There are so many reasons to “go vegan” or to at least consider re-focusing your diet on plants. While it’s true, going vegan can really benefit your health, there are reasons beyond feeling better and living longer for why going vegan could be right for you. Turns out, a vegan lifestyle could also contribute to the long life of our planet. That’s just part of why vegan food is potentially going to be one of the top trends in 2019.
What Did 2018 Teach You About Going Vegan?
Well, if you look back on the last year or so, you’ll likely recall ordering avocado toast on more than one occasion. There’s no doubt it was one of the most popular foods of the year. According to the data of huge food delivery service, UberEats, it was a major trend in 2017 and 2018. Other chart-topping vegan bites on the most popular foods list in 2018 were:
Coconut- Brown rice
- Seaweed
- Hummus
- Cucumber
- Celery
- Kale1
This bodes well for if you’re hoping to see the vegan food trend continue — and grow — in the new year.
What’s On Tap for 2019?
It turns out, some of your favorite foods, like avo toast, might be dipping in popularity, and new clean vegan foods could steal the spotlight. When it comes to big trends, gone are the days of only two kinds of takeout: pizza and pizza.
But whole and vegan foods do seem to be on everybody’s menu as we enter 2019. With that in mind, you should consider trying the following options when it comes to updating your staples:
- Pumpkin
- Chia seeds
- Seitan
- Farro
- Bulgar
Again, not only will your body thank you, but the planet will as well.
How Can Loading Up on Vegan Food and Plant-Based Food Help the Planet?
Well, for starters, switching to plant-based food can help reduce the major impact animal agriculture has when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. Meat farmers use a ton of energy to raise their livestock.
You see, throughout the world, the raising of livestock accounts for almost 18 percent of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. In the United States, humans emit 16.5 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per person every single year. That’s close to 12 metric tons higher than the worldwide average.2
And did you know…
If you tend to eat meat on a regular basis, your greenhouse gas emissions can actually be up to twice as much as those on plant-based diets?
Furthermore, according to Business Insider, fish of all species are actually being netted faster than they can reproduce. What does that mean? Well, simply put… we’re depleting fish population so rapidly, there may actually be no fish left by the year 2050.3 And animal populations all over the planet are facing similar threats.
Do The Foods You Eat Affect Water Conservation?
You bet they do. Of course, if you look around, it may seem like water is everywhere. But believe it or not, according to the United States Geological Survey, only 2.5 percent of all the water on the planet is fresh.4 And only about a third of that water isn’t frozen.
So, what you choose to eat affects how much water gets used. Raising animals takes a much larger amount of water than farming plant foods. Primarily this is due to the fact that animals don’t just drink water, but they have to be cleaned and cooled. And even the machinery on farms needs water to be properly maintained.
So, What Can You Do?
Even if you’re not vegan, you could be of great service to yourself, and Mother Earth, by going for vegan foods at least one day a week. In fact, a part-time vegan diet that focuses on whole plant foods can potentially help boost your health, increase the well-being of several species, and even reduce environmental impact.5
In The End…
Clearly, a diet of plant-based or vegan foods is the way to go. Not only will you be taking better care of yourself, but you’ll be using the planet’s resources more respectfully and efficiently. If you are able to remove animal products from your diet — even just for one day a week — you can make a huge difference.
Learn More:
Ultimate Vegan Shopping List: How to Kickstart Your Plant-Based Diet
Top 10 Tips For New Vegans to Try
How to Build Muscle on A Vegan Diet (it’s easier than you think)
Sources
1.https://www.plantbasednews.org/post/vegan-food-will-be-top-trend-for-2019-says-uber-eats
2.https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/climate/cows-global-warming.html
3.https://www.businessinsider.com/foods-that-might-become-extinct-in-our-lifetime-2017-3
4.https://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthwherewater.html
5.https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/18/dining/going-vegan-if-only-for-a-day.html