I eat a beyond meat burger, sausage, or ground beef about once per week. I cook tacos, burritos, spaghetti, and many other dishes with friends who also follow a plant based diet.
But I am not the only one. Millions of North American are switching to plant based diets.
The undeniable truth is that factory farming is horrible for:
- the environment
- our health
- and terribly cruel for the animals.
Younger people are voting with their wallets
Millennials and younger generations are voting with their wallets. They have a different set of values from their boomer parents. They want a better planet and they are more conscious about the cruelty inflicted on farm animals.
And corporate America is listening. Big corporate franchises are adding plant based food to their menus. Many restaurants in my neighbourhood in Montreal are going 100% plant based.
You may recognize some of the following fast food chains which have added plant base meals to their menus:
- Burger King
- A & W
- Carl’s Jr.
- The Cheesecake Factory
- Del Taco
- Denny’s
- Dunkin’
- Hard Rock Cafe
- Little Ceasars
- McDonald’s
- Shake Shack
- Starbucks
- Subway
- Taco Bell
- TGI Fridays
- And many more.
A surprising statistic is that most people who eat a pant based burgers are not vegan not vegetarians, they are flexitarians, which means that they eat mostly plant based product but occasionally eat meat as well.
These are exactly the people targeted by the plant based food providers. If you notice, next time you go to the supermarket, the beyond burgers are not in the vegetarian session of the supermarket, instead they are placed right next to the animal meat. Consumers often times pick a few animal based burgers and some plant based burgers.
Why people are turning to plant based foods
The main reason why people start experimenting with plant based alternatives, is because they care about their health. They are aware of great damage that animal protein does to the body (the clogged arteries, heart disease, and obesity) and they are trying a much healthier option.
Young people switch to a plant based diet because they care about the environment. They are aware of how much pollution is created by each cow. It’s impossible to ignore the deforestation of the planet, the destruction of the Amazon, and the contamination of fresh water sources.
For people who care about global warming, they can spend thousands of dollars buying a Tesla or they can save hundreds of dollar by not eating meat and/or dairy products.
Although less numerous, some people don’t consume any animal product due to compassion towards animals. They see the cruelty that these animals endure and they don’t want to contribute in any way. My friend Cheryl Williams has taught me how to be more compassionate towards animals.
Companies producing plant based foods
The most well known companies producing plant based foods are
- Beyond Meal
- Impossible Foods
- Oatly, a Swedish company which produces oat milk and other related products.
How can you help the environment, improve your health, and be kind toward animals
The answer is simple. Every time you don’t consume an animal product you are helping yourself and helping the planet.
It’s hard to stop eating animal products, but if at least you reduce your consumption and buy a plant based meal instead, you will be helping the planet, helping yourself, you are showing kindness to the beautiful cows and you will be encouraging companies that are producing more delicious and more nutritious products.
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