Can our diet save the planet?
The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) just released a new report, and the message is clear: Deadly and irreversible effects of climate change are already here. Unlike previous assessments, the report also concludes it is "unequivocal" that humans have caused the climate crisis.
One of the things we can do from home is to stop eating animal protein that is NOT pasture-raised, and lower our consumption of animal protein even if it is. The main health problems we face today are the result of what we stopped putting on our plates: food is information and the best information for a healthy body comes from fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, mushrooms, seeds, and nuts.
Free grazing is good for the planet because it promotes the microbial biodiversity of soils that allows the capture of carbon from the atmosphere. The problem is that we would need 7 planets Earth to supply the current demand for animal protein. That is why we have to ask ourselves the obligatory question: if it is unsustainable for the planet, how is it going to be good for us?
It is also critical to analyze where the food for factory farm animals comes from. They are GMO grains and cereals, whose cultivation practices destroy microbial diversity. GMO crops subsist on damaged soils sustained artificially by synthetic fertilizers. This degradation inhibits them to sequester CO2 from the atmosphere.
The consequences? No strategy to reduce greenhouse gases will work if we don't change our diet and lifestyle... we witnessed it last year; we stayed at home but the levels of greenhouse gases emissions continued to increase.
As Einstein said, we cannot change an outcome if we continue to behave in the same way.
Want to know more?
My upcoming book “Healthy Planet, Healthy You: Simple Habits to Create a Brighter Future” will show how and why what you eat is ruining your wellbeing, the environment, and the chance for a healthy-giving planet for future generations and provides easy ideas for switching to a more environment-friendly diet.
The Spanish version of my book: "Por tu salud y la del planeta: un sencillo cambio de alimentación para devolver el futuro a nuestros hijos" is currently available on Amazon.com