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Photo: Romariolen – iStock

by VEGA – You’re already bringing reusable shopping bags to London Drugs, recycling everything under the sun and biking to work to tread lighter on the planet. But have you ever thought about the impact diet has on your carbon footprint? When you fuel your busy life with more whole, nutrient dense, plant-based foods on your plate, your carbon footprint goes down. At Vega, our passion for plant-based nutrition is as much about empowering health as it is about supporting the health of our planet. Here are three reasons to add more plant-based foods to your diet today:

1. Plant-based foods require fewer precious resources

The consumption of plant and animal products has very different effects on the planet. While plants “breathe in” harmful carbon dioxide and release life-giving oxygen into the world, animals do the opposite. Cows not only breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, they also release methane gas—a large contributor to climate change. So in just the farming, from seed to harvest, plants take up less land, energy, water and resources than animals—and combat the emissions animals farmed for food release.

2. Higher nutrient-to-resources ratio

Plant-based foods provide a bounty of nutrients, without taking up the resources required of animal foods. Take a look at your standard Canadian breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, 2 sausage links, a slice of toast, and hash browns requires 824 g of CO₂ emissions. A plant-based smoothie made with ¼ cup of blueberries, ½ a banana, 1 cup of hemp milk and a scoop of Vega One emits only 155 g CO₂ emissions. Choosing to start your day with a smoothie isn’t only nutrient dense, but it also lowers your carbon footprint.

3. Plant-based Foods are good for your health

You need to stay healthy to save the environment. Besides requiring fewer resources, plant-based foods are more nutrient dense than many other foods found in a typical diet. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, seeds and nuts all provide a variety of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients, with relatively low calorie counts. Adding more plant-based foods to your diet can help your health—those who eat mainly plant-based tend to have lower BMIs and less risk of cardiovascular disease.¹

Start with small changes

One of the easiest ways to reduce your food-related emissions is to add in more plant-based meals. Focusing on plant-based foods means less CO₂ emissions, water and energy consumption. Don’t worry–this isn’t an all-or-nothing type of situation. Even if you’re not eating 100% plant-based, every plant-based food choice makes a difference. Why not start first thing in the morning? Blend fresh and frozen fruit, non-dairy milk, nuts, seeds and Vega One to start your day with fewer carbon emissions.

Even better, as you reach for a scoop of Vega One, you’ll notice that our bottles are now made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic—saving 278 tons of CO ₂ or 63% less CO ₂ greenhouse gas than virgin plastic per year.