacts of a diet.

However, the UN is trying to get more people to eat insects. Apparently they are a good source of nutrition and easy to raise with little money or environmental effect. I think insectivores would be just as sustainable as vegans.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-22508439

This is really interesting and something I have been conflicted on as a vegan. I've been trying to read as much as I can about insects and if they feel pain but its a topic not fully studied yet unfortunately. They certainly could be beneficial though, nutrient wise and environmentally. For now veganism is what is comfortable with my lifestyle and with the research I have done, so I stick with that. 

[Zombie 1,218]

9 hours ago, Awkwardbrocoli said:

Veganism is the only true way to save the planet from climate change and it is so simple to make the change, way easier than what the media and people say. 

Ive been a Vegan for two weeks, it is weird cuz i dont feel any diference, i thought i was going to be in the edge of my sanity but no, its been cool actually, i was very worried about proteins, but i found that quinoa have all the aminoacids of animal protein

 

The documentary Food Choices made me turn into vegan

[Chiunzhan 997]

I'm already vegetarian... But dropping eggs and milk is risky tbh, you need vitamin B12 and that's obtained only from animal sources.

[Anastasia 6,093]

3 minutes ago, Leonardo Fox said:

Ive been a Vegan for two weeks, it is weird cuz i dont feel any diference, i thought i was going to be in the edge of my sanity but no, its been cool actually, i was very worried about proteins, but i found that quinoa have all the aminoacids of animal protein

 

The documentary Food Choices made me turn into vegan

Congrats! This is great news, if you have any questions or want to discuss anything feel free to PM me!

[Zombie 1,218]

4 minutes ago, Anastasia said:

This is really interesting and something I have been conflicted on as a vegan. I've been trying to read as much as I can about insects and if they feel pain but its a topic not fully studied yet unfortunately. They certainly could be beneficial though, nutrient wise and environmentally. For now veganism is what is comfortable with my lifestyle and with the research I have done, so I stick with that. 

where r u getting the protein from? for how long have u been? ive been two weeks and im afraid in 6 months im going to be all bones and calcium, iron defficient and die

[LuMetal 68]

41 minutes ago, Anastasia said:

This is a study, not an opinion piece. Please read the study before commenting, if you care about animal abuse or climate change then this is important. 

i know that. they're morally superior to me. trail blazers in saving the planet and all

good for them  

[Anastasia 6,093]

2 minutes ago, Chiunzhan said:

I'm already vegetarian... But dropping eggs and milk is risky tbh, you need vitamin B12 and that's obtained only from animal sources.

Unfortunately many of the animals don't produce enough B12 so they are injected with it, even with injections a lot of the population is deficient. It isn't really considered 'risky' right away, you either need to make sure to take your supplement or make sure you eat fortified foods everyday. Speak with your doctor or a registered dietitian if you have more questions.

[uo111 5,282]

27 minutes ago, Goosey said:

Well, clearly... this only considers the environmental impacts of a diet.

However, the UN is trying to get more people to eat insects. Apparently they are a good source of nutrition and easy to raise with little money or environmental effect. I think insectivores would be just as sustainable as vegans.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-22508439

Definitely more sustainable than farming other animals.

I would imagine the health impact is similar to that of current meat though, based purely on the caloric make-up. They would have to perform some studies.

Regardless, I'd rather stick with plants

16 minutes ago, Anastasia said:

This is really interesting and something I have been conflicted on as a vegan. I've been trying to read as much as I can about insects and if they feel pain but its a topic not fully studied yet unfortunately. They certainly could be beneficial though, nutrient wise and environmentally. For now veganism is what is comfortable with my lifestyle and with the research I have done, so I stick with that. 

I definitely understand the moral reasons for going vegan. The pain that animals feel isn't something anyone should take pleasure in, but it's also not a very convincing argument to not eat meat. There are so many other reasons that it doesn't even matter. I'd much rather appeal to logic than emotion.

14 minutes ago, Chiunzhan said:

I'm already vegetarian... But dropping eggs and milk is risky tbh, you need vitamin B12 and that's obtained only from animal sources.

 

12 minutes ago, Leonardo Fox said:

where r u getting the protein from? for how long have u been? ive been two weeks and im afraid in 6 months im going to be all bones and calcium, iron defficient and die

All edible, non-processed foods have every single protein you need. Don't ever worry about protein, that's just a scientific misunderstanding that someone had that spread like wildfire. There is no truth to it. You cannot get a protein deficiency if you eat enough calories.

Take B12 supplements and get omega-3s. Those are the only things that a vegan has to work to get. For everything else a vegan either is equal to an omnivore, or better off than them. Plant foods are chock-full of micro nutrients, it's really quite amazing. Just make sure you aren't a junk food vegan, a diet of doritos and oreos is not healthy by any means.

[Anastasia 6,093]

2 minutes ago, Leonardo Fox said:

where r u getting the protein from? for how long have u been? ive been two weeks and im afraid in 6 months im going to be all bones and calcium, iron defficient and die

Protein is in virtually every food, it is very easy to get and actually most of the population has too much protein which could be dangerous. I get my protein sources from beans, nuts, soy and vegetables. There is even protein in fruits, though you certainly would need to eat A LOT of fruit. Ads have brainwashed us into thinking we need meat to get protein, but it is way off and one of the biggest lies of the industry. I use the My Fitness Pal app, and I always meet my macros, though the sugar I am always overboard with them because I disagree with their limitations (I am currently studying dietetics and there is nothing wrong with raw fruit). I have only been vegan about a year, but I had anemia since I was 13. My doctor recommended an iron treatment that was completely void of animal ingredients, because iron is a lot easier to get than you realize. The same is with calcium, try using kale in your diet, it is a much healthier form of calcium than dairy is.

[Benji 20,113]

I'd happily go vegan in the future if it was an easily accessible, cheap and nutritious choice. It's easy to pull up ways of hitting one or two of those three things but rarely all three.

[Anastasia 6,093]

8 minutes ago, LuMetal said:

i know that. they're morally superior to me. trail blazers in saving the planet and all

good for them  

They are absolutely not superior to you in any way. Veganism is just a lifestyle change that anyone can make. Choosing to make vegan foods can help in a very big way, maybe try to start with Meatless Mondays or going vegetarian, it makes a difference. Anytime you choose a vegan meal over another also helps, you can change the world with very easy choices. If you need more help with food and diet please PM me, I can help to the best of my abilities and give recipes!