Sue Dibb |theguardian.com, Monday 9 June 2014 12.53 BST
Eating less meat is consistently
better for our health and the planet, and plant-based foods still supply the
protein we need
There’s a growing movement already influencing many eating habits.
Whether you call yourself a flexitarian or a part-time carnivore or just simply
want to eat better, the message to eat more plants and less meat cuts through
the cacophony of often apparently conflicting healthy eating advice.
It’s a message neatly put by food writer Michael Pollan in his phrase:
"eat food, mainly plants, not too much". The win-win here is that
diets centred on a diverse range of foods from plants with animal products
eaten sparingly, is not only healthy, it also has a lower environmental impact.
Meat is typically the most greenhouse gas intensive part of our diet.
The power of plants
Plant power comes from a huge diversity of roots and tubers, grains,
pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits. In fact, there are more than 30,000
edible plants globally, yet we have chosen to limit ourselves to a small
handful. Fifty crops now deliver 90% of the world’s calories. But as a study
published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) earlier
this year found, we pay a high price with our health. As global food diversity
declines, and the consumption of meat and processed foods increases, the result
is a dramatic increase in diet-related disease, diabetes, heart disease and
cancer.
Numerous studies link vegetarian eating and low-meat diets with reduced
risk of diseases such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and
cancer. The more veg you eat the better, according to the latest research,
which says "five a day" is no longer enough. It has been calculated
by researchers at Oxford University that eating meat no more than three times a
week and replacing it with plant foods would prevent 45,000 early deaths a year
in the UK and save the NHS £1.2bn a year.
What about protein and iron?
Cutting back on meat doesn’t mean you’ll go short of protein or iron.
In most western countries, including the UK, we get more than enough protein in
our diets. And while meat, eggs and dairy foods are what most people associate
with protein, plant-based foods are also good sources, from beans, lentils and
chickpeas, soya foods, tofu, seeds, nuts and nut butter (eg peanut butter) to
grains including wheat in cereals, pasta, bread, rice and maize.
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Soya, quinoa and hemp are particularly good sources of protein as they
contain a complete mix of essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein
that our bodies can’t make). But eating a variety of foods will ensure you
don’t go short.
Although red meat is the richest and most easily absorbed source of
iron, many plant foods are also good sources including dried fruit, beans and
lentils, green leafy vegetables, sesame seeds, nuts, wholemeal bread and
fortified cereals. Including a good source of vitamin C (found for example in
vegetables, citrus fruits) with meals helps the body absorb iron from plant
sources.
Get your pulses going
Pulses deserve a special mention. They come in a magnificent variety
but are often the forgotten foods, apart from the ubiquitous baked beans, and
are great sources of protein, iron, vitamins and fibre. Adding pulses to meat
dishes can also make the meat go further and help reduce the fat content of
meals.
And if you think beans are boring, take inspiration from Jenny
Chandler’s mouthwatering recipes in her book, Pulse. As she writes:
I hope to entice people into the
kitchen with really mouth-watering recipes such as zippy dals, fresh lentil
salads, cannellini and parmesan frittelle, chorizo with red pepper and
butterbeans and even black bean brownies. Some recipes are vegetarian, others
are not, but meat is seldom the main player.
Making the shift
We are all creatures of habit, particularly when it comes to what we
eat. Research by Behaviour Change, the people behind Dabble with Your Dinner,
to get us eating more veg in everyday meals, found that households tend to
prepare just a handful of dishes week in, week out.
Taking the Part-Time Carnivore pledge, signing up for Meat-free Monday
or initiatives such as Friends of the Earth’s Meat-free May can help break the
meat as a default habit. The message from those who’ve tried it, whether for a
day or a month, is that it’s not as difficult to take a break from meat as you
might think. Getting a weekly seasonal veg box can also help break the habit of
fruit and veg supermarket shopping, while experimenting with different tastes.
US food writer, Mark Bittman’s The VB6 Cookbook also demonstrates how to cut
back in the day without giving up meat completely.
If being good to your health and the planet isn’t reward enough, then
maybe saving money will help. Meat is typically the most expensive item in our
shopping trolleys. The Livewell healthy, low-carbon diet developed by WWF and
Aberdeen University in 2010 cost £28.40 per week, compared to the then UK
average spend of £32.12. In a US study food bank recipients who followed
simple, plant-based recipes saved money, ate more healthily and were less
dependent on food handouts. Around half also lost weight. With results like
that, what’s not to like?
Sue Dibb is the coordinator for Eating Better.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jun/09/healthy-diet-why-plants-outgrow-all-other-trends
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